One of the UK’s biggest international breakthrough artists Freya Ridings adds to the anticipation for the May 5th release of her Blood Orange album by sharing the new song “Face in The Crowd”.
Born from personal experience, “Face in The Crowd” is a heartfelt confession in which Freya bares her soul, the rich timbre of her voice overflowing with loss and heartbreak. She highlights “Face in The Crowd” as one of the closest songs to her heart from Blood Orange; not only because her emotion is so palpable in its performance, but also because of its background. It was the first song Freya had written alone on piano since her breakthrough hit “Lost Without You”, and became one which fans consistently championed as one of her best during her lockdown livestream series, where Freya showcased new songs during a series of Instagram livestreams in the heart of the pandemic. It was produced by her partner Ewan J. Phillips.
Speaking on the track, Freya said: “‘Face in The Crowd’ is a completely true story about when you’re going through a break-up and you realise you’ve made a big mistake. You become obsessed and start scanning every crowd that you pass for their face. You want that person to think you’ve moved on, but you just haven’t. There’s a lot of regret in that song, and a lot of owning up too: what did I do that led
to this? It’s a song I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share with people.”
“Face in the Crowd” is the next offering from Freya since her massive January single “Weekends”. Becoming an instant airplay hit with a Radio 1 Best New Pop premiere plus key playlists including Capital, Virgin Radio, Bauer Hits and Bauer Pride, Freya also recorded sessions for Graham Norton at Virgin Radio and Radio 2, and performed “Weekends” on Sunday Brunch.
A dancefloor-ready, string-laden singalong, “Weekends” has since racked up 3M+ streams, earning 23 inclusions on Spotify’s New Music Friday as well as a spot on Apple Music’s A-List; meanwhile, the single has also been supported by the likes of Billboard, Wonderland, Notion, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Tonight, Ones to Watch and Official Charts. Freya will continue to put the upcoming Blood Orange album in the spotlight with major upcoming moments including a performance of “Weekends” on The Graham Norton Show and a guest appearance on James Martin’s Saturday Morning – both in April.
“Face in The Crowd” and “Weekends” provide an insight into the revelatory wonders of the Blood Orange album, a collection in which Freya made herself say the things she didn’t want to say. The result is an album that speaks to everything she is, has been through, and has become. It’s all of her, in fourteen life-affirming songs. After all the challenges comes joy – and love. A journey from the bitter into the sweet. The lightning-in-a-bottle emergence of Freya Ridings with “Lost Without You” and her self-titled debut album made her one of the surprise international success stories of recent years. The single made Freya the first female artist to have an entirely self-written Top 10 hit since Kate Bush’s original release of ‘Running Up That Hill’ in 1985, and in the process set-up her debut album for immense global success: a #3 UK chart position, a billion+ streams, and a phenomenal 47 Platinum and Gold certifications from all around the world.
With Freya’s live plans for 2023 now taking shape with festival dates confirmed at Tunes in the Dunes (May 14th) and Hardwick Festival (August 19th), stay tuned for everything Freya has planned for the year as she slowly peels back the layers of Blood Orange.
Email: neill@outloudculture.com
