One of the UK’s great singer/songwriters, Joan Armatrading announces her brilliant new album, How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean.
Releasing November 22nd on BMG, the pioneering star has produced a songwriting and recording masterclass. As usual in her recent history, the new record is a triumph of self-sufficiency – entirely written, produced, programmed and engineered by Joan herself.
Leading the way, with one of the album’s most ear-catching lyrics, is the single ‘I’m Not Moving,’ a set of words that Joan was immediately compelled to write after witnessing some alarmingly confrontational public behaviour by a young person. “He was like ‘I’m going to kill everybody! I’m not moving! You can get the police! You can’t move me!’ All the lyrics just flowed, in one, and I knew it had to have an aggression, because that’s how he was. I did a version of it that was a little bit milder, but you could tell that wasn’t it.”
The track is accompanied by a new video that brings Joan’s sentiment to life, with two people taking their own stands and refusing to budge…with a Hitchcock style cameo from the woman herself.
The 12-track album is the latest embellishment in a catalogue that opened in 1972 with Whatever’s For Us. That LP launched the distinguished career that has led to MBE and CBE decorations, Ivor Novello and BASCA Gold Badge Awards for songwriting, BRIT and Grammy nominations, countless honorary degrees and far more. A whole new generation of famous fans, from Little Simz, to Laura Mvula and Arlo Parks have ensured her legend continues for a new generation.
The intriguing album title is a reflection of where Joan feels we are now, “You can apply it to just about anything,’How did this happen and what does it now mean?‘,” she says. “We are in such a weird place at the moment, and you do think, how did this happen? Some of the things we’re going through, and some of the things we can say and can’t say, and can and can’t do – how on earth do we get to this place, and what does it now mean? Where are we going to go now? It applies to all kinds of things. It’s like asking a question that you can’t answer.”
This latest adventure came in the wake of another bold achievement in a history of risk-taking. In 2023, Joan ventured into the world of classical composing for the first time with the world premiere of her Symphony No. 1, performed by the Chineke! Orchestra at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
With fresh songs flowing in its wake, she stepped back into her Bumpkin Studio in April this year with renewed intent and a collection of concise new tracks, only one of them breaking the four-minute mark. There are two instrumentals too, with Joan demonstrating her status as an incredible, underrated guitarist.