Nilüfer Yanya has shared a new song, “Midnight Sun,” the second single from her forthcoming album PAINLESS, which is due March 4 via ATO.
“It’s a song about recognizing what it feels like to be pushed down but wanting to resist,” Yanya said of “Midnight Sun” in a statement. “I really like the imagery of ‘midnight sun’ as a lyric as it insinuates a light guiding you through darkness. The wings carry their own symbolism—freedom, lightness, flight, fantasy. If I could pick what people saw & heard it would be seeing the beauty of confrontation and the necessity of rebellion.”
The new track follows the album’s lead single, “stabilise.” The track was released alongside an accompanying video by her sister and longtime creative collaborator Molly Daniel.
Nilüfer offered some thoughts about the concept behind the single and video, saying, “I was really thinking about your surroundings and how much they influence or change your perception of things. A lot of the city is just grey and concrete, there’s no escape.”
She adds, “The video plays on the central theme in the song of no one coming to save you ever. It’s set in depths of reality in every day life where we are the only one’s truly capable of salvaging or losing ourselves. Nothing is out there -both a depressing and reassuring statement (depending on how you look at it). Sometimes you have to dress up as a spy or a rock star and just hope for the best.”
Yanya also recently announced a slew of North American and European tour dates. The 20-date North American leg of the tour follows the European dates and begins in April with stops in Austin, DC, New York, Toronto, Chicago and Salt Lake City before finishing in Portland on May 22. The European dates run through the month of March beginning in Glasgow with stops in London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. Tickets are on-sale now.
