Tuelo Quiets the Noise with “Green Light”
Tuelo is a folk-rock singer and songwriter who is art-driven, political, and spiritual. She inherited her distinct way of song from her South African traditions. A citizen of the world, Tuelo is based in New York City and has also made Dublin a musical home. She has distinct heart-piercing vocals revered by NPR, the Recording Academy, and the Huffington Post, who dubbed her "New York's Best Singer…and the World’s." Tuelo's music reclaims the roots of folk and rock to revive people's spirits.
The latest release sees Tuelo reckon with a fast-paced, ever-changing world as she attempts to maintain her sense of self and find brightness in the future. Tuelo will celebrate the release at Debbie's in NYC on June 20, open to the public.
The artist's bold second studio album Regarding My Heart is due out September 27 and available for pre-order now. With her most refined, self-assured sound to date, Regarding My Heart is a sweeping sonic exploration of love, loss and loneliness that allows Tuelo to proudly re-introduce herself as she carves a space in folk-rock that is all her own.
Written in Belgium in 2018, the track poured out of the artist as she began to reckon with major life changes, relationships evolving or ending, and the pace at which life moves today, aiming to calm her mind in any way she could. Tuelo explains,
"It’s like I needed to give myself the impetus to restart friendships, to reexamine relationships, to be at peace with a period of self inquiry and questioning the universe, and of calming the noise. It stems from the fact that I started walking straight into traffic in New York City, oblivious to things around me. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders without anyone to lean on. More than that, I started worrying that I would be involved in an actual accident if I couldn’t get my mind right."
Ultimately, the track gives Tuelo the necessary space to quiet the outside noise and reassure herself of her path, desires and the brighter future ahead, acting as a crucial beacon of light.
"There is so much stimulation, confusion and make-believe emerging, it felt urgent to be reminded to focus. Concentrate on the 'Green Light' – on good advice, on guidance, on the “everything is ok” sign."
The track also chronicles Tuelo's journey away from religion and its impact on her meaningful new relationship with herself, as well as music's vital role in this. The artist says,
"I found that I was even more focused on being good, doing right, listening and serving what is good and serving my spirit. Song is always part of my practice.”
The track's accompanying video, directed by Kevin Wenzel, is a mirror of a mysterious ancient artifact and Tuelo, the visitor. A visit to a museum reveals an African masquerade, an idea from brilliant and spiritual West African masquerades. Tuelo says,
"In it I awaken an ancient artifact that takes up space in a museum and let it free. Green Light is exactly that – a vibration.”
Inspired by a visit to the British Museum, Wenzel recalls,
“When we were recording the album we traveled to London to work with producer Robbie Nelson, and I remember talking with Tuelo after she visited the museum for the first time about seeing all of the looted artifacts from around the world there. When creating the concept for the video we wanted to pull from that experience, and from the feeling in the music of finding direction in chaos–finding clarity and connection. So much of that clarity comes from traditions, history, and art, yet in a modern setting so much of it is distorted, walled off, or completely hidden from sight. We wanted the song and dancing to be a way to break through.”
Photo Credit: Kevin Wenzel
Tuelo's forthcoming cinematic second full-length studio album, Regarding My Heart, brings together her humble beginnings with who she is today–filled with lush textures, dynamic sounds, layered strings, horns and guitars, soaring vocals and intimate lyricism. With its vivid storytelling and unbridled honesty, the project has provided Tuelo with the space to heal, listen to herself and center her voice. Tuelo says,
"This album has been the way that I could explain a life I thought was over. It has been the way I could explain a love I thought could be the only one. I could be silent. After many years of fear as a migrant alone, I had a story to tell, and when it came to my heart I needed to remind myself that I am deserving of some kind of love."
Beginning with one central song and building from there, Tuelo crafted a resonant glimpse into her heart from different perspectives.
On her unique songwriting process that generates dozens of songs, Tuelo shares,
"With 'Regarding My Heart,' I began to write over 70 songs that are called songs and shadows, which is a particular songwriting process I came up with of one core song followed by additional songs inspired by and answering back to this main song in different ways to include nuance in a journey."
Tuelo says the album is,
"by the lonely for the lonely. It's about holding on to every ounce of peace, patience, pace, and the rhythm of the world."
Interspersed between the tracks are chant versions and towards the end, piano versions that offer alternate takes on the original versions while paying homage to Tuelo's roots. Across three continents, the project's expansive sound was brought to life with help from multi-GRAMMY® award-winning producer (Album of the Year, Best Rock Album) Robbie Nelson, guitar producer Kirk Schoenherr, longtime collaborator Kevin Wenzel and features backing vocals from Tuelo's sisters.
Released in March, the title track encompasses a life in its entirety–the love, loss and lessons learned. It was the making of this song that ultimately served as the catalyst for the making of the album. Tuelo shares,
“'Regarding My Heart' is a life-long journey of a song: a release, a reflection, a pacing of the story of love and loss."
The artist's South African roots influence all facets of her artistry, as Tuelo shares,
"It allowed for us to build a specific sound that reflects my particular way of song that I always compose from: my wailing vocal style with cinematic sounds and Etherial guitars, all rooted in my chanting culture."
On the track's subject matter and its universal, relatable quality, Tuelo says, "The song shows that in a ubiquitous world there lives a person in solitude, with a fascination for adventure, fantasy, and big dreams of great love. That is me. That would be 'Regarding My Heart.' That might be you.”
With distinct, sharp vocals and a genre-bending, singular sonic approach, Tuelo has established herself while carving a space in music all her own. Tuelo's debut album, The Life of Margaret Cornelius, arrived in 2022 and was praised by several leading tastemakers like NPR and The Recording Academy.Describing Tuelo's music with an exclusive performance on their segment Positive Vibes Only, the Academy shared, "Infectious drums, powerfully stacked vocals and guitars that rip through the song are all common practice for the uncommon experience that is listening to Tuelo." In support of the release of her 2017 EP SaintMargaret, The Huffington Post called Tuelo, "New York's best singer (and the world's)" and said, "Sometimes a singer just comes out of nowhere and makes you question everything you ever listened to before. When you finally hear it, you know." Consequencepraised the EP's intimate title track, stating, "The track ['Saint Margaret'] is a warm and simple bit of revival folk. Tuelo sings her mother’s praises over slow guitars and a gentle synth.." Tuelo's striking vocals caught the attention of AFROPUNKwho called the musician's performances, "an inspiring and spiritual experience carried by the singer’s powerhouse vocals."
Tuelo was raised in rural South Africa in a large family and a close-knit community amid the tumultuous political landscape of apartheid. It was this environment that directly informs her artistry today, as family and activism remain at the heart of her work. At age 17, Tuelo moved to New York City where she worked as a vocalist, making appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, back-up vocals for PaulSimon and GRAMMY® award-winning albums including Angelique Kidjo's Eve and Sings. Now, continually inspired by traditional African music, the art-driven, spiritual and political singer-songwriter offers her own blend of folk-rock that both honors her past and paves the way for her future.
Regarding My Heart is out September 27th
Regarding My Heart (LP) Tracklist
01. Regarding My Heart (Chant)
02. Regarding My Heart
03. Some Kind of Love (Chant)
04. Some Kind of Love
05. Green Light (Chant)
06. Green Light
07. Enemy of Love (Chant)
08. Enemy of Love
09. Bitter Weeping (Chant)
10. Bitter Weeping
11. My Friend Saba (Chant)
12. My Friend Saba
13. Some Kind of Love (Piano)
14. Audio Journal
