Brittany Howard released “He Loves Me,” a song from her forthcoming debut solo album, Jaime. The soulful, slow-burning track – which debuted earlier today as Zane Lowe’s World Record on Apple Music’s Beats 1 – offers up a frank reflection on the unconditional nature of God’s love. While confessing she’s not a churchgoer, Howard punctuates the song with samples from a sermon by Reverend Terry K. Anderson, a Houston-based pastor she discovered on YouTube.
View Howard’s live performance of “He Loves Me” HERE. The video was directed by Danny Clinch and shot at Sound Emporium in Nashville. Download / stream “He Loves Me” HERE. Jaime, set for September 20 release on ATO Records, is titled after Howard’s sister, who taught her to play the piano and write poetry, and who died of cancer when they were still kids.
“‘He Loves Me’ is a very important track on my record. It is a song I deeply want to share to help others realize loving and being loved by God doesn’t have to look the same for everyone,” says Brittany Howard. “When my older sister passed away, it took its toll on our family. We grew apart from one another and therefore, we grew apart from our family church. I thought God had intended to hurt us or punish us, but I later realized that I found God in music and I found God in my voice. I learned that He always had a plan for myself and my family. That is what ‘He Loves Me’ is about. It is my greatest realization that He has never left me. All those years that I had turned away, I was still receiving His absolute love and forgiveness.”
Howard will launch her North American headline tour this Saturday, August 17, with a sold-out concert at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. The run will also include shows at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville (August 19), New York City’s Beacon Theatre (September 24) and a two-night stand at Los Angeles’ Theatre at Ace Hotel (October 8 and 9). Howard’s band includes drummer Nate Smith and bassist Zac Cockrell (founding member of Alabama Shakes), who both also played on Jaime, keyboardist Paul Horton (Alabama Shakes), guitarists Alex Chakour (Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings) and Brad Allen Williams (José James, CeCe Winans) plus Alabama Shakes’ background vocalists Lloyd Buchanan (who also plays keys), Karita Law and Shanay Johnson.
Tickets are available at www.brittanyhoward.com. Every online ticket purchased for the U.S. dates on the fall tour will include a CD of the new album, Jaime. See below for full itinerary.
As the frontwoman and guitarist for Alabama Shakes, Howard has become one of music’s most celebrated figures. The band has won four GRAMMY Awards and topped the Billboard 200 with the Gold-certified Sound & Color, the follow-up to its Platinum debut album, Boys & Girls.
Fans who pre-order Jaime in digital format will instantly receive “He Loves Me,” “Stay High” and “History Repeats.” The album’s first single, “Stay High,” entered Billboard’s Triple A Songs chart at No.15 and is now in the top 10. Views of the accompanying video have surpassed five million. The clip stars Terry Crews (“Everybody Hates Chris”, The Expendables films, Deadpool 2, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “America’s Got Talent”). It was directed by Kim Gehrig (Wiley & Mark Ronson, Chaka Khan) and features Howard’s first-ever appearance in a music video. View “Stay High” HERE
NPR observed, “‘Stay High’ floats in the air, celebrating hard work with the love of home.” Refinery 29 praised the “feel-good gem” and noted, “If you were looking for a working-class hero, put down the Bruce Springsteen cassette tapes and let’s talk about Brittany Howard.” Rolling Stone said, “Howard’s solo debut, Jaime, is her most ambitious recording ever, full of synthed-out psychedelic funk, druggy soul ballads, hip-hop loops, and lyrics grappling with her past, including sexuality, family tragedy, religious guilt and more…It’s a powerful record.”
Brittany Howard – Tour Dates
North America
8/17 | Asheville, NC | Orange Peel
8/18 | Asheville, NC | Orange Peel
8/19 | Nashville, TN | Ryman Auditorium
8/23 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club
8/24 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club
9/18 | Milwaukee, WI | Riverside Theater
9/19 | St. Paul, MN | Palace Theatre
9/20 | Chicago, IL | Riviera Theatre
9/22 | Toronto, ON | Rebel
9/24 | New York, NY | Beacon Theatre
9/25 | Boston, MA | House of Blues
9/27 | Philadelphia, PA | The Fillmore
10/5 | Austin, TX | ACL Festival
10/8 | Los Angeles, CA | Theatre at Ace Hotel
10/9 | Los Angeles, CA | Theatre at Ace Hotel
10/12 | Austin, TX | ACL Festival
10/13 | Atlanta, GA | AfroPunk Festival
International
8/29 | London, UK | EartH Hackney
8/31| Stradbally, IRL | Electric Picnic
9/2 | Amsterdam, NL | Paradiso
9/4 | Paris, FR | Alhambra
11/2 | Bilbao, ES | BIME Live
