Singer-songwriter Arlo Parks (Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) has released two tracks as part of the latest Spotify Singles series. The event means to celebrate artists nominated for the Grammy’s Best New Artist award. Typically consisting of one cover of a previous nominee, as well as a new version of one of the artist’s old songs, Parks has given her voice to Kaytranada’s 2016 track “You’re the One“.
The song originally appeared on the Haitian-Canadian producer’s album 99.9%, and featured vocals from LA singer-songwriter Syd. Parks said of the song that “Syd’s voice in ‘You’re the One’ always had this effortless beauty to it in my eyes and I wanted to cover it to expose the romance and yearning behind the lyrics.“
Recording in New York City’s Electric Lady Studios, Parks also re-recorded her recent track “Softly“, which was released only earlier this year. She said “It was an honour to be able to sing my new song ‘Softly’ too, to highlight the beginning of a new and beautiful chapter in my career and celebrate being nominated for Best New Artist.”
Parks can keep her fingers crossed for this year’s Grammys, having also been nominated for Best Alternative Music Album in celebration of her 2021 debut Collapsed in Sunbeams. The record did well enough for her last year, winning the Hyundai Mercury Prize for best album and being nominated for three awards at the 2021 BRITs (Album of the Year/Best New Artist/Best British Female Solo Artist). Fans weren’t too dismissive either, with it reaching no.3 on the UK Albums Chart.
And she’s not the only one celebrating recent successes. Finneas started off this year’s Spotify Singles series with a cover of the Bon Iver track “Flume“, as well as redoing his 2021 track “Medieval“. Some of the other artists nominated for Best New Artist include Baby Keem and Glass Animals. The awards will take place on April 3rd.
At the young age of 21, Parks has already enjoyed a number of impressive successes over the past few years. Having appeared on The Graham Norton Show and Later … with Jools Holland last year, as well as winning the Breakthrough Artist Award at the 2021 BRIT Awards, who only knows what she’s up to next.
I’m so so mindblowingly excited to say I’m going to be presenting at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony!! What an honour to be part of such a special ceremony that I (and everyone else lol) grew up seeing as the pinnacle of music and artistry! pic.twitter.com/UL9XRQwr29
— Arlo Parks (@arloparks) March 27, 2022
Although we do actually know a little bit about that. She’s due for some live stuff soon, supporting huge names such as Harry Styles, Clairo and Billie Eilish. For a full list of tour dates, you can look here.
