This week’s Single of the Week comes from Los Angeles-based R&B singer-songwriter Sinead Harnett. A sultry and soulful mid tempo number, Where You Been Hiding is the perfect showcase for Harnett’s honey sweet voice.
“I started writing this song whilst making my second album ‘Ready is Always Too Late” says the singer about her new single. “At the time I was honestly asking myself why I couldn’t seem to make any romantic relationship work. I was questioning if it will ever happen, and if so where this person is.
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As time’s gone on and I eventually finished the song, I reflected on its meaning. The relationship I’ve had with myself needed some work and healing, which brings a whole new deeper level to the song for me. I’d been hiding from myself for too long.”
Where You Been Hiding begins gently, with Harnett initially supported by just a simple guitar and drum track.
“I get so used to it” she sings. “Disappointment after disappointment/So pointless and I’m through with it/Only function in the dysfunctional, too comfortable”. Harnett’s voice is irresistible, soft and sweet and oozing warmth and sex appeal.
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As the track builds, meanwhile, keys, bass, and synth sounds are added to the mix, although the production never loses sight of its central attraction: Harnett herself.
Where You Been Hiding brings to mind the work of such artists as Liv Dawson and Beka while also recalling the softer side of the singer Prince.
The single comes from the Deluxe Edition of Ready Is Always Too Late, with the expanded version of the collection due to be released this week. The album follows Harnett’s quest to discover her best self. Full of empowering statements of self worth, the collection shows that the singer is progressing nicely, both in her personal and professional lives.
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“Ready has often been an excuse, and one I didn’t want to use anymore,” she says of the title of the album. “I wasn’t ready to be proud of the skin I was in, to find my inner confidence or to truly practice self-love. But I’m doing it now and it’s an ongoing, crazy and unpredictable journey that I’m grateful for.”
Born in London to a Thai mother and Irish father, Harnett’s journey to musical stardom has been a long and winding one.
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Indeed, from competing in a variety of singing competitions while at university, to spending endless hours uploading covers of popular songs to You Tube, the singer has certainly paid her dues. Which must make her current success all the more satisfying.
Although, after hearing her new single, it may be music buyers who are asking Where You Been Hiding?
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