V V Brown to release second album + November 2011 tour dates

British singer-songwriter V V Brown, who first captured the attention of American music fans with her gold-certified single "Shark in the Water" and a North American tour with Maroon 5 last year, is gearing up for the release of her second album for Capitol Records.

Details about the album's title and release date will be revealed via a web series debuting on vvbrown.com.

The 27-year-old Northampton, England, native began to sketch out ideas for her second album while touring behind her stylishly retro-sounding debut album, 2010's Travelling Like The Light, which attracted glowing reviews from critics on both sides of the Atlantic.

Spin wrote that V V's "enthusiasm immediately leaps from the grooves" while USA Today wrote that it "reveals both a knack for killer hooks and, vocally, a rare mix of power and grace."

"I felt like I was maturing as an artist," V V says. "I set up a studio in my flat, with just me and my engineer, and started going a bit mad with music. It was all part of the process of getting to where I am now. I had to re-program and learn who I was again."

The result is a major leap forward for V V, who bent herself into experimental musical shape after listening to such pivotal records on tour, from the anthemic punk template of The Clash to the experimental electronica of The Knife. "I was going to the kind of experimental place I hadn't been before," she says. "It felt like growing up. I felt freer."

V V worked with writers Evan Bogart (Beyonce), Jean Baptiste (Black Eyed Peas), Mr. Griffiths (Jem) and writer/producers Bjorn Yttling (of feted Swedish indie rockers Peter Bjorn and John), "because I needed to twist things up a bit," and Ne-Yo collaborator Chuck Harmony, who produced the album's first single "Children" featuring Chiddy (of Philadelphia's Chiddy Bang). "The song was written about a generation that has uninspiring aspirations and believes material wealth is what happiness is," V V says, adding that the song feels particularly topical given the summer riots in London. "You have to give people a voice," she says. "Everyone has to be heard, because otherwise they will make themselves heard." "Children" was made available for sale on all DSPs in the States on September 20th.

Travelling Like The Light was released in the U.K. in 2009, followed by digital and physical releases in the U.S. last year, which led to V V's career-making performances on Ellen, Rachael Ray, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Late Show with David Letterman.

V V's other achievements include the album climbing to No. 1 on the French Digital Albums chart, performing a sold-out tour of the U.K., as well making appearances at several of the major European summer festivals, including Glastonbury. She also has the distinction of becoming the first black British woman to front an ad campaign for venerable British retailer Marks & Spencers thanks to her highly developed sense of personal style and stunning looks.

In March 2011, V V performed for HRH Prince Charles at the Princes Trust Celebrates Success Awards, which honors the achievements of young people and those who have played a part in supporting the work of The Trust.

VV Brown 2011 US tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

November 2011

November 1 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory
November 2 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
November 4 Washington, DC DC9
November 7 Los Angeles, CA Bardot *
*(“School Night, curated & hosted by Chris Douridas [KCRW]”)
November 8 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Shop
November 9 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Café
November 10 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge

Photo credit: Paul Kalirai

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