Release Date: 25 April 2025
Label: Brownswood Recordings

Genre: Jazz, Electronic, Free jazz, Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Jazz-Not-Jazz, Nu Jazz

“A crossover star” - The Guardian

“From the west of Yorkshire to one of the most significant names in UK music…” - Wonderland

"Funny, bleak, cathartic and brave... transforming unbearable pain into deeply affecting, original art." - MOJO, 4/5

“...a densely layered, frictional set that matches emotional heft and musical invention in equal and impressive measure” - Uncut, 8/10

Visionary multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist Emma-Jean Thackray today releases her most bold and genre-defying work to date: ‘Weirdo’, available now via Brownswood Recordings / Parlophone. The new album is a triumphant, deeply personal statement from one of the UK’s most vital creative forces, written, performed, produced, recorded and mixed entirely by Thackray herself in her South London flat.

Drawing on an eclectic mix of influences—grunge, pop, soul, p-funk, and jazz— and exploring and celebrating the isolation of being different – the titular weirdo – the album is a triumphant celebration of survival and individuality, standing as a testament to Emma-Jean Thackray’s extraordinary musicianship and fearless self-expression.

“Making this record saved my life. I needed to find a way back to myself after being so lost and everything I am is music - nothing else matters. It’s not the first time I’ve made a record completely on my own, but this time was more important because I needed to put all my energy into myself. It’s a survival record - full of pain but also silliness. There are raw lyrics juxtaposed with joyful groove. Huge existential questions next to diary entries about making dinner. The dark comedy of grief. It’s a window into the worst year of my life, a journey through the depths of despair, but there’s some light on the other side.” - Emma-Jean Thackray

‘Weirdo’ was prefaced by a series of standout singles, including "It's Okay" feat. Kassa Overall, a dreamy and weightless composition that showcases the breadth and scope of Thackray's musical indecencies. It followed “Wanna Die”, a striking blend of frenetic energy and emotional vulnerability, which arrived with a brilliantly tongue in cheek video accompaniment. With its scattered, uptempo beat driving the track forward, the song juxtaposes its rhythmically playful foundation against poignant reflections on mortality and resilience. “Black Hole” featuring Reggie Watts introduced the new record late last year, a delectable slice of P-funk that channels everything from jazz, pop, and soul in signature Emma-Jean Thackray style. The final single to be shared was the fearless and complex “Maybe Nowhere”, candidly expressing the bleakness of grief amidst the backdrop of boom-bap drumming and echoed vocal musings, evolving into a cacophonous wall of sound in the track’s final moments.

The album is full of irrepressible instant classics, written, played, and arranged with staggering skill and verve and conveying a huge spectrum of human emotion and experience. Try listening to the brilliantly catchy ‘Save Me’ without singing along before the song reaches the end of the first play. ‘Thank You For The Day’ is an iconic, hands-in-the-air anthem that emerged from life’s wreckage. Personality shines through especially strongly in the short songs peppered throughout – like the ultra-catchy ‘Fried Rice’ – tracks Emma-Jean describes as being more like diary entries than skits.

Originally conceived as a meditation on neurodivergence and mental health, ‘Weirdo’ evolved after the unexpected loss of her long-term partner from natural causes in January 2023, resulting in an album that feels deeply personal and universal. With intricate compositions, raw emotion, and an unflinching authenticity, ‘Weirdo’ is more than an album; it’s a masterpiece of resilience, a celebration of individuality, and a bold leap forward for an artist at the forefront of British music. Blurring the lines between genre and emotion, ‘Weirdo’ evokes comparisons to Meshell Ndegeocello, Kate Bush and Nirvana—on the dancefloor.

Emma-Jean’s journey to becoming one of the most talked-about figures in contemporary music has been anything but conventional. Born in West Yorkshire and classically trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Trinity Laban Conservatoire, she spent her early career defying musical boundaries with her genre-blending sound. Emma-Jean grew up in a low-income, working class family. This alone makes her unusual, when over 92% of actors, musicians and writers grew up cushioned by medium or high-income backgrounds, according to the Office for National Statistics. Her rise to prominence included her self-released EP ‘Walrus’ (2016) and the Jazz FM award-winning ‘Yellow’ (2021), which solidified her position as one of the UK's most innovative musicians and saw her performing at iconic venues and festivals, from the London Symphony Orchestra to numerous Glastonbury slots.

‘Weirdo’ heralds the start of a new musical chapter for Emma-Jean as part of the revered Brownswood Recordings (Yussef Dayes, Kokoroko). An institution proudly rooted in London’s diverse music community, the label has become a hub for eclectic genre defying music, and feels like the perfect home for a boundary blurring musical force such as Thackray.

Fans can catch Thackray’s electrifying live show this year as she announces a full UK and European headline tour, including a show at London’s KOKO this November, live dates below. She recently wrapped a series of dates supporting Kamasi Washington, and embarks on several of solo and in-store live performances in support of the record in April and May, before select festival dates across the summer.

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