Shura – new video premieres for ‘Touch’
“Soft, vaguely 70s/80s pop filtered through 90s R&B…You will love it” Fader
“Good luck getting this out of your mind” Guardian Guide
“A sit-up-and-listen debut” Sunday Times, Hottest Tracks
“As strong a debut as you’re likely to hear all year” Line of Best Fit
“Prepare to be blown away” Nylon
Shura has premiered a striking video for acclaimed debut track ‘Touch’ via Noisey – which has already gone Top 5 on Hype Machine, and picked up over 100,000 plays in its first week on Soundcloud.
Shura’s debut video is warm and ethereal depiction of everything that flows through ‘Touch’ – a break-up song which captures the sadness of not being with somebody anymore, but also the infinite tenderness of your time together. Directed by and starring Shura’s group of friends, the video portrays a number of eclectic, interchangeable couples (“I wanted it to be a snapshot of how love is for everyone,” she says) in appropriately-tactile states: kissing, breaking up, changing partners and moving on, but ever-effected by that first touch. It also features a brief cameo from Shura herself, who remains alone, and doesn’t get to snog anybody.
‘Touch’ as an immediate introduction to Shura: a performer, producer, remixer and video editor, who was born in London to a Russian actress and an English documentary filmmaker. One of her first memories is of walking around a snowy Red Square in a pink jumpsuit, otherwise occupied by the Soviet army. Her mother made a notable five-minute cameo in ‘Mission Impossible’ but turned down a role in ‘GoldenEye’, believing James Bond to be anti-Russian.
Whilst her early demos started at University in London, Shura’s passion for music came via her brother, who would DJ drum-and-bass at the weekends, and installed an early love of electronic music in his sister. Keen to impress him, Shura began building her own songs, refining her production skills and immersing herself in the textured sounds of Massive Attack or ‘Velvet-Rope’-era Janet Jackson. Her songwriting found its focus in South America, where Shura worked for an extended period after her studies, walking pumas previously raised in captivity around the Amazon – contemplating past relationships, and future music.
What emerged was ‘Touch’ – the first taster from one of the standout new talents of the year.
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