Joan Armatrading announces new studio album, releases single inspired by encounter with confrontational young person
· louderBy Fraser Lewry
( Classic Rock )
published 2 October 2024
Joan Armatrading's twenty-first studio album How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean will arrive later this year
Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading has announced her 21st studio album, How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean. The follow-up to 2021's Top 10 release Consequences, it'll be released on November 22 via BMG.
The album, which was written, produced, programmed and engineered by Armatrading at her own Bumpkin Studio, is preceded by the single I'm Not Moving, which was inspired by an encounter with a young person engaged in "alarmingly confrontational" public behaviour.
"He was like 'I'm going to kill everybody! I'm not moving! You can get the police! You can't move me!'" reports Armatrading. "All the lyrics just flowed, in one, and I knew it had to have an aggression, because that's how he was. I did a version of it that was a little bit milder, but you could tell that wasn't it."
Armatrading describes How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean as, "observational, and yes, very direct", which suggests that this isn't the heavy metal album she hinted at making back in 2020.
"I love hard rock!” she told The Guardian. “I always tell myself, ‘One day I’ll make a heavy metal album.’ With lots of guitar shredding! And I will.”
Armatrading has always experimented with different genres including the hard rock of 1983's The Key, while 2007's Into The Blues was a blues album, 2010's This Charming Life was rooted in "guitar based rock" and 2012's Starlight was a pure jazz album.
Earlier this year she announced the launch of the Joan Armatrading Scholarship, which provides full three-year tuition fees at the BIMM Music Institute for candidates from low-income households and/or groups that are under-represented in higher education.
Classic Rock Newsletter
Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
Joan Armatrading - I'm Not Moving (Official Video) - YouTube
Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.
More about classic rock
The Sammy Hagar albums you should definitely listen to
Latest
“If you told teenage me, ‘One day Ozzy will tell you to keep making music,’ I’d have slapped you!” Ozzy Osbourne encouraged Max Cavalera to carry on after leaving Sepultura
See more latest ►
Most Popular
Joe Bonamassa to perform Rory Gallagher's legendary Irish Tour '74 set at two shows in Ireland
"Just wait for it to kick in!": Quireboys release rollicking new single I Think I Got It Wrong Again