Sampha Sisay’s long-awaited debut album Process is finally here to enjoy in full. Yes, it’s early in the year still, but it’s highly likely this will show up on many end-of-year lists come December.
Known for his collaborations with artists including Kanye West, Drake, Solange and SBTRKT, apart from some early EPs, it has been some time since we heard Sampha’s music through his own lens.
The album was preceded by three diverse singles which gave us a taste of what to expect: Timmy’s Prayer, the dance-floor grooves of Blood On Me and the crushing, intimate (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano – for which Sampha also released a high-tech virtual reality 360 degree video earlier this week – each offered a completely different angle to the London artist, each thread of which is furthered throughout the whole record.
The album questions what it means to be human, to process human emotion, to live through relationships, love, loss and beyond. Sampha’s stunning, unique voice is utterly captivating throughout. As I already wrote, Process is pristinely assembled; sagacious yet vulnerable, it neither conceals nor avoids what lies at its core: real, imperfect, uncertain humanity.
Stream the full album here. Below, check out Sampha’s upcoming Australian tour dates.
May 24: Studio, Auckland
May 25: The Triffid, Brisbane
May 27: Sydney Opera House, Sydney
May 28: Sydney Opera House, Sydney
May 29: The Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne
Image: Supplied