Shura Shares New Single “elevator girl (ft. Ivy Sole)”

Shura has today released brand new single “elevator girl”, which features Philadelphia rapper Ivy Sole and is available now on Secretly Canadian. ‘elevator girl’ is Shura’s first new music since last year’s critically-acclaimed second album forevher.

Stream/Purchase “elevator girl”

“elevator girl” is a a potent mix of hip-hop grooves, old-school R&B, and (a very) modern soul. It’s Shura’s first collaboration since Talib Kweli jumped on a rework of “Touch” and – in partnering with Ivy Sole – that still-rare musical unicorn: a genuinely queer duet.

Cinematic in tone, “elevator girl” nonetheless captures a particularly awkward autobiographical encounter (as Shura explains). “elevator girl” is partly inspired by the time I had to get an elevator to my hotel room on the 22nd floor with a first date who I’d only just met in the lobby. When we entered there were other people already in the elevator so we stayed silent because it felt weird to address the awkwardness in front of strangers. But it’s also about the elation of a first date – the fact that it can make you feel kind of high without drugs. I’m stoked to have Ivy Sole contribute a verse because I’ve been a big fan ever since I first heard “Dream Girl”. I reached out over Instagram, we linked up in Brooklyn over coffee at The Lot Radio, and decided it would be fun to work on this together.”

With forevher – and now again on “elevator girl” – Shura’s immediately-identifiable way with love, touch, and how we talk about it has reached even greater creative heights. Having moved from West London to New York following her adored 2016 debut, Nothing’s Real, it’s all mirrored in a lyrical journey from rejection and loss to desire, long-distance love, and the prospect of how we make something real actually work.

In 2020, Shura has emerged as one of contemporary pop’s accidental trailblazers. A frank, funny voice in the LGBTQ+ community, whose contribution to the paradigm-shift in the cultural landscape cannot be underestimated. Your “elevator girl”, going up.