“Deeper” hitmaker Holly Rey has experienced the highs and lows of the music industry and in her life, and it’s these emotions that led to the creation of her most honest and passionate project yet.
“Unconditional”, her 5-song EP, is set to release through Orchard Music on April 29 and is said to be a “stripped-back” version of Rey as we know her.
The musician called it her love project, a raw and honest version of herself.
“I really needed to create a new version of the EP that reflected all I have been through in the last two years. Looking forward to sharing my upcoming project with you. Every artist has a love project and this is mine. I hope you are all going to enjoy my stripped-back EP. It is me, the raw, honest version of me,” said Rey in a Facebook post.
“The last few years have been complicated. After the release of ‘Deeper’ my life exploded. I don't think there is a region in South Africa that I have not been to. My travels took me as far as a remote Island on Lake Victoria in Uganda, to the UK, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and back again. Covid-19 hit and I contracted the virus three times, resulting in chronic fatigue. I needed to take a minute, withdraw and do some introspective soul searching. I also had my heart broken which led to the making of the ‘Unconditional’ EP.”
During the process of creating the full version of the “Unconditional” EP, Rey had created stripped-down versions for live-stream performances. This fed her desire to create an official EP that stripped the music bare, relying on vocals and live instrumental accompaniments.
Recording a stripped-down project for a full release is something Rey has long wanted to do. She wanted to create alternative versions of the original songs from the “Unconditional” EP to convey a different side of herself as an artist.
She wanted to allow listeners to pay more attention to the lyrics, song structure and arrangements and to create a project that reaches the audience's heart.
Giving a sneak peak on Instagram, Rey wrote: “This project has been a long time in the making. Nearly a year ago I started working in a stripped version of the ‘Unconditional’ EP. I really wanted to test myself and step out of my comfort zone but also find inspiration outside of my typical dance genre. I got to work with such incredible people and @sampra_rsa to create something really special. The project will be dropping 29 April 🖤”.
In another post she wrote: “Can’t wait to share this song with you on 29 April. ‘Another Existence’ stripped version.”
Holly Rey’s “Unconditional” stripped version will release on April 29.