English actress, singer, and songwriter Cynthia Erivo is getting set to release her debut studio album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, later this summer, and to set the tone, she’s shared the soulful lead single, “The Good,” along with a heartwrenching music video. The video depicts the ups and downs of a relationship between two women as the potential EGOT winner sings about only wanting to remember the good in the aftermath of a relationship’s dissolution.
In a press release announcing the upcoming album, Erivo explained the title and concept behind the project. “In storytelling, chapter one and verse one is the way you always begin, and because I believe I’m a storyteller, that’s what I wanted to do with my music,” she said. “That’s what this is about, just starting [and revealing] the human parts of me that you don’t often get to see.”
As odd as it may seem to view the upcoming project as a debut, much less one telling a story about someone who’s been a star of stage and film for the last decade (again, she’s only an Oscar away from the EGOT, and to be honest, she’s only like one role away from that), as we’ve only gotten to know her through her roles (which have included Harriet Tubman and Aretha Franklin), there’s a lot to be said for an introductory album as she pursues a music career to rival her acting one.
Watch Cynthia Erivo’s “The Good” video above. Pre-save Ch. 1 Vs. 1, out 9/17 on Verve, here.
