Faraway Look
by Yola

Album: Walk Through Fire (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Yola (born Yolanda Quartey) is a singer-songwriter from Bristol, England. She had a difficult start, bought up in poverty by an unsupportive parent who banned music.

    Quartey started her musical career as the lead singer of the country and soul band Phantom Limb, who released three albums between 2012 and 2018. After they disbanded, she sang backup for a number of artists, including Massive Attack and Iggy Azalea, and was the chief vocalist on dance hits by DJ Fresh ("Believer"), Sub Focus ("Turn Back Time") and Duke Dumont ("Won't Look Back").

    Quartey came to the attention of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who signed her to his Easy Eye Sound label. "Faraway Look" was recorded for her debut album, Walk Through Fire.
  • Here, Yola recounts some of her experiences when people doubted her talents while she was still trying to find her footing as a female artist.

    That faraway look in your eyes
    It's getting harder to disguise


    "'Faraway Look' makes me think of a time in my life where I was encouraged to stay in my lane and be thankful for my lot, which it led to a lot of inner reflection," Yola explained. "The people around me at the time, especially those in the music industry, were discouraging to say the least. In a world that questions a woman's every objection as well as every ambition, the faraway look is king."
  • Yola received four nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards: "Faraway Look" for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song, Walk Through Fire for Best Americana Album and the singer herself in the all-genre Best New Artist category.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."