Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas

British singer/songwriter/guitarist Lianne La Havas releases Lianne La Havas, her first album since 2015’s Blood.

Havas performed both songs, as well as “Midnight” from Blood during her NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, which can be seen below. "Something special happens when Lianne La Havas performs an acoustic set," says NPR Music's Suraya Mohamed. "Our audience agrees; her first appearance at the Tiny Desk in 2015 is one of the most popular Tiny Desk Concerts of all time. We are thrilled to have her back, this time performing from her home in London."

“‘Paper Thin,’ for me, is the song that started this whole thing going. It started as a distant melody in my head as I was falling asleep that I decided not to sleep on,” La Havas explains. “It was recorded as jam between friends and has stayed that way.”

The ten songs on Lianne La Havas—nine originals plus a cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes”—span the arc of a love affair, one that brought growth and newfound confidence. “This is my first completely self-produced album with my own band. I got my own way with everything—all the decisions that you hear on this album were mine,” she says. “I’m a woman now, so I’m less shy and timid about saying certain things. And there’s no right or wrong when it’s your record, so I was very much embracing that fact, as well.”

She continues: “I’ve tapped into the best and worst parts of me and while I didn’t expect this to be the direction of my new music, it’s my reality and it’s driven by emotion. I dare say that this is the closest I’ve gotten to a pure expression so far. If you’d never heard me before, I’d be happy to say, ‘This is me. This is who I am.’”