Love Letter To A Record: Felivand On Sade’s ‘Love Deluxe’

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Music Feeds’Love Letter To A Recordseries asks artists to reflect on their relationship with the music they love and share stories about how it has influenced their lives. Here, indie/rnb singer-songwriter Felivand has reflected on the impact of Love Deluxe, the multi-platinum fourth studio album from Sade released back in 1992.

The letter arrives following the release of My Body’s My True North, Felivand’s debut studio album, which was released last Friday (July 18th). In a press statement, the Melbourne musician noted that the album centred on “trusting feeling over thought”. “It’s a stepping into – and an acceptance of – the stories, experiences and memories that shape who I am,” she said.

“When I listen to what my body’s telling me, it feels like an unwavering light at the end of the tunnel, an orienting point – something fixed, like a ‘true north’, while everything else around it spins. When I follow thought, I’m in with everything that’s spinning.” Stream My Body’s My True North below, with Felivand’s love letter toLove Deluxeafter that, as well as upcoming tour dates listed at the bottom.

Felivand – My Body’s My True North

Love Deluxe was first exposure to the style of music that I now love and cherish. This album was played constantly during my childhood on CD, from when I was just old enough to walk right up until my early teens. When I hear any song off of this record, I’m teleported back to the living room in the small, grey bricked house that my mum raised me in.

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It takes me back to the dinner table, to sitting on the blue carpet, to choking on a strawberry bud. It gives me this indescribable feeling in the pit of my stomach; I remember feeling it in my body even as a child, but I still feel it every time now as an adult, too. It’s a beautiful feeling that I can’t describe.

As I have gotten older, I have made my own memories to this album. I find myself listening in a more suave and mature setting, admiring the music for its richness, smoothness and expressive yet not overstated instrumentation. There’s never a time where this putting this album on isa bad idea.

Sade – ‘Like A Tattoo’

‘Like A Tattoo’ feels like when I wake up from a dream before it finishes and being in that in-between; a confused yet peaceful state. That song, in particular, embodies everything about why I love this album. The album cover is one of the most beautiful album covers in the world, too. It’s everything an album cover should be and evokes such a feeling around the album without saying too much.

Sade is one of those artists that has shaped me, in a way that feels intrinsically deep and effortless. It feels like her music is a part of me, because I was so young when I first heard it. My love for down-tempo music, I think, is owed a lot to this record. For getting to know it so intimately growing up, I feel like it changed my brain chemistry and attunement and love for groove and rhythm especially.

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That all might sound a bit dramatic to some people, but I genuinely feel that way about Love Deluxe. It’s sentimental, perfect from top to bottom, and I’m so thankful it has so many memories attached to it for me whilst also being sonically, musically, and creatively so inspiring as an adult. There will be many more memories and phases of my life soundtracked by this album – I just know it.