Liam Forde Releases Second Single 'Geraniums'

BALLYHOO MUSIC has announced that the second single from pop/jazz vocalist and songwriter Liam Forde, "Geraniums," is available today, Friday, February 25. This will continue the rollout of Great to Be Here, his debut album of original pop/jazz songs due on Friday, March 25. That evening, Forde will celebrate the album with a concert at New York's Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen Street). Tickets, which are $20, are available at RockwoodMusicHall.com. Great to Be Here is produced by Zach Eldridge and engineered by Grammy Award nominee Geoff Countryman (Patti LaBelle, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Luke). For album updates, follow him on Instagram @Liam.Forde.Music and at Liam-Forde.com. Stream the new song at LiamForde.hearnow.com/geraniums

"Geraniums" is a ravishing chamber-pop original at once hopeful and melancholy. Forde's lilting vocals hover over the melodic, cello-laced opening, which then build to a lush, emotional crescendo. Commenting on the new single, Forde says: "I wrote a lot of the album during the pandemic, but 'Geraniums' best encapsulates my toughest days. It was the dead of winter and hope was in short supply. But then one day I looked down at a plant I had recently bought, and it looked strong, stately, and glad to be there. It was my port in the storm, so I knew right away that I had to write a song about it."

"I worked to imbue the song with as much romance as possible, which always feels comforting to me," he continues. "The song lives between independence and isolation, the joy of shared passion and the desire to keep it all for oneself. There have been debates about whether plants can feel the loving vibrations of their human caretakers and if they help the plants thrive. For the purposes of this song, the debate is irrelevant. The geranium, with its promise of better times, took care of me."

Forde's upcoming album Great to Be Here features original songs that blend cosmopolitan pop and a vintage sound with contemporary influences like Jon Batiste, Lake Street Dive, and Rufus Wainwright. Forde's authentic points of view create something fresh while drawing from a decidedly 1960s soundscape that by turns encompasses the dry wit of Noël Coward, the infectious rhythms of Stevie Wonder, and the sweeping grandeur of classic Hollywood soundtracks.

"Geraniums" has music and lyrics by Liam Forde. The arrangement is by Forde, Joel Thompson, and the album's producer, Zach Eldridge.

Liam Forde is a New York-based singer and songwriter who has already received numerous press accolades. In The Wall Street Journal, Will Friedwald raved "the boy wonder never fails to find precisely the right note." Peter Marks in The Washington Post praised Liam's "breakout performance." According to Nitelife Exchange, "Forde has taken the community by storm."

Forde has been the recipient of many honors, including the Bistro Award for "Performer on the Rise," the Nightlife Award for "Outstanding Male Vocalist," the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Julie Wilson Award, and a Helen Hayes Award for "Outstanding Performance." In addition to headlining shows in London, he has performed concerts in Paris at L'Auguste Théâtre, Café Universel, and Le Carré Parisien.