#kesswa

Detroit-based artist Shigeto announces his Cherry Blossom Baby album with "The Punch!" featuring KESSWA. The single moves something like a Mtume song and is the first from the full-length project. Shigeto recorded "The Punch!" back in 2018 with KESSWA on vocals, Dez Andrés on percussion, Sasha Kashperko on guitar, and Ian Fink on bass and synthesizer. Shigeto tapped into his Japanese roots for the album title because the culture has long celebrated cherry blossom trees as symbols of hope, renewal, and strength. He elaborated on the title in a press release.

"Cherry blossoms remind me of my mother and grandmother's steadfast nature to look towards the light and the strength in "acting as one". The cherry blossom trees that bloom every spring in Hiroshima are an enduring image of hope, resilience, and renewal. Even through the most turbulent of times. Cherry Blossom Baby was literally ‘impossible’ to make without every single person involved. It started in 2018 and was finished in 2024. A manifestation of our shared experiences of pain, struggle, hope and growth over the past 6 years and a true testament to the power of ‘togetherness’"

It is Shigeto's first album since 2017 when he released The New Monday. Cherry Blossom Baby comes out on October 25th.