FEATURE:
A Match Made in Chelsea
Does Kate Bush and Rosalía Being Seen in a Studio Mean New Music Is Coming from the British Icon?
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THIS may be the rumour mill…
IN THIS PHOTO: Rosalia in 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Mariano Regidor
working overtime, but there has been a sighting of Kate Bush in a studio with Rosalia. It seems like an unlikely partnership and it does not effectively and obviously suggest the two are working together. However, and I have it on good faith, that this studio is Studio 13, which is located on Latimer Road in Chelsea, London. It is unlikely that someone would mistake Kate Bush for another woman. Even at sixty-six, she is recognisable from her old self. Not a case of any ordinary human being mistaken for Kate Bush. Bush has a place in Chelsea I believe. It could well be a case of Kate Bush visiting the studio for another project. Whilst the odds are long, Rosalia – who is a Spanish artist who released the Spanish-language album, Motomami, in 2022 – and Kate Bush could be working together. There have long been rumours and talk that Bush and Big Boi have recorded something together. He keeps teasing it but I am always sceptical as to whether anything has actually been laid down! Maybe Bush does not want it out there until she releases new music. It does seem odd that these two disparate artists would be spotted together. It could have been Bush being seen near Rosalia at the same time, not necessarily them together. However, as it is unlikely that it was mistaken identity, it does create some ripples of excitement. I heard people react to the news saying Rosalia would not be in Bush’s radar. The assumption she does not keep up with modern music and has no idea who someone like Rosalia is. That would be ignorant and presumptuous. Since Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was used in Stranger Things and she has reached new territories and gained a huge new American following, she would have no doubt some more into contact with a lot of contemporary artists.
It may be the case Bush was simply visiting the studio. It would seem random is she was popping in with no eye to recording music or planning it for the future. It is true that Bush has not collaborated with many female artists. Aside from some personnel for her live shows and recorded music with the Trio Bulgarka and Mica Paris, I can’t think of many occasions where she has had women on her albums. Starting out in the 1970s, it was rare to see female musicians in studios. Apart from the artist in question, I mean. Most female artists worked exclusively with men. Studios were run by men and collaborations, when they did happen, mostly involved men. Bush grew up influenced by male musicians and the influence of her two brothers, Jay and Paddy. Also, Bush did not want to be influenced by female artists and was not very keen being compared to contemporaries like Carole King. However, things have moved on since then. Bush seems to be much more open as an artist when it comes to working with others. Whilst we want a new album to be as collaboration-free as possible, Bush uniting with contemporary artists like Rosalia would be amazing! A fan favourite collaboration would be between Bush and an admirer of her work, Björk. The two would sound phenomenal together! It is all speculation at this moment. Many also said Bush would not want to work with any modern artists. Nobody can speak for her or assume this based on history. Nobody knows what a new Kate Bush album would be like or whether she would work with other artists or go purely solo.
I can’t get over this rare sighting and the questions it raises. If it is indeed Kate Bush in Chelsea at a studio unlisted and hard to find, this does suggest future ambitions. A couple of other questions have been asked. When Bush spoke with Emma Barnett for Today recently, she did say she was keen to work on something new and had lots of ideas. Was this her saying that to please fans or the hope that people would not ask that question anymore?! It would seem foolhardy and naïve to think this was lip service. If she had no plans to release new music then she would be evasive and do what she has done previously when asked this question: say she had nothing planned and leave it at that. The fact she did say she was excited to look ahead at new music is all but confirmation that it will happen. There is also the question as to how far along she has come in the process. Many think a vague announcement means Bush has yet to write songs and is wrapping things up. Others, including author Graeme Thomson, suggest Bush sparking that tantalising thought of an eleventh studio album means she has already cultivated ideas and is a way through the process. Maybe not everything written ready to record. At least not at the blank page stage. I do think that Bush has an eleventh studio album in mind and she has started work on songs. Next year could well be the year we get the announcement we never thought would come: that the one and only Kate Bush has blessed us with new music! I always assumed she would record at her home studio and would work with musicians and personnel that have worked with her previously. However, you can never predict Kate Bush! One thing we can be sure of is that nobody should assume anything.
Many thought that Bush taking to gardening – when she spoke with Emma Barnett in 2022, Bush said she was really into gardening – was a sign of retirement. Fans of Bush know gardening has been a source of creativity and productivity for her. Nobody predicted that we would randomly get a new interview, a video (Bush released Little Shrew (Snowflake), which she directed and released to raise money for a charity she has worked alongside before, War Child) and there would be this potential for a new album. Listen to that interview and her tone is genuine. Not a woman trying to shrug off the question or in two minds. It is unlikely nothing new has been written since 50 Words for Snow. When interviewed about that album in 2011, Bush said she had more than enough ideas for a second album like that. In a future feature, I will explore what a new album might sound like and what sounds/themes will be explored. What is significant about Studio 13 is that it as founded by Damon Albarn. The Blur frontman also leads Gorillaz. Kate Bush mentioned the band in interviews previously (I heard her say that she bought a Gorrilaz album when she was promoting 2011’s 50 Words for Snow) and it might well be the case both artists are collaborating with Gorillaz on a new album. Rosalia did shout-out Kate Bush at the 2018 GRAMMYs, so it made me think Bush was working with Rosalia on a new album. However, it may seem more likely that Bush has contributed to a potential new album from Gorillaz. All guessing at the moment! I don’t think she would be spotted at a studio like that unless she was working on something in there.
Perhaps it is more likely original material from Bush would be done at her home studio and would be a less collaborative effort. Bush has worked with others in the past. Most of her collaborations in the past were in the 1980s. Working with the likes of Peter Gabriel and Roy Harper. She has contributed to tribute albums and worked with artists such as Prince and Big Country on their studio albums. Over the past few decades, there has been previous little in the way of Kate Bush cropping up on other records. This new flash of possibility has got fans excited. We cannot safely assume anything as of yet, though this confirmation Bush has been at Studio 13 with Rosalia is quite an exciting proposition! She would want privacy and people not pressing her on what she is doing there. However, as Kate Bush fans desperate for new material or any sign of her voice being on a record, one cannot help us but to dream and speculate! She herself recently said how she has been archiving and how she now has lots of ideas for something new. Who knows when that will arrive and what form it will take. For now, this potential match made in Chelsea does strongly suggest Bush is appearing on someone else’s album. More likely Gorillaz’s than Rosalia’s. Maybe it was just a visit and she wanted to see the studio or was invited by Damon Albarn. What could come. This inside scoop has got people excited. Rosalia fans think Bush will appear on her album. Many think it is for a Gorillaz album. It could all be simple enough: Kate Bush was in the area and wanted to scope the studio out for a future possible recording. However, so soon after saying how she has lots of ideas, it seems unlikely it is a coincidence. Lucky number 13 in Chelsea! This small and off-map studio. We will all have to patient, as Bush would not like to have anyone put it into the ether anything is confirmed. It is all rumour and what-ifs! However, she will forgive her fans for being excited and letting our imaginations run away with us! I am sure Kate Bush will update us when the time is right. Until then, we will all wait…
WITH bated breath.