Most debut albums are full of youthful exuberance and carefree energy – pure sonic
abandon. They’re packed with introductory phrases, overblown background anecdotes, not to mention a whole lot of attitude. In other words, a debut full-length often sees an artist make a lot of noise. We get a glimpse of them early on, obviously still in search of an artistic identity. After all, there’s plenty of time for somber ballads and actual self-reflection, for life’s heavy hits and break-downs at some later point. That said, “Crazy Woman,” Cloudy June’s debut album, set to arrive in November 2024, is clearly not your typical debut album. It’s a whole different thing, and not just because the 25-year-old musician with German/Cuban roots seems to have found her voice and her true identity as an artist a long time ago.

Cloudy June has already made her mark, both in Germany and around the globe. So, it’s more than that: “Crazy Woman” is a deeply personal record – in the sense that it records a moment of personal crisis. It’s a reflexive feminist guide offering help in difficult times. It’s not just a bunch of singles slumped together. You won’t find any of those tired “here’s where I’m from” banalities. Instead, the album tells a remarkable story of personal transformation, unfolding in 12 chapters – that are actually huge pop anthems.
It all started during one of those infamous Berlin winters – cold, grey, grim, seemingly lasting forever. This one was particularly bad, and Cloudy June was feeling it. She was going through a difficult breakup and plagued by doubts. There were “friends” who’d recently gone behind her back. Her entire inner circle had seen some messy departures. Things were clearly going in the wrong direction. Cloudy started to have doubts about her artistic vision.
She wasn’t sure about those unreleased songs anymore. In fact, she felt trapped, spent entire days in bed, struggling to find a new creative vision. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she came up with two of the best songs of her career: “Crazy Woman” and “Bad Girls Don’t Cry”. These tunes perfectly channeled her emotions, they were full of anger, full of sadness. They worked so incredibly well because she was showing her actual wounds.

They were cathartic attempts to turn things around – and now, one year later, they’re the opening tracks of Cloudy’s upcoming debut album.
Obviously informed by her native Berlin, a large part of the album was actually created in other parts of the world. Cloudy also worked in Los Angeles and Stockholm, which not only helped her get out of that personal/artistic cul-de-sac, but also offered her entirely new ways to express herself. Collaborating with various writers and producers in Sweden and the US, these sessions were crucial because they gave her new confidence. Hardly surprising then that the result of these trips, “Crazy Woman,” sounds incredibly rich and, well, “international” across its 12 tracks. Spanning a vast range of sounds, moods and styles, they’re all
dazzlingly intricate – underlined by a pulse that’s both clean and rhythmically complex. It’s an album that paradoxically makes restlessness feel really good. Between smooth and pounding sections, the pace goes up, then down again, often taking unexpected turns – while always showing huge feelings. Sonically, Cloudy June moves across the entire
spectrum of current Pop, ranging from EDM beats to indie harmonies, from in-your-face techno vibes to longing Latin guitars.

The element that ties all these different sounds and styles together – adding drama along the way – is Cloudy June’s voice. Clear and urgent, it sounds tender at times, brash at others, drowned in echoes or joined by cosmic background choirs. More importantly, her voice always channels exactly the same emotion that made her write those lyrics in the first place, meaning: she actually sounds broken or angry, defiant or recovering, self-empowered and liberated. During the album’s first tracks we get to meet a protagonist who’s clearly on the edge. Stigmatized and about to lose her mind between too many lies and backstabbing.

The second track “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is all about cravings for revenge. Bashing consumer culture, the third track “Retail Therapy” oscillates between quieter and  louder sections, as Cloudy tries to find a way out of that valley of indifference. “Red Flag” and “Creepy” both deal with a toxic relationship… although that’s just one of many possible interpretations. Up to this point, “Crazy Woman” feels quite relentless, hitting hard like a sonic thunderstorm – it’s fast, abrasive, ragged, and in-your-face.
With “Hoe Anthem,” the LP enters its second phase: it all sounds rather placid as Cloudy finally manages to get rid of those old ghosts. Whereas dreamy “Girls Like You” is a clear contender for a queer anthem, playful “Kiss N Tell” also zooms in on attraction. What else?
Ultra-heavy ballad “Loving You (Is A Dangerous Game)” is an ode to irrationality; it’s about overcoming fears and making room for new love despite previous let-downs. The album’s final section opens with “Dying Without You,” looking back one last time at the fears and constraints of that relationship that held her captive for far too long. The last song “Sad Girl Era” marks the end of an album and the end of an era: hard times are over, this is Cloudy’s iconic “I’m a survivor” moment. A collection of hard-won lessons and personal insights, “Crazy Woman” ultimately shows that polar opposites can indeed coexist. That there’s room for sensitivity and recklessness, for defeat and empowerment, for despair and good vibes.
It’s an album that challenges old-fashioned patriarchal norms, that debunks mis-matches, wants you to ignore external labels, allow grief – and find new hope in the process.
Addressing Cloudy June’s own struggles and setbacks, it marks the arrival of a truly great artist.

Born and bred in Berlin’s Schöneberg district, Cloudy June was inspired by countless genres and musical spheres. Between early guitar lessons and underground SoundCloud finds, Hannah Montana and Berlin’s rap scene, Stoner Rock and Courtney Love, Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean and various Death Metal bands, she wrote her first song at nine and later sang in a metal band. After finishing school, she studied Music in Berlin – and soon began to work on her very own definition of Pop. Having launched her solo career in 2020 with “High Waist To Hell,” her 2022 smash “FU In My Head” garnered millions of streams (40m+ on Spotify alone), making her an international newcomer sensation. Following a major deal, two acclaimed EPs, various trips around the world, a Billboard advert on NYC’s Times Square, and dozens of sold-out shows across Europe, her debut full-length “Crazy Woman”is finally here.

LOCATION
Worldwide