Don’t let the title Blue Sky Now fool you, Hannah Brine’s debut album doesn’t float above the clouds. It digs deep into life’s quiet heartbreaks, hard-won joys, and the bittersweet moments we often scroll past. Released independently in June 2025, this is the kind of record that hits slow and stays with you longer than you expect.
Known for her velvet-tone vocals and razor-sharp emotional intuition, Brine draws influence from Carole King, Norah Jones, Cleo Sol, and Rumer—whom she’s joining on tour later this year. But make no mistake: Blue Sky Now isn’t an homage. It’s a bold, personal statement from an artist who’s done the groundwork and is finally stepping into her own weather system.
At the helm is Jamie McCredie—guitarist, producer, and studio ace for Roisin Murphy and a heavyweight ensemble (Hamish Balfour, Jamie Safir, Chris Draper, Ian King, and a full string section), Brine glides between jazz, soul, and singer-songwriter shimmer—never boxed in, never playing it safe.
The lead single, One Precious Life, is a melodic gut-check—a reflection on loss that somehow manages to feel like a sunrise. From there, Brine doesn’t hold back. Goodbye London waves a velvet middle finger, Little Bird tackles fertility grief with grace, and Cobwebs and Lace turns hoarding into a heartbreak archive.
Helping shape the lyrical landscape is Michael Garvin, a seasoned songwriter with credits longer than a Brit Awards speech, but Brine’s voice—both literal and lyrical—remains front and centre. She’s not here to belt for drama or sugarcoat the truth. Every note feels lived in.
And it shows. There’s a thread of personal mythology running through Blue Sky Now—from her childhood obsession with Joni Mitchell and dreams of singing beside Gary Barlow (which, plot twist, she actually did on Strictly Come Dancing) to her love of choirs, which she now directs for major broadcast and festival stages. She says:
This album is my life’s work and I’ve been able to embrace the styles which have influenced me through my life, from listening to my mum’s Joni Mitchell records growing up, to my love of jazz and ultimately my love of songs. As a child growing up in the 90s, I always wanted to sing with Gary Barlow at a white baby grand - well I’ve performed with him on Strictly Come Dancing, and I’m sure some of his pop sensibility has rubbed off on me too. I write songs to connect to myself, and hopefully they will connect with others too. It’s been a dream to work with Jamie and the team and I hope I’ve made my Tapestry. Though it is a life’s work, I feelin some ways it’s always the beginning…
Recorded across Gorilla Studios, Little Green Nest, and Green Velvet Studios, Blue Sky Now is as carefully constructed as it is emotionally raw. The band and strings were laid down at Gorilla, with Jamie McCredie not only producing but also arranging the strings for the title track. Elsewhere, Paul Edis adds his signature touch on string arrangements, and Jenni Watson steps in to shape the vocals on Heat of the Moment. The final polish comes courtesy of Alastair McNeill’s mastering, while the album’s visual world—shot by Ian Dean at The Strines Nightingale and brought to life by Adam Dean and Ryan Westwood—echoes the record’s blend of intimacy and quiet strength.
Blue Sky Now whispers truths most of us are too scared to say out loud—and that’s exactly why it hits so hard.