After leaving Ireland for Berlin, after leaving Berlin for Hamburg, and after leaving Hamburg for the murmuring vastness that is London, Nathan Johnston alias Sion Hill has carefully re- calibrated his musical palette. Again. While his lauded 2017 debut “Elephant” was an eclectic soul- pop wonderland comfortably sitting between a room full of chairs somewhere in Berlin, his relationship with London is manifested in the globetrotters’ latest single, “Speak Up”. An uplifting, liberating song saying it’s okay not to feel okay, showcasing Sion Hill carefully going back to his roots. Three years after signing with Hamburg based indie connoisseurs Clouds Hill, after touring Europe with his new label mate Pete Doherty, a-ha or Alice Merton, the “biggest talent since Jeff Buckley” (Irish Times) has safely arrived in a new haven. In a self-conscious safe space where he can be the person he wants to be. Spirited, urgent, true to his tangled web of pop, soul, gospel and rock’n’roll, at the same time graced by a disarming sincerity and a pureness reminiscent of early musical storytelling: At just 25, the Irish wunderkind who started out casting his spell in Sweeney's Bar right in the musical heart of Dublin (“a drinking pub with a music problem”) has come a long way. A long way that has indeed safely guided him back into the humble arms of his very beginnings: Boy with guitar, remarkable voice, heart on his tongue, complemented by a bittersweet fiddle. Sion Hill, the traveling soul pop enigma, boldly sports yet another side of his artistic persona, this time highlighting his first and unaltered love for folksy singer/songwriter material. Written in London, a city “that can make you feel lonely even though it’s full of people”, “Speak Up” is the shimmering anthem for a new age of self-care. A dangerously catchy tune about mustering the courage to tell your surroundings how you really feel. “I didn’t feel so good writing this song,” he says, “but I’m feeling fantastic playing it.” And it’s only the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Sion Hill’s career: Right now, he’s working on a brand-new studio album. Recordings will take place between Liverpool and Hamburg. And surely we all know who used this specific axis before him...