The new soul on the block: Storry’s Leave My Heart Behind drops today and it’s f*cking fantastic

Storry—a creative powerhouse of a woman—unleashes her extraordinary voice and vision today with the release of her first single, Leave My Heart Behind.

While channeling the great divas of soul, R&B, and pop—Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Diana Ross, with hints of Beyoncé and Amy Winehouse–Storry adds her own unique and timeless portrayal of heartache and passion to the tradition of strong women singing through their pain. And like other relatively recent up-and-comers to the soul/R&B world—think Anderson .Paak—Storry merges old-school soul with modern, topical lyrics and a rap/hip-hop aesthetic.

But leaving all comparisons aside, you really gotta just listen: she can belt it out like nobody’s business, hitting the high notes with crystalline precision and driving it all home with intense passion and heart-wrenching honesty. I’ve been playing this single on repeat for a couple of weeks now and it really just doesn’t get old.

Stream or download LMHB here.

A native of Toronto and Montreal, Storry trained in classical voice at Vanier College and the University of Toronto. After her life was turned upside down and her voice silenced by an abusive relationship, she set off on a journey of self-discovery and recovery, and her first album, Chapter III: The Come Up, of which LMHB is the first single to be released, is the result of that journey.

The past few years have seen Storry work her way to the center of the American music industry, negotiate with the biggest of the big-wigs, and walk away, determined to maintain control over her music, her image, her creativity, and her life. Storry wrote, funded, and produced Chapter III, and has overseen every other aspect of the release of her music. Going it alone has meant conquering every steep learning curve that crosses her path, but her determination, grit, and perseverance has seen her through, and the fruits of her labour are a force to be reckoned with.

Leave My Heart Behind is but the first of several singles set to drop over the next few months. Storry’s take on what it takes to say good-bye, to enjoy one last in-toxic-ating encounter with the wrong person while keeping your heart locked up tight, will undoubtedly speak to pretty much everyone who listens to it. Her raw voice soars and plummets, the organ and groove recall the origins of soul and R&B, and the words speak of the universal and eternal struggle that love and grief demand of us.

So click on the link and check out the song, then be sure to go to storrymusic.com and sign up to be among the first to hear Storry’s groundbreaking new album as it’s released into the stratosphere.

Stream or download LMHB here.