New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Rising producer and pop-violinist Joel Sunny shares the epic Star-Bound Lovers EP, released digitally today. Completing the EP is "Last Dance," the single and accompanying video that concludes the Star-Bound Lovers story and offers an introduction into the creative world-building Sunny excels at. He has created a dedicated, fast-growing fanbase (to the tune of 2M on TikTok alone) and is poised for a breakout year ahead. Star-Bound Lovers is out now on Decca Records US/Decca Records/Interscope Records.
Star-Bound Lovers might be described as "one big movie cut into three acts." "First Sight" is a delicious waltzing romance that will raise the hair on your arms, full of Tarot-infused imagery: in the accompanying film, Joel appears as two opposing characters, Sun and Moon. It is a love song, as are all his songs in a way - odes to romance and destiny. "Parisian Lovers" continues the story beginning with a turbulent storm of strings: regarding the video, he says, "I wanted a romantic surface with something underneath that isn't quite right: Cinderella meets Eyes Wide Shut!" The arrangement came to him while watching American Horror Story, a particular scene where Lady Gaga, as Countess Elizabeth, dances with a vampire over scenes from their past life. The flavour of his new musical dreamscape is distinctly European, he says - an unconscious hangover, perhaps, from his British childhood. "Last Dance" is the triptych's bittersweet ending, set in a rose garden.
Raised in Manchester and now based in Sydney, the 23-year-old talent has built a vast audience for himself, amassing over 4 million followers across social media in only a couple of years. Sunny is also set to embark on his first ever global headlining tour, selling out several dates in Australia, Europe, UK, US, and Canada.
Joel Sunny is a complete one off: he writes with a pop sensibility, his addictive music distinguished by a cinematic visual sense. Inspired by female vocalists, Sunny approaches his instrument as a voice, full of drama, and builds his soundworlds while cultivating a unique, interactive back-and-forth with his fans online for their feedback. His first major label release in Star-Bound Lovers brings together three new tracks, "First Sight," "Parisian Lovers" and "Last Dance", each a vibrant movie of the mind. New videos, made in collaboration with creative director Cal McIntyre (The Last Dinner Party), who expands upon Sunny's ideas and visual narrative. Sunny's visual sense makes him unique as a composer: "As long as I get a picture in my head, I can write," he says. Writing songs is "world-building" for him. "I want to write movie soundtracks, but the songs exist on their own, as a soundtrack to your imagination."
Sunny was born in Kerala, India, but moved to Manchester at the age of two with his mother, a registered nurse, and his father, who was slowly recovering from a life changing accident. A close-knit family, and keen church-goers, they introduced him to the world of evangelical worship, with all its pop and gospel, and he played piano and sang in the choir: "It taught me how powerfully music affects people," he says. His grandfather played a key role in introducing him to the violin; he was a violinist and a massive inspiration for him. He also credits his experience of Catholic mass, via his father, with his love of the gothic, and of the lavish aesthetics of the past.
Sunny is a major new talent; his sights are set on the movie world, immersive live shows and visions of diverse, standalone musical projects, progressing into different aesthetic and tonal worlds. "I see myself releasing bodies of works because that's how I write," he says, "and I really want to write songs for movies, essentially pop music, but written and arranged for cinema. Then way, way down the line I want to score films - if someone can help me with the theory side!"
TOUR DATES
Feb 27, 2025 | Pitt Street Uniting Church | Sydney, Australia
Feb 28, 2025 | Pitt Street Uniting Church | Sydney, Australia — SOLD OUT
Mar 11, 2025 | Privatclub | Berlin, Germany - SOLD OUT
Mar 12, 2025 | Privatclub | Berlin, Germany — SOLD OUT
Mar 14, 2025 | Le POPUP du Label | Paris, France — SOLD OUT
Mar 15, 2025 | Le POPUP du Label | Paris, France — SOLD OUT
Mar 18, 2025 | Bush Hall | London, UK — SOLD OUT
Mar 19, 2025 | Bush Hall | London, UK — SOLD OUT
Mar 22, 2025 | Salon IKSV | İstanbul, Türkiye
Apr 5, 2025 | Drake Underground | Toronto, Canada — SOLD OUT
Apr 6, 2025 | Drake Underground | Toronto, ON — SOLD OUT
Apr 8, 2025 | Moroccan Lounge | Los Angeles, CA — SOLD OUT
Apr 9, 2025 | Moroccan Lounge | Los Angeles, CA
Apr 11, 2025 | Mercury Lounge | New York, NY — SOLD OUT
Apr 12, 2025 | Mercury Lounge | New York, NY — SOLD OUT
