On 27th February, UK Soul breakout star REIGNS is set to make a cinematic return with ‘Closer Than Your Shadow.’ What began years ago as a forgotten soul ballad has been reshaped and resung with a voice that now carries lived experience. Reimagined alongside Waives – the force behind the viral collaboration ‘Collateral Damage‘ – the track blends emotional intimacy with a surging drum & bass undercurrent.
Ahead of its release, REIGNS speaks to Essentially Pop about the recording process, healing from heartbreak, and how returning to the song unlocked a deeper truth.
‘Closer Than Your Shadow’ began as a soul ballad that stayed with you for years. What made this the right moment – and the right collaborator – to finally bring it to life?
Closer Than Your Shadow was initially played to me by writer/producer Dee Adam and it was a soul ballad originally, and we made a version for me where I could put my slant on it and over time…We kind of forgot about the track as we were so busy writing new material! Dee was updating her studio and going through the hard drive and found the old version of the song and when I heard it again.. I really understood what it meant now and asked if I could re sing it. We recorded the vocals in Dee’s studio The Karma Kabin and I suggested it might be cool to see what Waives thought of the vocal and where it could go. They really understood the emotion of the track and once we heard this new version it was a no brainer that we needed to put it out!
The song explores unconditional presence and emotional safety. How personally connected do you feel to that message, and what does it mean to you today?
To me today, it means the world because when I initially sang it. I hadn’t had my heart broken, hadn’t lost anyone, and I hadn’t really fallen into those dark places that can come once you’re an adult and in the big wide world. So, I think when I resang it, it came from the depths of my soul, and I felt empowered to sing it, knowing it could actually be something that could help someone else who might’ve fallen into those darker times in their life.
This is your second collaboration with Waives after the huge success of ‘Collateral Damage’. How has your creative chemistry evolved since that first track?
Waives actually doesn’t like to be in the limelight, so I feel quite honoured that they collaborated with me on this because Waives tends to do most of their music anonymously for other creatives. I feel like we’ve always known each other, and without getting too deep about it, it just works.
Your vocal performance on this single feels both powerful and vulnerable. How do you approach delivering that emotional duality in a drum & bass setting?
It wasn’t actually recorded in a drum and bass setting! We recorded it acoustically, and it sounded very powerful with just piano and vocal! To be honest, the lyrics brought that passion and power out in my vocals because I feel so passionate about the message behind it.
The track speaks to the pressure of living in a world where mistakes can feel permanent and public. How do you navigate that as an artist with such a visible online presence?
I just try to be as transparent as I possibly can, and when I’m talking to my followers and singing to them on my socials – I always tell them what’s going on.. I’m a bit of a chatterbox – sometimes to my detriment lol! But actually talking things through with them and them telling me about things that are happening with them at the time feels like therapy, and I feel so connected to them, and it seems like they’re connected to me too.
Your daily TikTok performances have built a fiercely loyal fanbase who overwhelmingly request your original music. How has that shaped your confidence and direction as an artist?
I feel so blessed!!! That’s all I’ve ever wanted and wished for, and them knowing all the words to songs I haven’t even released yet and singing them back to me at my shows is mind-blowing. My TikTok followers never cease to amaze me!
You’ve had an incredible run of live shows – from sold‑out headline gigs to major festival stages. Which recent moment felt like a real turning point for you?
My last headline show at Paper Dress Vintage was incredible. I got to perform new songs from the album that my followers hadn’t heard before. I got quite emotional in a ballad that I wrote about losing my cousin, who recently passed and we all cried together. Meeting everybody after the show just made it the perfect way to end 2025.
You’ve collaborated with some huge names across the electronic world. What have those experiences taught you about your own sound and identity?
I’m really grateful for those experiences and those releases that I’ve had. I absolutely love dance music but my real passion is soulful pop and my artist project!
With your debut album ‘Love Languages’ set for 2026, how does ‘Closer Than Your Shadow’ fit into the world you’re building for this next chapter?
It’s really weird because it’s got a drum and bass underbelly, but when you hear it in my set played live with my band, it just roars! With many of the dance collaborations that I’ve done in the past, sometimes the vocal has felt like an afterthought but with Closer Than Your Shadow, the vocal is the centre of the song and the sentiment flows through the tracks of my album like It was always meant to be there.
