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Listen to 'Call Me A Fool,' the new single from Valerie June

Valerie June's new album, 'The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers,' releases March 12, 2021, via Fantasy Recordings.
Valerie June's new album, 'The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers,' releases March 12, 2021, via Fantasy Recordings.Renata Raksha

by Luke Taylor

January 22, 2021

On Friday, Valerie June released the single, "Call Me A Fool," ahead of the release of her upcoming album, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers, coming out March 12 on Fantasy Records.

"With this record, it finally became clear why I have this dream of making music," June says in a statement announcing the album. "It's not for earthly reasons of wanting to be awarded or to win anybody's love — it's because dreaming keeps me inquisitive and keeps me on that path of learning what I have to share with the world. When we allow ourselves to dream like we did when we were kids, it ignites the light that we all have within us and helps us to have a sort of magic about the way we live."

Although Valerie June is based in Brooklyn, the single "Call Me A Fool" recalls her Tennessee roots. The song continues in the vein of June's ethereal soundscapes, and it bears the hallmarks of Memphis soul and R&B, even featuring Carla Thomas, a Stax Records legend, on backing vocals. As a preview of the album, "Call Me A Fool" accentuates the themes of dreams and aspirations of The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers. "Have you ever been a fool for a dream?" June asks rhetorically in a statement about the release. "It might have been a little dream like a kiss from a lover or a big one like the dream of peace that Dr. King, John Lennon, and so many others have had for humanity. No matter how big or how small your dream may be, keep believing, and let the world call you a fool!"

The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers is co-produced by June and by Jack Splash, whose credits include working with Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys and John Legend. The album is June's first new full-length since 2017's The Order of Time.

Valerie June - official site