“This record is the story of the country girl moving to the city, ” Liana Flores says. nova meets pop, inspired by the people, relationships and glamour of city life. ” “It’s bossa Since the release of her acclaimed 2024 debut album Flower of the soul, British-Brazilian singer-songwriter Liana Flores has been at the forefront of a bossa nova revival. Drawing on the ‘60s sound of genre pioneers like Joao Gilberto alongside pop songwriting, Flores combines the dual aspects of her cultural heritage to create an emotive sound. Following extensive tour dates across North America, Asia and Europe, Flores now returns with a new EP, And so it goes…, that expands her palette to encompass the playful and ebullient experiences of moving from her rural hometown in Norfolk to St. Andrews before coming to London. The result is a six track collection that shifts between finger-picked guitar and gossamer bossa vocals of “So it goes” to the upbeat funk inflections of the heavy-grooving love song “So mysterious” , the Carole King-influenced folk storytelling of “Here to stay, ” and the sprightly, glittering pop melodies of “Silvershoes. ” “These songs were informed by my experiences living in the city and touring for the first time. I grew up and studied in small towns with nature in my surroundings, so that’s what came naturally in terms of lyrics. With So it goes, the lyrics are more centred on human connection, and I wanted to explore a part of my identity that’s more playful and matter-of-fact. I also wanted to challenge myself to write songs with strong melodies that would be fun to sing or to get ready to. ” Raised by an immigrant Brazilian mother and British father in East Anglia, Flores first began learning music while listening to ‘80s and ‘90s bossa nova artists like Bebel Gilberto and Leila Pinheiro alongside Top 40 pop radio. In her late teens, she picked up a guitar and started emulating finger-picked bossa nova guitar chords by ear, first covering Tom Jobim standards, then writing her own songs combining the bossa guitar style with her own introspective lyrics, expressing loneliness, self-doubt, and endurance. “Music is the way I best communicate and connect with the world, through the listener, collaboration with fellow musicians, and the guidance of my musical forbears. I'm particularly drawn to the use of sophisticated harmonic structures in popular song - Tom Jobim, Kate Bush Stevie Wonder and Brian Wilson were early inspirations. ” Debut EP The Water’s Fine! was released in 2018, while ensuing 2019 EP Recently delved deeper into Flores’ current reimagining of Brazilian singer-songwriting with its combination of syncopated melodies and warm vocal harmony. EP track “rises the moon” became a surprise hit, picking up traction across TikTok and social media in 2021, although by that point Flores had decided to take a break from making music and focus on her degree instead. “I thought music had run its course for me by that point to be honest” , she says, “the ‘recently ’ songs were written at a particularly intense time as a sort of pressure valve, and by the timethere was demand for more music, I didn’t feel I had anything else to say. Over my last year of uni[versity] I had more time to think about it and write about the nature that surrounded me. ” Signed to storied jazz label Verve Records, her ensuing 2024 debut Flower of the soul blended English folk textures with bossa nova and lyrical musings on nature and the changing seasonal landscape as depicted in Romantic poetry. With the release of And so it goes… Flores now reaches a new phase, taking in the life-changing experiences of recent years spent travelling the world as an artist and moving to London and channelling their commotion through the easygoing nature of bossa nova. “The phrase ‘So it goes’ stuck with me because that’s how bossa nova feels to me musically - it’s got this sort of breeziness to it, hence the connotation of wallpaper and elevators and all that, but there’s also a lot of paddling going on under the surface in terms of harmony and rhythm. To look at the mess of your life and go ‘So it goes’ feels very British to me at the same time. ” Indeed, there are the darker textures of “Gemini” , where Flores showcases her lower vocal register.. While the switch from bossa to funk on “So mysterious” was borne from the desire to create an upbeat number for her live set, “Here to stay ” sounds like “Carole King on a sedative, ” she laughs, and “The way I say goodbye” is Flores at her most directly sincere, reflecting on loss, disappointment and letting go of once-held dreams. Recorded in LA with Paul Butler (The Bees, Michael Kiwanuka, The Teskey Brothers), And so it goes… is the next step in Flores’ career, revitalising a 20th Century sound for the complexities of the modern era. With plans for a headline tour across the UK, EU, and US, as well as a debut date in Mexico City later in 2026.
