Somehow I hadn’t come across Chicago born and raised, Paris-based singer-songwriter Tracye Eileen until very recently.

And that’s very much my loss, judging by her new album Forever Girl.

This is her fifth studio album and her first fully developed project from her relatively new base in France. The release date is 13 November, and I was very lucky to be sent an early copy for review.

The album combines some of the musical genres I love most – jazz, soul, and R&B – with more than a hint of French and Afro-Caribbean influence.

It’s the sound of Chicago, marinated in European flavour.

The title track Forever Girl is a beautiful and haunting declaration of enduring love – a bond which can be perfect, even if those involved are not: “I’m not the perfect girl/ Unquestionably so, my dear/ You may never find a love like ours/ So pure and rare.”

Potentially, it’s not just about love for another, but for oneself, even when that love is tested by circumstances.

You can see the idea of the ‘forever girl’ running through this album, as the songs explore love and relationships in the various ways we encounter them through life.

It’s certainly not all about romantic love – one of the standout songs is a stunning cover of Bill Withers’s Grandma’s Hands, made all the more poignant when you learn (as I did through Tracye’s interview with Echoes magazine) that she sang it at her grandma’s 100th birthday and again at her funeral.

The album grew out of a collaboration between Tracye, guitarist and musical director Ralph Lavital, and producer Andrew Read. And it draws on the back catalogue of British-Nigerian singer-songwriter Ola Onabulé as well as Tracye’s own established repertoire.

Ralph and Tracye have reworked the songs with new arrangements, while Ola also contributed to the vocal arrangements.

It’s a real cosmopolitan creation, which involved working between Paris and the Netherlands, and featuring a core French / Afro-Caribbean rhythm section from Ralph’s own Yusan Band, as well as musicians from France, Germany, and the USA.

Forever Girl is available from 13 November (2026). You can find out more on Tracye’s website here.

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