Australian pop superstars, Sheppard, today announce one of the most anticipated records of 2024. Zora, their fourth studio album, will be released worldwide on June 21st on the back of their move to Nashville, a run of headline shows in the US and the tenth anniversary of their global mega-hit Geronimo which has gone viral once again.
As one of Brisbane’s most successful bands of all time, Sheppard are enjoying a renaissance with recent singles lighting up charts on five continents while a new generation on social media discover the hits that have seen the sibling trio become certified 34 x Platinum and cross two billion streams worldwide.
Zora is the first studio album for the band since 2021’s Kaleidoscope Eyes(ARIA #2), 2018’s Watching the Sky (ARIA #1) and their debut LP in 2014, Bombs Away (ARIA #2). Preceded by the singles Good Time, Daylight, Dance on the Sun and Edge of the Earth, Zora contains 16 tracks that explore themes of resilience, hope, despair and strength, all underpinned by Sheppard’s trademark brand of anthemic pop designed to be turned up loud.
Band front man George Sheppard explains, “the album revolves around the rejuvenating nature of light and that no matter how dark life at times can feel, a new sunrise is just around the corner. Throughout any family ordeal or crisis (which no doubt every family goes through), we constantly look up to our Croatian Baba (grandma) whose name is Zora. Life has thrown her some monumental curveballs, but the way she’s always kept a smile on her face, shown nothing but love, positivity, and hope for the future in the face of tragedy is something we’ve always admired about her. This led to us consciously focus on gratitude and finding the positive in our own moments of crisis or loss. Instead of writing sad songs of self-pity and despair, we decided to set out to craft an album that was authentic to our emotion and real-life experiences, but could still be fun, uplifting, anthemic, and most importantly – hopeful.”
The stunning album artwork was brought to life by ARIA-nominated artist Giulia Giannini McGauran (Tones and I, Lime Cordiale) and graphic designer, Steve Lees, and was recently shot in icy waters off the coast of Melbourne.
Sheppard are currently back in Australia for the an iconic performance on the Great Barrier Reef as part of the Savannah on the Reef line-up this Saturday, before they return to the US for a string of shows in Texas, New York, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia. Following these five shows, they will head back to New York for a coveted slot at Summerstage in Central Park. European and Australian tour dates will be announced soon.
When asked how the name of the album came about, Amy Sheppard, herself an emerging successful solo country music artist who currently has the Number One ‘Independent Single on the US Country Radio Charts’ said, “in a way of honouring our Baba and paying some homage to our Croatian heritage, we decided to look up what “Dawn” was in Croatian. Incredibly, the word for “Dawn” in Croatian is “Zora”; our grandma’s name. It was a moment of serendipity that couldn’t be ignored. The album name had found us. Our hope is that Baba’s legacy of gratitude and love in defiance of anguish will live on in our music. That Zora will stand as a beacon of light for anybody who might feel like all is lost. A timely reminder that darkness is only temporary, and soon a new sunrise will arrive to paint the sky with colour once again.
Zora was largely written in Brisbane, LA and Stockholm by George and Amy Sheppard alongside long-time collaborator and founding Sheppard member, Jason Bovino. The new anticipated new album will be released on June 21st on compact disc, limited edition yellow double vinyl, limited edition yellow cassette, streaming and digital download. It is available for pre-order now from HERE!
Sheppard are George Sheppard (lead vocals, guitar), Amy Sheppard (lead vocals, keys) and Emma Sheppard (bass, backing vocals).
