by mariah estran
photo by klavdiya finogina
Savannah Ré is evolving, and on her latest project Formed, it’s proven through an 11-track arrangement of empowering honesty.
The Toronto native is no stranger to the R&B space, with several projects within her discography, including her critically acclaimed debut, Opia, she's landed herself three JUNO Awards. Plus, most recently, Drake sampled her 2024 single, “Sex With My Ex.”
But now, with Formed, a new phase has been revealed, one that started with going independent. She spent the last year navigating this new creative freedom, the boundless opportunity that had Savannah revitalizing her sound and candid lyricism.
Through this project, she’s expressing how fulfilling music can be. By experimenting with early 2000s sounds, it shines on tracks such as “Go’ Head,” while those moodier moments still make an appearance on “Glory” and “Blank Space.”
Formed is a personal, introspective look into where Savannah Ré is, and where she is going next. She took a moment to give us a closer look at her project, telling us more about the production journey, going independent, and how this latest collection is different from the rest.
We must talk about the new project, Formed. It’s been receiving a lot of love, so how are you feeling now that it’s been out in the world?
Savannah: “I feel great! I’m overwhelmed by the love, support, and reception that this project is getting, especially with it being my first independent release, so I’m grateful.”
When you give the project a listen, you can feel how much work you put into it. It displays this self-reflective look into love, and your own growth and self-worth. What more can you tell us about the themes behind this latest release?
Savannah: “It's all those things. With Opia (the first project), the whole purpose was introspection, looking inside and talking about those things that are hard to be honest about, and that is still my message as an artist overall. But this time, I wanted to approach it from an angle that’s not as heavy.
Through the songs, you can still see and hear so much about my journey and where I've been. It still deals with all those same themes of self-discovery and some heartbreak, but I wanted to do it in a way that was much more uplifting and fun.
This is the most fun music I've put on a project to date — it might just be indicative of where I am as a person. I want people to be able to listen to each of these songs on the project and find a different mood.”
While listening to the project, what caught my attention was your use of different stylistic elements. I feel like it really coincides with this new era you're describing. What drove this thoughtful soundscape and what inspired you?
Savannah: “Honestly, I wanted to show more of myself, sonically. I'm already showing who I am as a writer. On my prior projects, they have set up the foundations of who I am, but it's so much more this time around. Also, having a longer project gives you more room to show more sides.
All of this is still me as an artist. ‘Blank Space’ is the most alt-R&B that I've gone. ‘Go’ Head’ reminds me of the early 2000s era of dance music and like, Ciara. All these eras are a big part of what raised me. I wanted to broaden people's understanding of my sound.”
People have come to know you because you have an incredible list of accolades. We can mention your JUNO Awards and nominations, plus, your amazing collaborations. When getting into the process of making Formed, how did you want it to be different from previous projects?
Savannah: “I wanted it to sound so different, but I wanted you to be able to hear the growth and hear the difference in where I am now versus my other projects. The main difference this time around is I'm in control. I'm completely independent, I'm in the driver's seat, so whatever happens with this project is up to me, and the executive producer, Yogi — he's wonderful at letting me be me and try different things.
The approach to this project was that I wanted to make something I love, that’s it. I was trying not to think about outside pressures or outside things.”
Speaking of you being independent and this being the first time to really explore that, how did it feel to have this freedom to go in and do what you've always wanted to do?
Savannah: “It's interesting because it's freedom, but it also feels terrifying. First, it's a very scary space to be in because it's up to you now.
So, whether you sink or swim, it is up to you. I spent the first year of being independent just figuring out my voice and what I want. When you are not independent or in the label system, there are whole rooms of people who can show you on a graph, show you photos, and show you where they think you should be or what you think you should be. I took that first year off to unlearn that. This is my first independent project, so I’m still figuring it out.”
On Instagram, after you released “Nine Lives,” you mentioned people had opinions on it. You noted that it was an autobiography, the comeback from going through several obstacles. I'm sure that includes things in the industry, things in your life, and coming back even stronger. This song and this project, how has it helped you reclaim and emphasize that confidence as an artist?
Savannah: “It's interesting because when you're going into it, making the music you love, you can never know how it’s going to be received. I feel like for me, it's been healing because this is me now, this is what I have to say, and this is how I would say it — unfiltered without anything holding me back.
I was expecting to get those comments. At the end of the day, being raw is hard for people to consume because not everybody meets themselves the same way you meet yourself.
Especially with ‘Nine Lives,’ I made that song for women, I made that song for us.
So, when it started getting on the wrong side of the internet, I was like, ‘Let me reel it back in and remind you all that this is for us.’ It's about my journey, so it's no surprise to me that men are like, ‘Oh my goodness, what is this?’”
Lastly, what do you hope listeners learn or see about you after they listen to this project?
Savannah: “Honestly, I just hope that they’re able to hear the growth and see themselves in my journey. I'm just getting started; this is my first full-length project since Opia. I hope that this project and my discography are enough for people to feel connected enough with me to keep growing with me, like, this is just the beginning.”