Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues

"Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" is the debut single by Australian electronic music group Safia. It first appeared on the band's SoundCloud,^[1] and was officially released on iTunes in December 2013.

"Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues"
Single by Safia
Released	18 December 2013
Genre	Indietronica
Length	3:51
Label	SAFIA
Songwriter(s)	Ben Woolner-Kirkham, Micheal Bell, Harry Sayers
Producer(s)	Safia
Safia singles chronology
"Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" (2013) "Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds" (2014)
Music video
"Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" on YouTube

In the annual Triple J Hottest 100 countdown in January 2014, the song came in at number 76.

Background

In March 2013, Safia won a competition to perform at the nationwide Groovin' the Moo festival.^[2][3] The group released three free download tracks on their SoundCloud page, "Stretched and Faded", "Mercury" and "Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues".^[4][5] "Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" received significant airplay on Triple J^[6] and became the band's first iTunes release in December 2013.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" was first released on YouTube on 6 July 2013.^[7] The video was directed by Jimmy Ennett.

Critical reception

Hannah Galvin from Purple Sneakers said: "Through the dreamy vocals accompanied by simplistic piano and a whirlwind of beats that is soon harpooned by a wave of dubstep, the contrasting elements combined deliver a soulful slow jam by the electronic trio."^[8]

Track listing

1-track single

1. "Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues" - 3:51

remixes

1. "Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues" (Indian Summer Remix)^[9]

1. "Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues" (Spenda C Remix)
2. "Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues" (Leaderboy Remix)
3. "Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues" (Pigeon Remix)

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[10]	99
Australian Independent Singles (AIR)^[11]	8

Certifications

Certifications for "Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[12]	Platinum	70,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Safia listed to Soul, Listen to Blues". Acid Stag. May 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
2. "Safia – Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds: New music". Michael Cragg. The Guardian. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
3. "Groovin The Moo 2013". Triple J Unearthed. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
4. "Safia Music". SoundCloud. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
5. "LISTEN: SAFIA 'LISTEN TO SOUL, LISTEN TO BLUES'". Purple Sneakers. May 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
6. "SAFIA - Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds". Indie Shufle. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
7. SAFIA - "Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues" on YouTube
8. "LISTEN: SAFIA 'LISTEN TO SOUL, LISTEN TO BLUES'". Purple Sneakers. May 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
9. "SAFIA - Listen To Soul, Listen To Blues (Indian Summer Remix)". YouTube. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
10. Ryan, Gavin (7 December 2013). "ARIA Singles: John Legend debuts at number one". Noise11. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
11. "Independent Label Singles Charts w/c 9 December 2013". www.air.org.au. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
12. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 July 2023.