Yusuf aka Cat Stevens has releases a short film by director Danny Clinch to explain his next album ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’.
‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’ is the third contemporary album from Yusuf since returning to the music industry after a 28 year break to pursue his spirituality.
“This record is really about my experience, being misunderstood and how people tend to want to misunderstand you often in order to fit your own picture of what you are to them,” Yusuf explains.
“When I quite the music business back in 1978 it was for many reasons. It was a spiritual moment. I wanted a life. I couldn’t do it in that environment. That’s why I started floating away,” he said.
Yusuf sees himself as an artist in the true sense of the word. “I normally paint my world with my words and with my music,” he says. “Songwriting is an extension of what you are doing, what you are thinking and it can come at any time providing you are in a creative moment”.
‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’ will be released through Sony Music at the end of this month. The album features musical contributions from Richard Thompson, blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite, singer-songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Tuareg group Tinariwen, and guitarist Matt Sweeney. The album was produced by Yusuf and Rick Rubin and was mixed by Yusuf and Paul Samwell-Smith.
