Shamir Returns to Pop With Dreamy Introvert Anthem ‘On My Own’

Philly-based musician Shamir has returned to pop with his ode to independence “On My Own.” He plans on releasing a new album this fall.

For “On My Own,” Shamir reflects on what he’s learned about himself after the end of a relationship. Instead of wallowing in heartbreak, he celebrates how much more independent he feels and what he knows he deserves. “I don’t mind to live all on my own/And I never did,” he sings above a tapestry of fuzzy, Nineties-influenced guitars and melodic synths. “And I don’t care to feel like I belong/But you always did.”

“I wrote ‘On My Own’ last summer after a breakup as a way to remind myself that while it sucked to lose someone I was getting used to, at least I’m an introvert,” he tells Rolling Stone. “But considering the pandemic, it’s also morphed into an accidental quarantine anthem, especially for the people who live alone like me.”

Shamir is appropriately alone in the video, playing guitar and singing in a variety of close-up shots. “The video was shot around different places in my house during quarantine completely, well, on my own,” he says.

The 25-year-old’s upcoming, as-yet-untitled full-length will be his “most commercial-sounding,” per his own description, since his 2015 debut Ratchet. It’s also his first album to feature multiple producers. For “On My Own,” he enlisted Thin Lips’ Kyle Pulley, who has previously worked with Diet Cig and Hop Along. 

In March, Shamir surprise-released Cataclysm. Last year, he launched the label Accidental Popstar, although his upcoming album will be released independently.