Heaven is truly going to be a great place on earth on August 29, which is the release date for a dreamy new album by the iconic Belinda Carlisle. On Once Upon a Time in California, Belinda takes a deeply personal journey through the golden sounds of her youth. Steeped in the spirit of her Californian upbringing, the album is a heartfelt tribute to the vintage pop culture that shaped her musical identity.
Featuring ten new studio tracks, including the lead track, a cover of The Hollies’ classic “The Air That I Breathe”, the album was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Gabe Lopez, who worked with Belinda on her 2017 studio album Wilder Shores. This release follows the success of Belinda’s 2023 EP Kismet and its lead single “Big Big Love.” Once Upon a Time in California will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats and is available for pre-order HERE. Check out the new video for “The Air That I Breathe” below.
What sets this new album apart from Belinda’s previous releases is that it’s a celebration of Californian culture that stretches its canvas beyond the familiar evocation of the Laurel Canyon sound. It’s a carefully curated and beautifully realised salute to Belinda’s personal education in pop music, and the magical sounds that arrived in her life from near and far, on the radio and on cherished 45s.
In addition to the Hollies cover, Belinda also offers up her take on songs from such timeless artists as the Carpenters (“Superstar”), Gordon Lightfoot (“If You Could Read My Mind”), and Jim Croce (“Time in a Bottle”). The result is an entirely different kind of Californian dreaming for a new generation.
Commenting on the album, Belinda says, “I was born and raised in California at a time when music was an important part of Californian culture. I lived and breathed music; it was my great escape – a refuge of fantasy and imagination. Every day after school and when it was summer vacation, I would listen and sing along to the music on the radio for the entire day. I’ve always fantasized about being a singer myself, one day.”
This collection of songs is the best representation of what I loved back then that I can think of – listening to it brings back so many memories of a time and a California that no longer exists. That’s not meant to sound like a bad thing, it’s just different – there was an innocence and energy back then that was unique and magical. Things I doubt will ever be felt in quite the same way again. Here’s to the California of my dreams.”
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