Listen: Carla Geneve – ‘Ashamed’

Carla Geneve releases her new single ‘Ashamed’, the third single taken from her forthcoming album Don’t Be Afraid due Friday 17 October. The new single shows Geneve at her most reflective, with piano-led instrumentation framing her direct, intimate lyrics.

Carla shares “This is another one of the tracks that we redid. This one was originally theatrical, grandiose. We never quite knew how to finish it off, it felt as though it should be just a solo piano and vocal song and we toyed with that idea too.

When I came back in to record with Dan I was so over it and neither of us knew the direction to take. We knew that it needed some kind of drums and for the whole thing to be about 10 bpm faster, the record felt like it was dropping off in terms of momentum at this point, falling in a hole of sadness, when shame should be a path to a new phase, not an end point.

The scratch vocal I did first was nonchalant and easy going, which actually felt like it served the narrative better, especially at that point. Embarrassed but not being torn apart with emotion.
We went with that and Dan built up something that felt more upbeat and hopeful.

Shame is a helpful and harmful motive in our lives and relationships. When you truly care about a situation it is easy to let shame control you, though there is so much growth and beauty to be taken from learning from why you experience that feeling.”

Don’t Be Afraid is Carla Geneve’s most intimate and profound work yet, a meditation on honesty, acceptance, and the courage to face life’s shadows without fear. Inspired by the final words of poet Seamus Heaney, the album’s title reflects a quiet but powerful embrace of flaws, both in ourselves and those around us. In a world often ruled by fear, Geneve offers a beacon of hope. When we shed that fear, we gain control over the anger, anxiety, and pain that divide and destroy us.

Unlike her previous albums, Don’t Be Afraid is a true collaboration with producer Dan Carroll, who has shaped the soundscape with his own intuitive touch, adding layers and nuance to Geneve’s stories. Together, they found freedom in letting go of perfection and control, allowing the music to breathe and evolve naturally. Tracks like ‘The Saddle’ paint wistful rural scenes with bittersweet undertones, while her single ‘Passing’ reflects Geneve’s ability to turn pain into something tender and resilient. ‘Here, Look’ challenges the culture of blame and invites empathy in an increasingly divided world, and ‘Woman Like Me’ confronts the double standards faced by strong, self-driven women.

Throughout Don’t Be Afraid, Geneve holds space for complexity, forgiveness, fear, love, shame, all with a delicate balance of honesty and grace. Her fourth studio album asks us to look closer, to accept our scars, and above all, to live unafraid.

Stream / download ‘Ashamed’ here.
Pre-Save / pre-order Don’t Be Afraid here.