Skittish artists should take inspiration from Charli XCX during coronavirus

Artists, please, leave your albums where they are and use this time to make something new. It might just be the best thing you ever did, writes Roisin O'Connor

The singer-songwriter believes the lockdown will change how she records music in the future (Getty/Pandora)

My album release diary is carnage right now. When I email a PR asking to confirm that their new album is still being released as scheduled, I almost weep with relief when the reply comes back in the affirmative.

It’s not just for the sake of my scattered-at-best organisational skills that I wish labels and artists weren’t so skittish – fans need their favourite musicians more than ever right now. A new album from one of their favourite singers provides some comfort amid stress and uncertainty. Learning they’ll have to wait before hearing it will only create more disappointment, not to mention a huge backlog of releases towards the end of this year.

Musicians should instead be following the example of artists such as Charli XCX. Already known for her frequent engagement and generosity with fans on social media, the pop star has since collaborated with those fans to produce a new album in just six weeks. The 27-year-old has used only the “tools I have at my fingertips” to create the music, but also the artwork and videos, too. She has posted lyric ideas on Twitter and played early demos via Instagram Live.