The Scottish singer announced in July that she would be releasing some solo music and heading out on tour, however, there was no indication of when we could expect to hear any new music.

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The pop band’s lead singer didn’t keep fans waiting for long, as on August 11th , she revealed that her first single “Are You Awake?” would be with us in September.

Over the weekend, Mayberry dropped the highly anticipated single, as well as a music video for the song.

“Are You Awake?” was written by Mayberry and Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr, who has collaborated on songwriting with other UK artists such as Adele and Niall Horan.

The piano-led ballad is a slight leap from the energetic synth-pop we have come to expect from CHVRCHES, and in a recent press release, Lauren shared that “I was thinking a lot about loneliness and homesickness, and as soon as Tobias started playing the chords, the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly. I finished the song with my friend Matthew Koma, who really understood what I was trying to say.”

“For a long time, I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of CHVRCHES but I think some things that I needed to write had to be done from purely my own point of view. I never really thought I’d write a piano ballad, or a solo album full stop, so life really is full of surprises. I am really looking forward to this chapter and can’t wait for people to hear more of the music.”

Though Lauren is venturing out on her own, her career with CHVRCHES is far from over. The trio announced last month that in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, they would be releasing a re-issue of their 2013 LP on October 13th. The re-issue of the album will include 4 previously unheard tracks, as well as 5 live recordings. The band has given fans a taste of what’s to come by releasing “Manhattan”, one of the unheard songs that didn’t make it onto the album’s original release.

You can listen to “Manhattan” below.

For tickets to Lauren Mayberry’s upcoming tour, click here.

Tour dates:

05/10/2023 – SWG3 TV Studio – Glasgow, UK

06/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK

08/10 – Academy 2 – Manchester, UK

09/10 – Koko – London, UK

11/10 – Melkweg Oz – Amsterdam, Netherlands

12/10 – Lido – Berlin, Germany

13/10 – Strom – Munich, Germany

15/10 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France

16/10 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany

17/10 – Rock Cafe – Prague, Czech Republic

19/10 – Flex – Vienna, Austria

21/10 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland

22/10 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy

24/10 – La Nau – Barcelona, Spain

25/10 – Sala Copernico – Madrid, Spain

The 12-inch vinyl was listed for sale on eBay, with bids reaching £7,100 before its removal from the website. The listing received over 80 bids, with tracks now having been shared online without permission.

Speaking to The Sun, an unnamed source commented, “It is unclear how someone got hold of this vinyl but they shouldn’t sell it. The contents should never have been made public and it is unfair to the group to have these unfinished songs shared, as it is against their wishes.”

Fans are guessing that the tracks may have been scrapped from the album titled Forever, released in 2000. The newly leaked tracks do not feature Geri Halliwell, also known as Ginger Spice, who controversially left the group in 1998.

The previously unheard songs include “Woman”, “Too Hot” and “Go Go Go”, with these not being the first tracks that The Spice Girls have seen released without their permission.

In December 2022, a track provokingly titled “C. U. Next Tuesday” was uploaded online following a security breach, with band member Mel C (also known as Sporty Spice) commenting, “C.U. Next Tuesday was never used because it’s a pile of shit. It would be a big rip-off if Virgin put it on a greatest hits album now.”

Another unnamed source spoke to The Sun regarding this track, saying, “The Spice Girls are all at a very different place in their lives now than they were when this song was first written as a tongue-in-cheek track in the Nineties. It is obviously a bit embarrassing given the cringeworthy title, as they wouldn’t use the c-word in their own lives.”

The source continued, “It is a bit of a mystery how on earth it has got out but they aren’t going to dwell on it. The group have other projects they are looking forward to in 2023 so are focusing on them and hoping this song — which they were never particularly fond of — is forgotten.”

The group (minus Victoria Beckham a.k.a Posh Spice) reunited for a sell-out stadium tour back in 2019, with fans eagerly awaiting their next moves.

It was rumoured that the band would reunite for Glastonbury Festival, however Mel C said in January that those plans “no longer fit the girls.”

Mel C has given fans hope for a full-blown reunion in the future though, with this one including Victoria Beckham, who hasn’t performed with The Spice Girls since the 2012 London Olympics.

Speaking to NME, Mel C shared, “Of course we had incredible stadium shows in 2019. And you know, there’s definitely a bit of fomo for [Beckham], so I’m a big optimist. We were all at Geri’s 50th a couple of months back and Victoria was the first one on the dance floor requesting Spice Girls songs,” ultimately giving the fans hope that they’ll be able to spice up their lives soon.