- Words Notion Staff
As she prepares to return to London for an intimate album preview show, Grammy-winning songwriter Cam opens up about the personal journey behind her revelatory new record, All Things Light.
When Cam last played London’s Roundhouse in 2023, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter left fans spellbound with her raw vocal power and genre-blurring sound. Now, two years on, she’s returning to the capital for a special one-off show at The Tabernacle on July 10: a rare, intimate preview of her third studio album, All Things Light, out July 18 via RCA Records.
The new record marks a profound new chapter in Cam’s artistry. Written during the isolating early days of motherhood and guided by her daughter Lucy’s growing curiosity about life and death, the album is a luminous meditation on divinity, self-discovery, and resilience. Its lead track, ‘Turns Out That I Am God’, sets the tone; it’s a stark, haunting anthem inspired by Alan Watts and rooted in humble introspection.
With collaborators including Tyler Johnson, Michael Uzowuru, and Jeff Bhasker, All Things Light weaves country, folk, and experimental pop into a deeply personal sonic tapestry. It’s the same creative depth that earned her a Grammy for her work on COWBOY CARTER, but this time, the story is her own.
Ahead of her London show, we sat down with Cam to talk motherhood and the making of her most visionary work to date.
All Things Light has been described as your most visionary work to date. What personal revelations shaped this album’s direction for you?
Motherhood literally changed my brain, and then spending time with my new brain alone in a studio in a pandemic… stuff came out of me that I did not know was in there.
You’ve said that the single ‘Turns Out That I Am God was inspired by an Alan Watts talk. How did philosophy and spirituality influence the lyrical themes across the album?
Motherhood made me realise I am responsible for building the world I give to my daughter. I wasn’t raised religious, but these big questions couldn’t go unanswered any longer. I leaned on experience, study and intuition to start sewing together a spiritual patchwork for myself.
You began writing these songs during the intense isolation of new motherhood. How did that experience influence not only what you wrote, but how you approached your creativity?
I didn’t have time to waste on anything that didn’t light me up fully, and I was alone, so the signals and inspiration were louder and uncompromised.
There’s a beautiful note in the press release about this album being something your daughter Lucy can carry with her. What messages or lessons were most important for you to embed in these songs for her?
I want her to know that she is holy (and all the beauty and responsibility that comes with that), I want her to be suspicious of anyone claiming to have the answers, I want her to accept life’s transformations as much as possible – although death is a tough one. I hope she knows that calling out to the abyss, in howls or in prayer, is the most human thing you can do. I hope she trusts herself.
The production team behind All Things Light includes some incredible collaborators: from Tyler Johnson to Michael Uzowuru and Starrah. How did you navigate blending such diverse voices while still keeping the album true to your vision?
Actually, it was so easy and fun! Everyone would pop by at different times, kinda like we were living in the dorms or on a sitcom. Tried to follow what felt like natural connective tissue with extremely high calibre creatives.
‘Alchemy’ and ‘Turns Out That I Am God’ both feel sonically expansive but deeply intimate. How did you strike that balance between big, bold soundscapes and vulnerability?
I was very intentional about trying to keep the vocals as under-produced as possible, so the intention still came through. I had incredible help from Tyler, Nick, Ethan, Simon… everyone on the production side treated the instrumentation with my favourite aesthetics: warm & dark.
You were a part of Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, which won a Grammy. How did that experience influence your own process on All Things Light, if at all?
I worked on both at the same time, so they both came from the same wellspring for me. Seeing how committed Beyoncé is to moving the cultural needle… what an incredible gift and reminder to think big.
You’re returning to London for an intimate album preview show at The Tabernacle tomorrow. How does performing in a smaller, more personal setting shape your connection to the songs and to your audience?
Oh, it’s my favourite. I really feel like I’m in conversation with everyone, I can see their faces and read their energy, and in turn I end up being more myself.
It’s been five years since The Otherside. In what ways do you feel you’ve evolved as both an artist and a person since then?
I think I’ve just gotten better at my craft, and even less concerned about what this business might want from me.
What’s next for you?
Touring, hopefully more writing for other people between albums and maybe I’ll finally have time to finish working on that musical…