Genre-melding singer-songwriter Kashena Sampson has announced her third studio album, Ghost of Me, is set for release on October 3. Along with the confirmation of a captivating new creative era, Sampson has shared her record’s mystical and stirring lead single, “Rearview Mirror.”
Co-written with fellow Nashville-based expert songsmith Caroline Spence, the track explores the complicated process of looking backwards, and how distance can provide an unexpected sense of clarity.
“Shadow work has become one of the most sacred parts of my spiritual path, sitting with the parts of myself I once tried to bury, and learning to listen when my intuition whispers…or screams,” Sampson shares in a statement. “‘Rearview Mirror’ was born out of one of those shadowy moments.
“I was in a co-writing session that left me feeling small and scattered, but I couldn’t fully understand why until later that night,” she continues. “That’s often how my intuition speaks, subtle in the moment, clear only in hindsight. As I sat with the discomfort, the first line came through: ‘I only see it in the rearview mirror.’
“The whole experience reminded me of the Death card in Tarot,” explains Sampson. “Not an ending, but a transformation. A spiritual shake-up designed to clear the path for truth. The next day, I brought that line to Caroline [Spence]. We wrote the song in about an hour. It just flowed.”
“Rearview Mirror” serves as the first single from Ghost of Me and was produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Estes. The 9-track LP features tracks that explore the gamut of human experience, including the freedom that comes with embracing your own sense of self more than ever.
“This is an album about ignoring the bullshit and doing what’s authentic to me,” Sampson says. “Forget the rat race. Forget the bad relationships. Forget trying to please everybody. I’m tired of doing that. I wanted to do something for myself, and that’s what Ghost of Me became. It’s an album for me.”
Watch the official music video for “Rearview Mirror,” filmed and directed by Josh Shoemaker, below:
Ghost of Me Track List:
- “Ghost of Me”
- “Phases”
- “Heartache”
- “Fucked Up Love”
- “Rearview Mirror”
- “Awakening”
- “God”
- “Tragedy of Love”
- “Thick as Thieves”
