“Lies So Deep,” off Bell’s upcoming solo album Ten Crowns, features Nashville powerhouse Sarah Potenza
Andy Bell, of the Eighties synth-pop duo Erasure, will release his new solo album, Ten Crowns, on Friday. Ahead of its release, he’s shared a song with Blondie’s Debbie Harry, “Heart’s a Liar,” and on Wednesday follows it up with another diva salute. “Lies So Deep” features Nashville powerhouse vocalist Sarah Potenza and doubles as what Bell calls an ode to Whitney Houston. Bell also describes the track as a “futuristic love song about a time where everybody is allowed the freedom to love whoever they want without interference.”
“‘Lies So Deep’ is a song about being once bitten twice shy in love,” Bell tells Rolling Stone, “and Sarah is the perfect conduit for this song, with her ballsy, gigantic voice, and personality. I love her.”
Potenza, who rose to fame as a finalist on The Voice and released solo albums Monster in 2016 and Road to Rome in 2019, says she was introduced to Bell via producer, DJ, and songwriter David Audé, a collaborator of the Erasure singer.
“I was in the studio with Dave working on our full-length album when he played me a few tracks from Andy’s upcoming record. I was completely blown away,” Potenza tells Rolling Stone. “There was a duet called ‘Lies So Deep’ that was still missing a female vocal. Dave pitched the idea to Andy about me singing on it, and that’s how it all came about. I fell in love with the song instantly.”
While Bell calls Potenza’s contribution “the stunning diva counterpart which tips the song into soul overdrive,” Audé says all three artists were a natural fit. “It really was a no-brainer because Sarah and Andy’s voices complement each other,” he says. “As soon as she put her vocal down we knew immediately it was perfect.”
Ten Crowns is the follow-up to Bell’s 2010 solo project Non-Stop. He’ll support the album with a summer U.K. tour before heading to the U.S. in the fall, kicking off with a show at the Basement East in Nashville, where Ten Crowns was recorded.
