Sally Shapiro announce Ready To Live A Lie out May 30 via Italians Do It Better
Sally Shapiro will release their fifth studio album, Ready To Live A Lie, on May 30 via Italians Do It Better. The Swedish Italo disco and synthpop duo also shared the first single and video, “The Other Days.”
Artist: Sally Shapiro
Release Date: 2025-05-30
Genres: Pop, Synth Pop
Label: Italians Do It Better
Description: Sally Shapiro announce their new album Ready To Live A Lie, out May 30 via Italians Do It Better, with first single The Other Days now available.
The album draws from genres including synthwave, Italo disco, nu-disco, indie pop, and bossa nova. It marks their second collaboration with Italians Do It Better, following Sad Cities (2022), and was mixed alongside the label’s founder, Johnny Jewel, known for his work with Chromatics, Glass Candy, and Desire.
Sally Shapiro consists of producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous female vocalist who uses the pseudonym Sally Shapiro. The duo first gained attention with their debut album Disco Romance in 2007. Subsequent releases include My Guilty Pleasure (2009), Somewhere Else (2013), and Sad Cities (2022). The name “Sally Shapiro” refers both to the project as a whole and the anonymous singer, as well as a fictional persona that narrates love stories in the music.
The upcoming album Ready To Live A Lie presents a thematic shift. While earlier works focused on themes of youthful love, the new material explores complex emotions such as struggles in long-term relationships, love triangles, boredom, resentment, and loneliness.
Discussing the album, Johan Agebjörn commented on contemporary challenges, stating, “We live in the era of lies. We deceive ourselves, our partners, and those around us. On social media, we paint pictures of perfect lives, only to be fed falsehoods in return—by algorithms, newsfeeds, and politicians.”
The anonymous singer added, “But perhaps, at times, we need these deceptions to get by. Maybe loneliness is somehow inescapable and we simply do our best to navigate life.”
Ready To Live A Lie will include a cover of Pet Shop Boys‘ “Rent”. The album is scheduled for release on May 30 via Italians Do It Better.
Sally Shapiro is a Swedish music duo formed by producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous vocalist who uses the name Sally Shapiro. Emerging in 2006, their music draws from Italo disco, synthpop, and electronic influences, with a strong nostalgic reference to 1980s music. Their debut album, Disco Romance (2007), introduced their signature style, characterized by melancholic melodies and soft, understated vocals. Over the years, the duo has developed a distinctive sound, releasing albums such as My Guilty Pleasure (2009), Somewhere Else (2013), and Sad Cities (2022). The project is notable for the anonymity of its vocalist, adding a layer of intrigue to the music’s emotive themes.
The duo took a hiatus after their 2013 release but returned in 2022 with Sad Cities under the Italians Do It Better label, marking a new phase in their collaboration with Johnny Jewel.
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