The 20-year-old poet and singer Arlo Parks started releasing music as a teenager, courting blog interviews in between her final exams. Parks, who was raised in London by Nigerian and Chadian-French parents (her full name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho), went on to release a pair of acclaimed EPs, Super Sad Generation and Sophie, in 2019; just before the pandemic hit, she was set to go on her first tour. Instead, she’s been stuck at home, waiting out this nightmare like the rest of us. “It’s given me some time to reflect and get used to spending more time with myself,” she says.
Parks used the time to complete her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams. Released in January, it’s a lush and expansive project with a patient vulnerability at its core. “I wanted to really delve into the idea of reckoning with difficult things in one’s past — and celebrating the joyful things, and honoring the stories that have made me who I am,” Parks says. “I took all of my journals that I’ve written over the years and all my folders of poems and worked from those.”
Throughout the record, Parks achieves an emotional resonance that’s unflinchingly sincere. Her narrative vignettes sketch out struggles that ring universal: On “Hope,” we’re introduced to a character named Millie, who, Parks sings gently, has “tried to talk the pleasure back into being alive.” It’s an anthemic tune about battling depression, told with compassion and care. “You’re not alone like you think you are,” the chorus goes. Parks is attentive with language, and her songs about love, regret, and pain flutter like memories stamped into your mind.
“When I first started writing in the beginning, it was very much surrounding the idea of escape and of fantasy, then when I got a little bit older it very much became a way of looking inward. So I was only really writing about my feelings,” she explains. “And then I got to this balance, where I’m speaking about stories of people around me. I am looking at it in the way of a student — my subjective lens.”
The open discussion of mental health is something of a hallmark of Gen Z, often seen as being more emotionally in tune than previous generations, thanks in part to the internet. Still, Parks handles emotion particularly deftly — never overbearing, or even necessarily overt. She has the presence of a storied musician, though she’s only been performing a few years. Her music already speaks across generations.
“I feel like people who are older have lived longer and it’s harder to impress them,” she says. “So I always feel super flattered when I see an older couple at my show. I’m like, okay, I must be doing something special.”
Parks’ songs often feature playfully deployed cultural references that manage to capture one of the best parts of being young — when the archive of the world begins to reveal itself to you. On “Black Dog,” she opens with a couplet: “I’d lick the grief right off your lips/You do your eyes like Robert Smith.” On “Hurt,” we meet Charlie, who “melts into his mattress watching Twin Peaks.”
Parks’ songs often feature playfully deployed cultural references that manage to capture one of the best parts of being young — when the archive of the world begins to reveal itself to you. On “Black Dog,” she opens with a couplet: “I’d lick the grief right off your lips/You do your eyes like Robert Smith.” On “Hurt,” we meet Charlie, who “melts into his mattress watching Twin Peaks.”
That relationship to the wide world of pop culture is part of her stage name, too. “I really wanted to have a name that was double-barreled,” she explains. “I think at the time I was listening to a lot of Odd Future — like Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean — and I wanted my name to have a ring to it.”
At the park one day last summer, it came to her. Exams had just finished, and she found herself in a moment of peace: “My friend just turned to me because she could see me stressing and was like, ‘Relax, we’re in the park. We’re safe.’”
TrueMendous describes her debut album as the best project she has ever created, and she’s eager for fans to finally hear it. Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson, released on April 1, marks a major step forward for the Birmingham artist after building momentum through a series of EPs and mixtapes.
“I’d never created an album before,” she shared. “I had to make sure it stood apart from everything I’ve released in the past. Listening to it from start to finish, I feel like it’s stronger than anything I’ve made so far. Everything about it is on another level. All the elements made it better.”
That vision extends beyond the music itself. From the visuals for the new tracks to the album artwork designed by Father of Cain—which also appears on new merch—every detail has been carefully considered. Although the writing process wrapped up months ago and the final mixes were completed last summer, taking time to plan the rollout proved valuable.
“It’s frustrating to sit on music, but it makes me even more excited to release it,” she explained. “It’s good, too, because I get to plan the music videos properly and figure out the best way to put it out there.”
The album was shaped by a mix of Birmingham-based producers and collaborators from her label, High Focus. “It’s great to have a team that pushes and supports you,” she said. “They help amplify your voice without making it feel toxic or stifling.”
The album title is inspired by Lauryn Hill, one of her biggest storytelling influences. Following the success of her 2020 HUH? EP, expectations are high. That EP led to unexpected opportunities—Adidas used the beat from “Sweetheart” in a campaign, while “Hmm” landed on the FIFA 21 soundtrack. She also appeared in major ads for Pepsi Max and McVities.
This time, she’s aiming for more film placements. “‘Cause A Scene,’ which has an animated music video, would be perfect for a wild fight scene,” she said. The track kicks off the 17-song record, which blends rap, R&B, and pop, showcasing her versatility. “I’m a bit of a chameleon,” she explained. “I love adapting to different sounds.”
She even made the tough decision to remove some songs from the final tracklist for the first time. The result is a mix that ranges from the nine-minute “Selfish Behaviour” to a 99-second burst of energy on “You Don’t Wanna.” “I don’t plan song lengths—it just feels right,” she said. “When the lyrics ended with the beat, it felt like the perfect close.”
This variety keeps listeners engaged, appealing to fans who enjoy both long, intricate stories and quick, punchy tracks. “If you’re good enough as an artist, it doesn’t matter how long the song is,” she added. “If Drake put out a 30-minute song, people wouldn’t just stop listening halfway.”
Lyrically, the album blends her personal experiences with stories inspired by friends and documentaries, creating a unique and heartfelt perspective. “My older songs were all story-based,” she said. “I used to tell other people’s stories through my voice as a narrator. It’s only in the last two years that I’ve started opening up more about myself.”
The final track, “Yvonne’s Daughter,” is her most personal yet. For someone who admits, “I don’t reveal anything about anything,” it’s a raw look at her relationship with her mother. Family ties keep her grounded in Birmingham, even as her career grows in London.
“Birmingham’s slower than London,” she reflected. “It doesn’t lack talent—it just needs to be seen and heard. London has the labels, A&Rs, and events. I go back to Birmingham to slow down.”
That calm may not last long, with more projects in the pipeline and global ambitions ahead. She’s particularly excited about performing in places where fans don’t speak English but still know the lyrics.
“More than anything, I just want the album to do well,” she said. “I know how much effort went into it, and it’s a really good project. I’m confident and comfortable with it, and I can’t wait to see how people respond.”
Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson by TrueMendous is out now on High Focus Records.
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