Pop Artist Bobby Newberry Delivers A Sentimental Ode To A Lost Summer

Best known for slick and sensual dance moves, Bobby Newberry displays his wistful side on the new single “Nostalgia.” 

The Los Angeles-based pop artist takes in a sunset and twilight swim with fellow performer Liane V in the song’s dreamy video, filmed in Malibu, California, with a two-person crew and unveiled Friday. Together, the pair reminisce about morning cuddles and evenings spent stargazing ― the type of intimate activities which are, for many, off-limits amid the COVID-19 crisis. 

Catch the video for “Nostalgia” above. 

After years as a dancer and choreographer, Newberry launched his music career with the 2012 single “Dirrty Up.” Two years later, he released a six-song EP, “The Newberry Special.” The music video for his 2018 single “Lit” found him working extensively with designer Jeremy Scott, who dressed him in bespoke Moschino suits. 

Audiences got a taste of Newberry’s talents as a live performer with a five-song concert streamed online as part of a virtual LGBTQ Pride festival in June. That performance, he said, was bittersweet. He’d been slated to headline a number of Pride Month festivals across the country before most in-person events were canceled as coronavirus concerns grew. 

At the same time, Newberry became uneasy with how his work would be received as the pandemic stretched into the summer months. Suddenly, his club-friendly anthems ― meant to be played at maximum volume on a dance floor packed with sweaty revelers ― didn’t feel suited for the socially distanced reality of 2020.  

Though Newberry said he felt “hesitant to release anything” at first, he nonetheless found inspiration in “all the feelings that I’m currently feeling and what I’m missing and going through.” Once he began working on “Nostalgia,” he also recognized an opportunity to diversify both his sound and artistic approach by shifting his emphasis off of dance, at least for now. 

“I never want to stay stagnant as an artist and I will always stay true to my authentic self and create whatever I’m feeling,” he told HuffPost. “I’ve been so up and down during this pandemic. It’s been very hard. Some days I have no inspiration to do anything, and then some days I really want to create.”

“I always count on new music to uplift me and uplift others. … So that has been a major push for me to keep creating,” he said. The new song, he added, is meant for “anyone who is feeling sentimental, missing their friends, family, and fun, brighter times.” 

If all goes well, “Nostalgia” will set the tone for Newberry’s forthcoming debut album, though no release date has been set. And while the new song may be melancholy compared to earlier tracks, he hopes listeners will find solace in its feel-good, sentimental lyrics, too. 

“I know it’s a really tricky time right now for the world, and I just want to stay inspired and hope that I’m able to inspire others,” he said. “We hope this will all be over soon and that this record will bring that positive love and light to everyone.”