Sweetlove has found her own refuge in songwriting after years of helping others showcase theirs. She sang backup vocals for Grammy-nominated and Tony award-winning artists, paying dues on huge stages. The daughter of a preacher and a teacher, she grew up in California’s Simi Valley and experienced music as a natural part of life––not as a pursuit or a practice, but an extension of just being. Now, after living in West Hollywood for the last 15 years, Sweetlove has drawn from her time sharing stages with superstars and that resonant voice that readied worshippers for interpreting tongues to create something that is entirely, beautifully hers. And from that voice comes a re-imagining of a collection of songs she wrote after losing three people very close to her in 2018, all to mental illness: her new 6-track EP Goodnight, Lover (Stripped). 

Produced by Wes Hutchinson (Grammy-nominated/HBO/CBS), Goodnight, Lover (Stripped) puts Sweetlove’s twin devotions to her earthy pop and the people she loves on magnificent display. “I think the stories behind these songs are almost what’s most important,” says Sweetlove. She sighs. It’s a heavy sigh––the kind that makes the person listening suddenly feel their own chest tighten. Sweetlove knows what she’s just said isn’t what a singer-songwriter would typically say about her new EP. But Goodnight, Lover (Stripped) ––the EP in question––was born out a tsunami of grief and pain that, while relatable, raw, and quintessentially human, isn’t typical.