Dionne Warwick's final album 'DWuets' will feature collaborations with Cynthia Erivo, Kehlani and more.
Image: Instagram
Six-time Grammy winner Dionne Warwick has announced her final studio album titled “DWuets”.
The album brings together several notable artists, including first-time collaborations with Cynthia Erivo and Diane Warren. The body of work is set to be produced by Warwick’s son Damon Elliott and her manager.
“Billboard” reported that Warwick penned all the songs for her upcoming album. Having been in the industry for 65 years, Warwick has built a catalogue of timeless classics and memorable collaborations with some of the most renowned songwriters and performers.
The seasoned American singer has collaborated with legends such as Luther Vandross and Gladys Knight.
Warwick’s lead single, “Ocean in the Desert”, from her upcoming album will reportedly feature Erivo, who has won an Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards. The song will be released next Friday. R&B singer Kehlani will also be featured on the album’s second single.
Warwick recently spoke about working with Erivo in the studio, calling the experience highly enjoyable.
“It was such a joy to be in the studio harmonising with such a talented entertainer as Cynthia. We immediately bonded and had so much fun recording this beautiful song,” she said.
Erivo also described her time in the studio with Warwick as exceptionally warm and inspiring.
“It was so warm being in the studio with Dionne; it was like a mother-daughter relationship. This experience was like the godmother of music coming in and saying to me, ‘I knight you’,” she said..
Erivo recently shared a heartfelt video in a joint Instagram post, reflecting on the very first time she met Warwick. In the video, she reminisces about that unforgettable moment when Warwick personally asked her to join her on stage.
“I met Miss Dionne at the Kennedy Centre Honours when she was being honoured, and I had the privilege of being able to sing for her. I met her just after I performed, and then I was just happy to have met her and happy to have spoken to her.
“She was very happy with what I did, thankfully, and I got this message to say that Miss Dionne wanted to talk to me, so I said yes, you can absolutely have my number, why not?” she said in the video clip.
Warwick’s social media presence played a role in shaping the album.
After joining X during the pandemic, the veteran singer found herself connecting with a younger generation of artists and fans online, conversations that eventually opened the door for some of the collaborations featured on “DWuets”.
The platform also gave her younger fans a glimpse into her humour around her thoughts.
In a recent post, she joked: “I used to defer every crazy social media idea with ‘we’ll do that for the final album.’ Well, it’s the final album and my team just sent me the entire list. Every single idea…”
The “Ocean in the Desert” will be released through Elliott Entertainment in partnership with the Vydia company, and more details on the album’s collaborations and its release date will be shared later.