Passion 💖 Musiques 🎶 Loisirs
30 Juin 2026
From CANADA
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Joan As Police Woman Celebrates 20 Years of Real Life with a Stunning New Performance
Following the release of her reimagined album Real Life Evolution, Joan As Police Woman has unveiled an intimate live version of the title track, "Real Life (Real Life Anniversary Sessions)", recorded at The Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn.
Released exactly 20 years after her acclaimed debut album Real Life, the project sees Joan Wasser revisiting every song with fresh arrangements and a remarkable cast of collaborators, including Iggy Pop and Krystle Warren. Rather than simply revisiting the past, Real Life Evolution breathes new life into these songs, balancing nostalgia with artistic reinvention.
Reflecting on the title track, Joan reveals it was originally written as a love letter to a man she believed was "The One" after a brief encounter. While the romance didn't last, the song certainly did.
With Real Life Evolution, Joan As Police Woman once again proves why she remains one of contemporary music's most distinctive and compelling voices.
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H
ot on the trail of her 'Real Life Evolution' album, released early this month by iconic NYC artist Joan As Police Woman via UK independent Reveal Records., she presents an intimate performance of the title track - the 'Real Life (Real Life Anniversary Sessions)'. This is the latest offering from this video series, recorded by Adam Sachs at The Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn and filmed by Ehud Lazin. Also as part of the 20th year anniversary of her debut album 'Real Life', she earlier shared stripped-down trio-format versions of 'Eternal Flame', 'Flushed Chest', 'The Ride', 'Anyone' and 'I Defy'.
Joan Wasser, known as Joan As Police Woman since 2004, is a critically acclaimed musician and producer, and a sought-after collaborator, dubbed “the coolest woman in pop” (The Times) and “one of the 21st century’s best musicians” (The Economist). As a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, her music defies easy categorization, crafting her own sound that blends various genres.
Joan confesses, “I wrote this song to romance a man. We met once for 3 minutes and I had decided he was The One. Bear in mind, this is ages ago. Conveniently, we lived 6000 miles apart. We were pen pals. It felt like high romance. He was brilliant actually - perhaps too smart. He was intractable and of course that drove me mad. The song describes the walk to the post office with the love letter - in this case, the cassette recording - and imagines the moment it lands in his hands. I brazenly put his name in the song. Unsurprisingly it didn’t work out between us. But the song did."
Unveiled exactly 20 years from her debut's release, Joan As Police Woman has reimagined her 'Real Life' album with numerous guests. Through countless performances, these renditions are brought to life by the brilliance of the players who helped define their sound. The result is ten stunning tracks with varied flavours and collaborators.
“People ask me all the time: “Do you ever get tired of playing your old songs?” The answer is an unequivocal no. And if I ever did, I’d reinvent them until the joy came back — not as an act of revision, but of rediscovery. Songs live beyond their creators. Like us, they settle into themselves over time, finding their own equilibrium. That spirit is the pulse of this new album — ten reimagined versions of every song from the original 'Real Life'. Some transformations are subtle. Others are seismic. All of them were made with an entirely new cast of collaborators," says Joan Wasser.
"Among them are two extraordinary vocalists. The inimitable Iggy Pop — whose band I’ve had the privilege of touring with, playing keys and singing — recorded a stunning version of 'Save Me' while we were on the road in New Zealand. We had to work around the birds outside, who apparently had strong opinions about the session. Then there’s Krystle Warren, a true original and one of my favorite singers alive. Her voice is so deeply soulful that 'I Defy' feels like it thoroughly enjoyed easily slipping into its brand new groove."
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Joan As Police Woman has released ten albums of original material, two cover albums, and an anthology. She has recorded and performed with hundreds of artists, including Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Lou Reed, Anohni & The Johnsons, Meshell Ndegeocello, Rufus Wainwright, John Cale, David Byrne, Dave Okumu, Chris Dowd, Lau, Scissor Sisters, Sparklehorse, Beck, Laurie Anderson, Lloyd Cole, Afel Bocoum, Dave Gahan, Tanya Donelly, Damon Albarn and Gorillaz.
Joan adds, "From my current touring trio, Will Graefe brings his emotionally masterful guitar work and Jeremy Gustin his remarkable rhythmic sensibility to several tracks. Parker Kindred’s inventive drum creations were the spark behind others. Thomas Bartlett unlocked a new dimension of the title track — honoring its original feeling while casting it in a warmer, amber light — and added Rhodes bass throughout. This album gave me the chance to reunite, decades on, with upright bassist Tony Scherr, guitarist Oren Bloedow, and funk bassist Danny Blume — musicians whose artistry has only deepened with time. I’m so glad to share this with you. I’m Real Life. You’re Real Life. We’re Real Life.”
The 'Real Life Evolution' album is out now, available everywhere digitally and also on CD and Limited Edition exclusive red marble vinyl from Bandcamp. Later this year, Joan embarks on her Real Life 20th Anniversary Tour, performing the 'Real Life' album as a trio, plus singles from her catalogue, fan favourites, deep cuts and many surprises! Tour tickets can be ordered at www.joanaspolicewoman.com/tour
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"‘Sensational" ~ Sunday Times // "This is breathtakingly good music" ~ Uncut // "Full of meditative beauty…ravishing and lovelorn" ~ Mojo // "A voice so wondrous and moving that it makes everyone else’s seem ordinary and mundane" ~ The Guardian // "Beautiful" ~ Q // "The coolest woman in pop" ~ The Times // "Joan As Police Woman is one of the 21st century’s best musicians" ~ The Economist // "Intimate yet commanding" ~ The Spill Magazine
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Joan as Police Woman
"Real Life (Real Life Anniversary Sessions) '" & "
Real Life Evolution" album feat. Iggy Pop & Krystle Warren
New video out June 29th.
Album released June 12th via Reveal Records
30 June 2026
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