Eric Cantona announces debut EP, ‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’

Eric Cantona has announced details of his debut EP, titled ‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’. Find out more about the release below.

The former Manchester United icon announced that he had set his sights on a new music career back in May, when he took to Instagram to tease a new song.

Titled ‘The Friends We Lost’, the track saw the athlete-turned-singer take on sole writing and composing duties for a melancholy ballad that paid ode to the times with friends who are no longer around.

Now, Cantona has revealed that the debut single is part of a wider project, and will act as the opening track to his new EP, ‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’.

Comprised of four songs, the release sees the Manchester United star channel inspiration from music heavyweights including Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen and pursue another one of his passions outside of the football pitch.

“J’écris pour exister car il n’existe que moi pour écrire ainsi…writing is a way for me to exist, as only my existence can result in writing this way,” he said of the forthcoming release, which will be a mixture of songs sung in French and English.

“Music has always been a part of my life. I’ve always had music playing. Why start today, so many years later? Simply because I had lacked the time before,” he added. “During lockdown, I finally managed to give the guitar a serious go, and even though I’m still a poor guitarist, I felt confident enough to whip a few songs into shape.”

‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’ is set for release next Friday (October 20) via Decca, and pre-orders are available here. Check out the tracklist below.

The ‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’ tracklist is:

1. ‘The Friends We Lost’
2. ‘Tu Me Diras’
3. ‘I’ll Make My Own Heaven’
4. ‘Je Veux’

As well as sharing the new EP – which will contain hints of rock, trip-hop and psychedelia – Cantona will also be embarking on a run of tour dates later this year.

Kicking off next month, the shows will begin with two back-to-back dates at the Stoller Hall in Manchester (October 26 – 27) and will include two shows at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre (October 28 – 29). A show at Dublin’s Liberty Hall is also set for October 31, and you can find any remaining tickets to all dates here.

While the EP will be the first time that Cantona has released his own project, it is far from the first time that he has gotten involved with the world of music.

Back in 2020, Cantona took on the starring role for the video to Liam Gallagher‘s song, ‘Once’. It saw the cult football hero living up to his nickname – The King and the idea arose after he uploaded a video of himself singing along to the track by the former Oasis frontman, and hailed the song to be his favourite of 2019.The year prior, he also joined The Libertines and Patti Smith on stage at a benefit concert for Palestine.

More recently, however, he contributed lyrics for Lady Sir, a duo formed by his wife, actress and singer Rachida Brakni and Gaëtan Roussel.

Going forward, Cantona also claimed he would like to embark on more live shows in the future – likely taking place in 2024. “Next year, I’ll be playing with a band, but for now I’m starting with a modest piano and cello to play alongside me in intimate venues. I’ll be starting in Manchester, because it’s a city that has stayed with me so much. For football of course, but also the general atmosphere.”

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