Wilmington singer releases new single with pop star from 'The Masked Singer'

Wilmington singer Annie Tracy has turned heads this year with her flawless voice and soulfully powerful pop songs, scoring nearly 70,000 listeners per month on Spotify and wowing folks at shows around the country, including at Mary J. Blige's Strength of a Woman Festival in Atlanta last May.

Now, Tracy has released a sultry new single with one of the best-known names in pop music: Robin Thicke.

"Close To You" drops on multiple platforms Oct. 13. The song starts on a jazzy note, with Tracy singing about a love gone wrong, before taking on tones of pop and soul. Thicke, also known as a panelist on Fox TV show "The Masked Singer," weighs in with his distinctive voice in the song's second half.

"Close to You" was produced by Mike Sabath, who has worked with the likes of Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and others.

"I wrote this song in 2021 with Mike Sabath in Los Angeles and I remember leaving the studio feeling like we created something really special and honest," Tracy said. "When my A&R/mentor Tricky Stewart said that he shared the song with Robin Thicke this year (and Thicke) loved it so much that he wanted to support the song and my journey by joining me on the record, I was blown away, humbled and grateful. He is the first artist that I will have shared a song with in my career thus far and what an insane artist to start with! He's such a legend."

Thicke is best-known for his song "Blurred Lines," which spent 12 weeks on the top of the pop charts in 2013 despite drawing criticism for lyrics some found problematic ("I know you want it").

Thicke and "Blurred Lines" co-writer Pharrell Williams then lost a $7.5 million lawsuit in 2015 (later reduced to $5.3 million) to the estate of Marvin Gaye, which claimed "Blurred Lines" infringed on the copyright to Gaye's song "Got To Give It Up." The controversial legal decision shocked many in the music industry.

At any rate, pairing an up-and-coming singer with a veteran star is a tried and true method of promoting new music, and could prove mutually beneficial to both artists.

In June, Tracy released her first EP, "ACT I," a potent slice of passion-fueled pop and R&B with lyrics that are deeply thoughtful and emotionally self-aware. Standout tracks include "Times It By Two," a sassily assured tribute to the power of a loving partnership; "Clothes are So Obnoxious," a plea to a lover for emotional transparency; and "Move," a sublime, empowering kiss-off about knowing when it's time to end a relationship.

Tracy is managed by Stewart, a Grammy-winning producer, and she worked with another Grammy-winning producer, D'Mile, on the songs on her EP. A second EP, "ACT II" is expected early next year.

Tracy grew up in Wilmington starring in musicals for Opera House Theatre Co. and other companies. After moving away for college she occasionally returned home to do shows, most recently in 2019 and 2021 when she played the title role in "Always, Patsy Cline," a musical about the country singing legend.

But even after taking her act nationwide she's maintained ties to her hometown, and the cover photo for "Close to You" was taken in Wilmington by none other than Tracy's mom, Chrissy Ogden Marsh.

"I shot the cover in front of the Soul Saving Station on Dawson Street because I passed that building a million times growing up in Wilmington and always thought it was so special," Tracy said. "I always wanted to shoot a photo in front of it and use it for a song cover and 'Close to You' felt like the perfect record because it is essentially about trying to save an old lover's soul by warning them not to get too close."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Robin Thicke of The Masked Singer teams up with Wilmington singer Annie Tracy