Photo by Bobbi Rich

After previously announcing the April 24 arrival of the new album, Graceland Way, commended harpist and wordsmith Mikaela Davis has issued the set’s third single, “Starlite Tonite,” the follow-up to the initial previews “(Looking Through) Rose Colored Glasses,” featuring Madison Cunningham and “11:11.” The new track presents Davis’ blossoming co-write status with partner John Lee Shannon, while canonizing her mainstream appeal by weaving elements of Laurel Canon’s folk-rock intimacy, spiced with a tinge of pop readiness. 

Providing the narrative behind “Starlite Tonite,” Davis says, “Now entering mankind’s long, dark night of the soul. Mother earth’s resources depleted, natural wonders destroyed, our only home turned to dust in the name of money and power. But amongst the barren landscape, there will still be a glimmer of hope as we look up to an ever-present reminder of a universe far beyond. Walk me out in the Starlite Tonite.”

As a set, Graceland Way leans on the so-called “canyon country” label, embracing the aforementioned LA neighborhood’s roots while evoking the timelessness of the late 1960s and ‘70s country-rock ethos–rooted in Elvis’ Graceland and Paul Simon’s timeless 1986 rendering. The result is a powerful leap into the next stage of Davis’ development as an independent artist, after making a previous statement on 2018’s Delivery and 2023’s And Southern Star.

“[Graceland Way’s] songs were written from our personal experience, but together they tell the arc of humanity,” she says. “The album tells the story of a character that any listener can identify with.” 

Listen to “Starlite Tonite” below.