Watch Sharon van Etten and The Theory of Affection Perform “Southern Life (What It Should Be For)” on “The Tonight Show with Fallon”

Sharon van Etten’s New Chapter

Sharon van Etten explored the theory of attachment with her performance of “Southern Life (what it should be for)” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon this week – see footage below.

• READ MORE: Sharon van Etten shakes up her career with a new group: “It made me feel very seen, heard, inspired”

Debut Album and Live Performance

The song is featured on the newly released debut album of the group, which launched on February 7 through Jagjaguwar. The group includes singer-songwriter Van Etten, drummer Jorge Balbi, bassist Hoff, and teenage guitarist Liberson.

A live performance took place on February 6, showcasing the band’s energizing rock rendition of the album. Check out their appearance here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monqjrl5s-w

Message Behind “Southern Life”

“Southern Life (what it should be)” was one of the initial singles from the album, described by Van Etten as an exploration of “trying to understand people with completely different views and backgrounds, while also being compassionate towards our past, present, and future selves.”

“After several days of rehearsing the album songs and figuring out how to perform them live, I grew weary of hearing myself. I didn’t want to overthink the songs to death. So, for the first time, I asked if the Jam Jam group wanted to play just for the sake of clearing our heads.”

The performance came just weeks before the band embarks on their UK and European tour, beginning in Oslo on February 28. They will perform at prestigious venues like the Royal Albert Hall in London, Albert Hall in Manchester, and the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. See here for a full list of dates and here for any remaining tickets.

Van Etten recently spoke with NME about a night in 2022 that inspired her new group’s formation. She shared that there was something transformative in that moment that made her feel “very seen, heard, inspired.”

“It made me want to push myself,” she added. “It sounds silly on the surface, but I had never felt like that before.”

Van Etten released her sixth and latest solo album, “We’ve All Done This Wrong,” in May 2022. In 2023, she shared “Quiet Eyes” from the Past Lives soundtrack, co-written with Courtney Barnett, embedded in the theme of “closeness.”