British singer-songwriter SAPPHIRE continues to carve her space in contemporary pop with her latest single, ‘The Last Thing’. Anchored by bright acoustic guitar and layered with warm, propulsive beats, the track captures the sudden, dizzying clarity of realising how much someone truly means to you. SAPPHIRE’s knack for turning familiar phrases into expansive, emotional symbols is on full display here, with the defiant chorus “if it’s the last thing that I do” serving as both a love declaration and a manifesto for her artistic resilience.
SAPPHIRE’s trajectory has been impressive. From festival stages like The Hundred and Silverstone supporting Craig David, to international exposure through placements on Love Island USA, she has proven her versatility across both live and recorded platforms. With over 100 million streams across original tracks and covers on YouTube, and a global fanbase of 1.5 million across social channels, her reach continues to expand.
We had the opportunity to sit down with SAPPHIRE to learn all about the new single, the story behind it and much more here at LOCK.
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Hey SAPPHIRE, welcome to LOCK!** How are you doing?
I’m so good, how are you?!
Sum up your new single ‘The Last Thing’ for us in three words for our readers?
Falling in love. Does that count as 3 words?
You’ve described it as a Romeo-and-Juliet-style story. How did that theme shape the lyrics and emotion of the track?
I think honestly we never went into the creation of the song with the intention of it being Romeo & Juliet inspired, it kinda just happened! I was writing the lyrics and it felt exactly like that type of story, so we incorporated a few references in the lyrics to really dig deeper into that concept.
The line “if it’s the last thing that I do” feels both intimate and defiant. Do you usually start with a lyric like that, or does the melody tend to come first for you?
It’s actually usually both at the same time for me.
What was the recording process like for ‘The Last Thing’?
It was actually such a fast process for this song. We knew exactly where we wanted to take the song so it felt really natural.
Compared to your debut album ‘Lucky Star’, how does this single reflect where you’re at musically right now?
Oh my god a COMPLETELY different place. I think that when I wrote ‘LUCKY STAR’, I was still working out who I was generally, so it was more so of a fun album to create, and a way for me to try some sonics out whilst I had the chance. It was so much fun writing that album, but I’ve definitely gone back to my roots which leans much more into the singer-songwriter space.
With 100 million streams and a huge online following, how do you keep that sense of intimacy in your music despite such a wide audience?
I don’t actually think I’ve ever really thought about that, I’m just generally an over-sharer, haha.
Does ‘The Last Thing’ give us a hint of a new project or sonic chapter coming soon?
Yeah, I definitely think ‘The Last Thing’ and my previous single ‘Pessimist’ are the beginning of this new chapter. It feels a lot more authentic to me.
And finally, if you could collaborate with anyone right now – producer, artist, or writer – who would be at the top of your list?
Sombr or Royel Otis! I honestly think they’re both incredibly talented, and they create music in a way that no one else is at the moment.
