Image: Dave Jenkins Jr
Published: 10 June 2026

Today Australian singer-songwriter Vera Blue (real name Celia Pavey) releases her new single ‘Rituals’ and announces her third studio album Modern Rituals will be released on 21 August.

Created with Grammy-nominated producer Lachlan Bostock (Dom Dolla, ODESZA), ‘Rituals’ is the opening track of the new album and is a beautifully moving pared back ballad, with little more than Pavey’s intimate and at times sweeping vocal and a subdued electronic beat.

"‘Rituals’ is about learning to witness every version of yourself with honesty and compassion,” Pavey says. “Embracing the emotional patterns, sensitivities, and complexities that shape who we are, rather than constantly trying to fix them. I'm so proud of this song and how special it was working on it with Lach Bostock.”

Also released today is the music video for ‘Rituals’. With a gorgeous simplicity that matches the song, Pavey is seen dancing in a studio in a flowing white gown.

“The video strips everything back to something raw, instinctive, and vulnerable. The movement becomes a physical reflection of the emotional release, self-awareness, and surrender explored in the song,” Pavey says. “I loved creating this with my close friend Dave Jenkins Jr. , someone I've worked alongside for over 12 years. Because he knows me so deeply, both as a person and an artist, I felt completely safe to be vulnerable and express the rawest version of myself through movement and emotion.”

The theme of ‘Rituals’ - learning about and embracing every version of yourself - is something that carries through to Modern Rituals, Pavey’s first album since Mercurial in 2022. While working on the album, she came to the realisation that there is no separation between her stage name and the real person behind it.

“Through working on this album, I have come to realise that Celia Pavey and Vera Blue are not separate entities. They are one,” Pavey reveals.

The album will feature eight tracks, and alongside ‘Rituals’ will include her previous singles, the brooding electronica of ‘Parallel Desire’, the gritty industrial track ‘In The Corner’ and the electro-dance pop of ‘Go Lucky’.

On the same day Modern Rituals is released, Pavey will also kick off her first headline tour since 2022. Beginning in Brisbane on 21 August, she will play five shows across the country, closing on 27 August in Adelaide. Tickets will go on sale on 12 June at 9am local time.

Prior to the tour, Pavey will also perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Vera Blue x MSO Orchestral Veil at Hamer Hall on July 11th . Tickets are on sale now here.

Pavey has become one of Australia’s most charismatic and beloved performers, and Modern Rituals marks not just a new era, but also brings a new soundscape to her portfolio, with a beguiling electronica-synth-triphop sound as evidenced by the singles released so far. It looks set to become one of Vera Blue’s creative high points in a career full of them, and quite possible one of 2026’s greatest albums.

‘Rituals’ is out now via Island Records. You can download and stream here.
Modern Rituals will be released on 21 August via Island Records. You can pre-order and pre-save here now.
Follow Vera Blue on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok

Tour Dates
11 July - Vera Blue X Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Vera Blue Modern Rituals Album Tour
21 August - Princess Theatre, Brisbane
22 August - City Recital Hall, Sydney
23 August - UC Refectory, Canberra
26 August - Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
27 August - The Gov, Adelaide