RAISED in Mossley Hill but now living in Birkenhead, perhaps it’s unsurprising that singer-songwriter Zuzu has named her debut album Queensway Tunnel.

The route which has connected Liverpool to the Wirral for almost 90 years has taken on a symbolic significance for the 20-something musician - one she describes as “a special stretch with a real transformative quality” after making the peninsula her home.

Queensway Tunnel is set to arrive on November 12, and comes after Zuzu joined the likes of Blossoms and The Lathums in playing one of England’s first gigs after lockdown earlier this year when they appeared together at Liverpool’s Sefton Park. Indeed, she can claim to be he first artist in the northern hemisphere to play a non-socially-distanced live show.

“This last 18 months have brought about some of the biggest changes in my life,” she said. “I’ve had to learn how to set boundaries, learn how to walk away from people and how to let people walk away from me.”

According to her record company, the album sees her tackling issues of “change, addiction, sci-fi, escapism, identity, community and the protection of mental health” while the video for recent single, Lie To Myself, sees Zuzu wander through a deserted Queensway looking every inch the pop star.

“Lie To Myself is about the process of coming out of denial, about that fragile state in between a break-up where you’re strong enough to leave but not quite yet strong enough to face the full truth,” she said. “That realisation that you’ve been living through a toxic relationship whether that be romantic or even professional and the impact that has on your mental health.

“It can be emotionally crippling leaving something behind that you’ve leaned on for so many years. It can feel like learning to breathe again. The song is about those times you hear their name or see a picture, whatever it might be that triggers that knot in your stomach.

“I’m still learning how to set boundaries in life, for myself more than anyone. Trying to stop my anxieties from spiralling out of control and not letting outside influences affect me.

“Protect your magic, it’s precious!”

Queensway Tunnel is released on November 12 via Planet Z Records. Zuzu is on tour throughout the UK in December with a show at Liverpool’s O2 Academy on Sunday, December 5.