Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple released a video on July 10, 2026, providing an update on her music and her perspectives on global events. The video was uploaded by Zelda Hallman, who is identified as Apple's roommate and best friend.

"It's the middle of the night and I was just writing and I couldn't sleep," Apple stated in the video. She added that she had been "overtaken with this urge to reach out." Apple acknowledged her infrequent public appearances, explaining, "You haven't seen me in a while, because this kind of thing, I'm just really, really uncomfortable with it nowadays."

Apple discussed her efforts to write about current world issues. "I wonder if you're wondering if I'm even trying to write about what's going on in the world right now," she said. She confirmed her attempts, stating, "And I just wanted to tell you that I am." Apple described her creative process as a struggle: "I'm really struggling with it." She elaborated on the challenges of addressing such topics through her art, noting that writing about oneself offers an inherent authority that is absent when addressing other people. "Maybe I'm letting perfect get in the way of good," she said. She also mentioned her self-doubt, stating, "It's hard to focus, and when you do focus, I just keep second and third and 10th and millionth guessing myself, if I'm the one to say it, or if I'm saying it right."

Hallman's caption accompanying the video detailed the breadth of Apple's concerns: "She's been trying to find a truthful way to speak to the enormity of what's happening in the world, from the horror in Gaza and Sudan, to the cruelty being aimed at trans kids, to the assault on women's bodily autonomy, to the abuse and terror being inflicted on immigrants and their families, to the erosion of voting rights and civil liberties, to the disappearance of Indigenous and Black children, so often met with silence, and to so much more suffering and injustice than can be named or addressed in a single statement."

In 2025, Apple released the song "Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)," her first new song since her 2020 album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters. She has served as a court watcher for women affected by pretrial detention. Apple also guested on the Waterboys' song "Letter From an Unknown Girlfriend."

Why It Matters

This video provides insight into Fiona Apple's creative process and her engagement with contemporary global issues. Her public statement addresses her struggles with conveying complex world events through her music. This follows her 2025 release of "Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)," indicating a continued focus on social justice themes in her work since her last album.