Sheléa blends classic soul and cinematic storytelling in “Time Machine,” a tender, smoldering reflection on lost love, closure, and the beauty of remembering without regret.
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Stream: “Time Machine” – Sheléa
I want listeners to have the freedom of remembering lost love without the resentment. Sometimes it wasn’t meant to work out, but that does mean it wasn’t special.
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The moment Sheléa starts singing “Time Machine,” you’re transported: Not just to a different era, but to a memory –
– one filled with longing, love, and the quiet ache of what could have been. Channeling the spirit of classic soul with grace and heart, she delivers a track that’s both emotionally charged and musically irresistible.
A GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, and actress, Sheléa has long been recognized as one of music’s most dynamic voices – praised and championed by legends like Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and David Foster. She’s performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and The White House to Royal Albert Hall and the Vatican, starred as Dorinda Clark in the acclaimed Clark Sisters biopic, and fronted national PBS specials honoring Aretha Franklin. With “Time Machine,” independently released in late May, she adds to her already-stunning legacy with a song that feels both everlasting and deeply personal.
A stunning, soul-stirring slice of Motown magic, “Time Machine” blends cinematic storytelling with raw feeling. It’s nostalgic without being stuck in the past – a love letter to what was, wrapped in a groove that feels timeless and alive. Lush piano, stirring strings, and that unmistakable vocal warmth bring her story vividly to life.
“I love using the magic of storytelling within music,” Sheléa tells Atwood Magazine. “You can really visualize this couple’s story. I think we can all identify when we remember a relationship that was once meaningful.”
I didn’t think that I would see you here today
I heard you got a brand new job and moved away
How’s your mom and dad is everyone ok
They still cross my mind please tell them I said hey
It’s clear now that you’re here
What I still feel for you
So can I ask this question
The narrative unfolds like a short film: A chance encounter between exes, casual hellos giving way to the floodgates of memory. “Oh, do you think about us / Do you think about all the things we might have been before we gave up,” she sings in the chorus – and in those lines, the whole emotional arc blooms. It’s not about rekindling the past; it’s about honoring it. “This is a song about remembering lost love with a smile,” she explains. “Maybe you get back together. Maybe you don’t. But you’re glad it happened.”
Oh, do you think about us
Do you think about
all the things we might
have been before we gave up
I know I said that we’re done
But I wish I had a Time Machine
I would travel back to our love
“There’s not an exact story,” Sheléa admits. “But it just reminded me of remembering innocent love that was real. It’s so cinematic, and I hope it will be used in a film or television series.” There’s a strong visual quality to “Time Machine” – a softness in the details, a warmth in its arrangement. Like the best soul ballads of the ’60s and ’70s, it captures emotion in motion: “Do you remember the first time we kissed / I can’t help regretting all the loving that we missed…”
Sheléa and her writing partner Davy Nathan looked to The Jackson 5’s Motown sound while crafting “Time Machine,” pulling elements from that era to help make the song feel even more nostalgic. “When you listen to ‘Never Can Say Goodbye,’ you feel melancholy and thoughtful, but it feels so good and inviting,” she says. “That’s what we wanted ‘Time Machine’ to feel like.”
It’s been a really long year
Summer, winter spring and fall
all without you here
Do you remember
the first time we kissed
I can’t help regretting
all the loving that we missed
It’s clear now that you’re here
What I still feel for you
So can I ask this question
Oh, do you think about us
Do you think about
all the things we might
have been before we gave up
I know I said that we’re done
But I wish I had a Time Machine
I would travel back to our love
Though happily married now, Sheléa shared how the song could have once helped her personally. “There was a time where this song may have perhaps helped me heal or get the closure I needed,” she says. “But I have been hearing from my fans that after listening to ‘Time Machine,’ they have been encouraged to call their ex! To which I say, listen to this song responsibly!”
She laughs, but the takeaway is clear: “Sometimes it wasn’t meant to work out, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t special.”
It’s a rare thing to hear a song that honors heartbreak without bitterness – one that lets us sit inside a memory without needing to fix it. “For me, ‘Time Machine’ is remembering a time in one’s life when things were simple. Love was innocent. Life somehow got in the way, and you come face to face with a past that you truly remember fondly.”
Is this our second chance
to find our way again
Can we start over
Is there one final dance
So before we gotta go I have to know
For those just discovering Sheléa today, consider this your entry point into a singular talent – a vocalist, songwriter, and storyteller with rare heart and depth. “I make music for people to feel something and to think more deeply,” she says. “I only know how to be true to who I am, and my art reflects that.”
“Time Machine” is an instant classic – cinematic, tender, and true. Sheléa sings the past into the present and gives us permission to remember with love.
Oh, do you think about us
Do you think about
all the things we might
have been before we gave up
I know I said that we’re done
But I wish I had a Time Machine
I would travel back to our love
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:: stream/purchase Time Machine here ::
:: connect with Sheléa here ::
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Stream: “Time Machine” – Sheléa
A CONVERSATION WITH SHELÉA
Atwood Magazine: Shelea, “Time Machine” feels like an instant classic – a throwback to the ‘60s that nevertheless feels fresh, emotive, and irresistible. What's the story behind this beautiful song?
Sheléa: I don’t know if there’s an exact story, but it just reminded me of remembering innocent love that was real. It’s so cinematic, and I hope it will be used in a film or television series.
Your lyrics tell a compelling narrative, but what’s this song about, for you?
Sheléa: For me, “Time Machine” is remembering a time in one’s life when things were simple. Love was innocent. Life somehow got in the way, and you come face to face with a past that you truly remember fondly.
What was your vision with this song – did you have any north stars, artists or songs in mind as you went about writing, and then recording “Time Machine”?
Sheléa: My writing partner Davy Nathan and I were inspired by The Jackson 5. When you listen to “Never Can Say Goodbye,” you feel melancholy and thoughtful but it feels so good and inviting. That’s what we wanted “Time Machine” to feel like.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Time Machine,” and what have you taken away from creating it and now putting it out?
Sheléa: I want listeners to have the freedom of remembering lost love without the resentment. Sometimes it wasn’t meant to work out, but that does mean it wasn’t special.
You've said this song is about remembering lost love with a smile. Can you talk more about this experience, and how this song helps you personally?
Sheléa: I am completely and happily married, so this song doesn’t really apply for me now! [laughs] But there was a time where this song may have perhaps helped me heal or get the closure I needed. But I have been hearing from my fans that after listening to “Time Machine,” they have been encouraged to call their ex – to which I say, listen to this song responsibly!
For those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?
Sheléa: I make music for people to feel something and to think more deeply. I only know how to be true to who I am, and my art reflects that.
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:: stream/purchase Time Machine here ::
:: connect with Sheléa here ::
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Stream: “Time Machine” – Sheléa
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