Maxwell announced his upcoming sixth studio album, NIGHT, with the release of a new single, "Shame." NIGHT is the final installment of a trilogy that started in 2009 with BLACKsummer'snight and then continued with 2016's blackSUMMER'Snight.
With the release of "Shame," Maxwell wrote a detailed explanation of the single. According to Pitchfork, Maxwell wrote:
"Shame” is a modern love song. Not just romantic love, but love for self and others. Social media has created an alternate world where people watch everything you do, including your failures. They even often feel a sense of joy in your pain. This creates a barrier to real intimacy because we’re preoccupied with appearances; with measuring up to what society thinks we should be, how we should look, what we should have and what we should aspire to. The song is about removing that mask of expectation and letting go of the shame of being real and vulnerable. The shadow of shame can only be broken when we unveil ourselves, and recognize that we that we are all human—flawed yet perfect, broken yet stronger with each obstacle.
