Zambia is like the heart.
I never had been anywhere like that before.
Most nights we’d light the fire and everyone would sing these songs with these incredible...I’ve
never heard harmonies like that before.
Not gospel choirs.
Not church choirs.
Not anything.
These harmonies were so intricate.
Tiny kids knew how to kind of fit in the place and again it was something you can’t really...I
couldn't write it down for you.
I couldn't notate it.
It was just...It got straight to my heart and that’s why I remember the essence.
It’s something you can’t really describe, it’s the spirit.
Your soul is just there.
The spoken word is an artist called, Aine Zion. we were in New York and I was like “Hey
you should come to the studio.”
And I kept pushing her cause she had all of this amazing poetry on her phone that she
didn’t share with anyone.
I said, “What do you think?”
I didn’t tell her we put her poetry in the beginning and remember she was like, “! I
love this song.
It's on repeat.
I love it.”
I remember Jay first hearing it in the studio.
And he’s a super cool guy, he’s got his standards but when he started nodding, I was
like, “Oh my god.
Jay Electronica likes the song.”
And then he’s like “I want to get on this.”
I was like “Ah cool.”
This song is about passion.
It’s just about life.
So drink from the fountain is like the fountain of life.
The fountain of whatever.
But it’s about submission to life and submitting to taking in what you’re supposed to take
in.
I went on a bit of a pilgrimage when I went to Zambia, where my dad is from and I felt
like I really connected with myself.
I remember texting my friend and I said, “I feel really human.”
I feel like there’s nature around me, there’s no electricity, there was no running water.
I was meeting my family.
My dad’s people.
I just felt things I’ve never felt living in the west.
back in the garden.
You’re taking yourself back to the real and you’re stripping yourself of all the
superficial things and you're just connecting with yourself again, mother nature and God.
and also private.
It’s quite secret, like a dark garden.
But that’s where the essence is.
if you are making love and you are in love with that person, it’s like you relinquish
all kind of control.
I didn’t want to write a song about sex that was like thinking too much cause that’s
not fun.
That’s not the type of sex you want to have.
It’s like your soul is just singing out.
I just wanted to say I’m relaxed, don’t stop and it's just when you feel fully confident
so I think confidence is the main thing.
I was just kind of going through chapters of a summer, really, in the club.
when you have a connection with somebody, it’s that deep.
It’s like anywhere you go, you have that connection with them.
So in the club, I love this about you, you’re so open with me and it’s like we’re the
only people here.
And we can take that same energy and take it to a balcony and get high and fly to the
ocean.
This didn’t inspire it but when I think about it, maybe it did.
You know the mermaid song?
Just beautiful vocals and I think this is the first time I really owned my femininity
and when you can sing, you can use it in so many different ways.
I wanted to express something very natural.