Neo-soul queen Erykah Badu is making a long-awaited return to the studio, much to fans’ delight. Since Badu last released a full-length studio album, the level of anticipation around her return is high. Her re-emergence will be iconic, with the industry abuzz with the news that she will return to music. Fans have been left hanging since she released her last album. Badu has since blessed the world with her signature sound in the years that followed, but most of her output has been guest features on other artists’ tracks and live mixtapes. The music world has been clamoring for something more from the voice behind such evergreen offerings as Baduizm and Mama’s Gun for almost 15 years.
While Badu’s been present in live music and guest appearances, many agree this return signifies a new chapter in her musical career. Although her limited output is still spellbinding, fans are hungry for something more that directly addresses her evolution as an artist, mother, and cultural touchstone. And the wait appears to be over at last. Badu’s resolution to take a break from the full-album grind for such an extended period left many wondering. For one, Badu has never been one to chase trends or cater to the demands of a commercial music industry that requires artists to work quickly and often. Instead, she held to her artistic principles, putting out music only when the time was right, and she had something fresh and seismic to say.
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Over the past few years, she’s been influential on the music scene, thanks to her work by others, her vocals on soul artists’ songs, and the likes. But fans of her dark, cerebral sound may be excited to learn that her latest effort will include more than a footwear line that allows her to walk in someone else’s shoes will spill out on its own. The one incredible thing about Badu is that she knows how to mix soulful melodies with deep, philosophic lyricism. Her sound is an amalgamation of jazz, funk, and electronic elements, laid over a voice that is as distinctive as it is magnetic. The themes of love, self-discovery, spirituality, and empowerment have suffused her past albums so deeply that it’s a safe bet that her next one will achieve the same.
Years of experimentation and collaborations with other artists should yield evolution here. Prepare for a project that defies categorization while maintaining the depth of artistry that has her successfully passing the time-tested test of time. Erykah is known for doing everything outside the box and genres, so this album could be the project of the old and new. Based on what we know of Badu’s artistry, her latest project should showcase haunting melodies, deep lyrical content, and creative sound, which is everything we’ve come to know and love about this genre-muddling star.
The return of Erykah Badu to make a new album is simply a moment in time for the fans and the culture. For more than 20 years, she has been a singular force in the music world, often with one foot out of the ropes of commercial radio. Her ingenuity in traversing nontraditional musical terrain has earned her credits as one of the most unique artists of her generation.
At a time when music tends to be rife with cliched sounds and vanilla trends, Badu is a reminder of the need for something transformative, and with a new album on the horizon, an opportunity to catch up with the more soulful side of music that can always use this loving. It’s all evident that, although the wait has been extended, it’ll have been worth it. The music world will never be the same when her new sounds start to airwaves, and while we wait for the first full album in 15 years, we are all waiting for her new music. And now the queen is back, ready to reclaim her crown.
