You released your last album “A Love Surreal” in 2013, when I first heard “Satellites”. The first thing that came to mind was “I get it.” It’s a lot more edgier than the last album. Was “Satellites” a natural transition for you from “A Love Surreal”?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah. “Satellites”, this record is natural flow progression. I didn’t really force anything. I didn’t even know I was going to record an album, I just went to hang at Adrian Younge’s. Because we had just done South by Southwest, and I came out to check out the L.A. scene. Because when I was doing the “A Love Surreal” album, I recorded my vocals out in L.A. That was my first time recording out there for that long. So, I just wanted to soak in a little bit more of the vibe. Since I had some time off, and I went to his (Younge’s) house to chill, and we ended up making a sh*t load of music. Like, by the end of the week we had like 10 songs already. So, I was like I’m a just stay out here and kick it.<\/p>\n
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The musical direction, and creating process of making “Satellites”. Did the music come first or the lyrics?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, everything with this project, the music came first. Adrian would have a figure on the piano or drums, and then the song would come next.<\/p>\n
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\n“I make music to be a mirror for someone else.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
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When I seen the artwork for this single, and later the video for “Satellites” was released. I looked at it as abstract art, and didn’t look at it from one perspective.<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd that’s exactly what I want you to do. I make music to be a mirror for someone else. Because I know what it feels like for me. In art, I don’t want to tell somebody how to digest the sh*t. My biggest thing is to spell it out, and put it out there for you. What you take from it, is for you. It might be something I didn’t even see, and you tell me, and it makes me look at it differently.<\/p>\n
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It was certain parts in the video, it connected. I was just taking in the visual aspect of it, with the lady at the ATM, and you coming up behind her. It was so many symbolic references in the video. I sum up the video as, “thought provoking, self-reflective, and observational”. Was is it easy to come up with those concepts for the video visually?<\/strong><\/p>\nEverything really just flowed. It really wasn’t a big complication when it came to anything. Even with the visuals…. My manager directed the video. (laughs) Everything was just like over a cup of coffee. (laughs)<\/p>\n
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Wow, it’s so rare to see artists that have a clear concise concept for an album project. Usually, the first single is how you get a peak into the album.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, exactly.<\/p>\n
This next question, personally I have a hard time digesting this word “Neo-Soul”. I don’t like it. Because I think it boxes in artist like yourself, and the artists they put this label on. Their music is so<\/em> different from each other. I know it’s a marketing technique, but I really don’t see artists embracing that term. I know it’s a style some musicians play as well, but I never saw it as a genre. How do you feel about it?<\/strong><\/p>\nHonestly, I think that sh*t is straight up f**king bullsh*t. I know artists and musicians that have personally,\u00a0personally<\/em> f**king told me that my sound, and what I’ve been doing in the past has inspired them in what they do…. And they’re white. But they are considered high-end jazz, next level, futuristic jazz band, sh*t like that, and I’m still f**king “neo-soul”? That’s wack. The first time someone ever told me that, I was like f**k you. (laughs)<\/p>\nRight. Just to reference, “A Love Surreal”. When I first heard it, I heard so much rock\/soul\/jazz. I never once thought “Oh, this is a Neo-Soul record.” I know you have a lot of musical influences, I just took it for what it was, a masterpiece. That’s the only way I refer to it. It’s one of my personal favorites.<\/strong><\/p>\nThank you.<\/p>\n
What can fans expect from the new album, “In Another Life”?<\/strong><\/p>\nExpect just.. Don’t expect anything. Just kind of really have an open mind, and let it take you somewhere. You know what I’m sayin’? This music on this album, I would say is cinematic. Every song has its own story to it, you know? I wouldn’t say I was speaking on one consistent thing on this album, you know? That’s another reason I called this album, “In Another Life”. Because it’s just my take on other people’s life story. From listening to other people talk, or checking out the news and sh*t. Just writing from there, and not a place of my own life, you know?<\/p>\n
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Bilal’s\u00a0<\/strong>new album “In Another Life” will be released on June 30th. The new single “Satellites” is available now digitally, via iTunes<\/strong> and Amazon Music<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
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(All photos by \u00a0J. Wiggins<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n