HER And Kaytranada Offer A Spirited Debut Performance Of ‘Intimidated’ On ‘The Tonight Show’

With less than two weeks left in 2021, Kaytranada emerged from his quiet place to deliver a new project to the world. His Intimidated effort arrived as a brief offering, with just three songs to its name, but it was still welcomed by the Canadian producer’s fans. The project also featured appearances from HER, Thundercat, and Mach-Hommy. Two months after Intimidated arrived, Kaytranada and HER brought their talents to The Tonight Show to perform their title track collaboration from the project on the late-night show.

For the performance, HER leads the way with spirited vocals as she plays the early parts of the song on a grand piano. Kaytranada then appears to add some production to the performance thanks to a keyboard and beat pad he has on stage. Together the pair deliver an icy smooth performance of their collaboration on The Tonight Show.

Their performance comes after the duo previously united in the fall of 2021. Kaytranada and HER first brought their talents together for “Bloody Waters” from the latter’s debut album Back Of My Mind. The track also featured an appearance from Thundercat who also appears on Kaytranada’s Intimidated EP. That project was Kaytranada’s first release since his late 2019 sophomore album Bubba which helped give him two 2021 Grammys for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Speaking of awards, HER was recently nominated in six categories at the upcoming NAACP Image Awards, including one for Outstanding Album with Back Of My Mind. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, which were recently rescheduled for April 3, 2022, HER was nominated in eight categories including Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best R&B Performance.

You can watch Kaytranada and HER’s performance of “Intimidated” in the video above.

Intimidated is out now via RCA. Stream it here.

Kaytranada’s New ‘Intimidated’ EP Features HER, Thundercat, And Mach-Hommy

Kaytranada has been steady grinding all year. The Canadian producer has dropped a collaboration track Mick Jenkins, the Black History Month-focused “Caution,” and has announced festival headlining slots at both Phoneix’s non-profit M3F Fest and California’s lakeside Lightning In A Bottle. But he’s saved his 2021 piece de resistance for last…

Released today, the Intimidated EP is just three tracks long, but they’re each equally brilliant and you’re going to want to press repeat again and again on these cuts. “Intimidated” featuring HER taps into the same magic that garnered Kaytra his Grammy Award for 10% with Kali Uchis. “Be Careful” features Thundercat and stands tall just as much on the producer’s signature drums as it does on ‘cat’s silky vocals. Finally, “$payforhaiti” sees Griselda rapper Mach-Hommy rapping in Creole on a track whose message of Haitian freedom is illustrated on the album cover. It’s all pure heat from Kaytranada; of course.

Listen to the title track featuring HER above. Check out the album artwork and track list below, along with Kaytranada’s upcoming tour and festival dates.

Kaytranada Intimidated
Kaytranada

1. “Intimidated” (feat. H.E.R.)
2. “Be Careful” (feat. Thundercat)
3. “$payforhaiti” (feat. Mach-Hommy)

12/03/21 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Wallercreek Amphitheater
12/04/21 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Wallercreek Amphitheater
12/08/21 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
12/09/21 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
12/29/21 – Toronto, ON @ History
12/30/21 – Toronto, ON @ History
12/31/21 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
03/04/21 – 3/5/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ M3F Music Festival
03/18/21 – 3/20/21 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Lollapalooza Argentina
03/25/21 – 3/27/21 – Sao Paulo, SP @ Lollapalooza Brasil
05/19/21 – Montreal, QC @ Piknic Electronik
05/20/21 – Montreal, QC @ Piknic Electronik
05/25/21 – 5/30/21 – Bakersfield, CA @ Lightning In A Bottle
05/27/21 – 5/30/21 – New Orleans, LA @ Noir Fever

Intimidated is out now via RCA Records.

Kaytranada Is ‘Intimidated’ On His Upcoming EP With HER, Thundercat, And More

It’s been nearly two years since Kaytranada released his sophomore album Bubba, which featured Sir, Goildlink, Tinashe, VanJess, Masego, and more, gave the Canadian producer his first Grammy awards for Best Dance Recording, thanks to “10%” with Kali Uchis, and Best Dance/Electronic Album. Just as he did in 2019, Kaytranada is gearing up to end this year on a high note, as he announced a new EP, entitled Intimated, will arrive next week. He also shared the features listeners can expect on it.

The EP only has three songs, one featuring HER, another with Thundercat, and the last one with rapper Mach-Hommy. Kaytranada confirmed that Intimidated will arrive on November 19. The track with HER, titled “Intimidated,” will make for their second collaboration, after they previously joined forces for “Bloody Waters” from HER’s debut album Back Of My Mind. It’s also a song that featured Thundercat, which makes “Be Careful,” from the upcoming EP, his and Kaytranada’s second collaboration. Lastly, “$PayForHaiti” is Kaytranada and Mach-Hommy’s first track together.

As for what’s next, Kaytranada is set to headline Lightning In A Bottle’s 2022 festival. He joins a guest list that includes Glass Animals, Purity Ring, Little Simz, Empress Of, and more for a festival that stretches over five days.

HER’s ‘Back Of My Mind’ Tracklist Features Lil Baby, Bryson Tiller, Cordae, And More

HER has been a big deal since 2016, when she released her debut EP, HER Vol. 1. Over the years, the California-born artist has won a Grammy and an Oscar. Through it all, one of the only things HER hadn’t accomplished was release a full-length album, but that will change in just a few days.

Back Of My Mind, HER’s long-awaited long-player debut, will drop on June 18. After revealing its title and cover art earlier this month, the singer shared its tracklist with just three days until the album arrives. According to the Apple Music pre-save page, it’s comprised of 21 songs with contributions from Ty Dolla Sign, Hit-Boy, Cordae, Lil Baby, Kaytranada, Thundercat, Chris Brown, Yung Bleu, DJ Khaled, Bryson Tiller, and YG. Previously-released singles, “We Made It,” “Damage,” “Come Through,” “Hold On,” and “Slide.”

You can check out the full tracklist for the album below.

1. “We Made It”
2. “Back Of My Mind” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
3. “Trauma” Feat. Cordae & Hit-Boy
4. “Damage”
5. “Find A Way” Feat. Lil Baby
6. “Bloody Waters” Feat. Kaytranada & Thundercat
7. “Closer To Me
8. “Come Through” Feat. Chris Brown
9. “My Own”
10. “Lucky”
11. “Cheat Code”
12. “Mean It”
13. “Paradise” Feat. Yung Bleu
14. “Process”
15. “Hold On”
16. “Don’t”
17. “Exhausted”
18. “Hard To Love”
19. “For Anyone”
20. “I Can Have It” Feat. DJ Khaled & Bryson Tiller
21. “Slide” feat. YG

Back Of My Mind is out 6/18 via MBK Entertainment/RCA Records. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mick Jenkins And Kaytranada Reunite On The Laid-Back ‘Designer Frames’

It has been a few years since Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins released a full-length project. Although he released an EP, The Circus, in January of last year, the critical and cult favorite has laid low since 2018, when he shared Pieces Of A Man. However, one exception to that trend was his appearance on Kaytranada‘s late 2019 album Bubba, on which Mick contributed a verse on the song “Gray Area.” Now, two days after that album won a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, the two iconoclastic artists reunite on “Designer Frames.”

Given dance music’s roots in 1980s Chicago House music and Mick’s deep ties to his hometown’s musical history, his chemistry with Kaytranada should come as no surprise and requires little adjustment from either artist to fit into an easygoing groove. The mid-tempo beat Kaytranada provides takes cues from traditional African drum rhythms with a mellow synthesizer rounding things out. Meanwhile, Mick boasts of his “$1,000 Cazals” and coolly delivers a trademark, dense-packed vocal performance with some truly impressive wordplay.

On Twitter, Mick was coy about whether or not the new track would preface a full collection of music in the near future, although he did that he was shooting a video. He’s also getting into the crypto art game as well, sharing a new song as an NFT. Listen to “Designer Frames” below.

The Weeknd Isn’t Up For Any Grammys This Year, But He Just Got A Bunch Of Juno Award Nominations

The Weeknd was somehow not nominated for any Grammy Awards this year, a fact from which he says he’s moved on. So while The Weeknd won’t get any wins this weekend, the ceremony was preceded by some good news for the Canadian artist: The Juno Awards, Canada’s biggest music awards ceremony, revealed their list of 2021 nominees today. Unlike the Grammys, The Weeknd leads the pack with six nominations.

The Weeknd and his work are up for Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Songwriter Of The Year, and Contemporary R&B Recording Of The Year. Other artists to score big include Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, and JP Saxe, who each have five nominations.

The ceremony is set to take place on May 16. In the meantime, check out the nominees in the major categories below and find the full list of nominees here.

Juno Fan Choice
Ali Gatie
Curtis Waters
JP Saxe
Justin Bieber
Lennon Stella
Les Cowboys Fringants
Nav
Shawn Mendes
Tate McRae
The Weeknd

Single Of The Year
“Drink About Me” — Brett Kissel
“If The World Was Ending” Feat. Julia Michaels — JP Saxe
“Intentions” Feat. Quavo — Justin Bieber
“Kissing Other People” — Lennon Stella
“Blinding Lights” — The Weeknd

Album Of The Year
You — Ali Gatie
Courage — Céline Dion
Changes — Justin Bieber
Thanks For The Dance — Leonard Cohen
After Hours — The Weeknd

Artist Of The Year
Ali Gatie
Celine Dion
Jessie Reyez
Justin Bieber
The Weeknd

Group Of The Year
Arkells
Half Moon Run
Loud Luxury
The Glorious Sons
The Reklaws

Breakthrough Artist Of The Year
Curtis Waters
JP Saxe
Powfu
Ryland James
Tate McRae

Breakthrough Group Of The Year
2Freres
Crown Lands
Manila Grey
Peach Pit
Young Bombs

Songwriter Of The Year
Alanis Morissette — “Ablaze,” “Reasons I Drink,” “Smiling”
Alessia Cara — “Hell and High Water
Jessie Reyez — “Coffin,” “Before Love Came To Kill Us,”
“Far Away,” “No One’s In The Room”
JP Saxe — “A Little Bit Yours” “Golf On TV,” “If The World Was Ending”
The Weeknd — “After Hours,” “Blinding Lights,” “Save Your Tears”

French Language Album Of The Year
A tous les vents — 2Freres
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs — Klo Pelgag
Les antipodes — Les Cowboys Fringants
Quand la nuit tombe — Louis-Jean Cormier
Pour dejouer l’ennui — Pierre Lapointe

Rap Recording Of The Year
New Mania — 88GLAM
Baby Gravy — 2 Bbno$ & Yung Gravy Baby
Cold World — Eric Reprid
Good Intentions — Nav
Elements Vol. 1 — Tobi

Indigenous Artist Or Group Of The Year
Kîyânaw
The Ridge
North Star Calling
Nunarjua Isulinginniani

Contemporary R&B Recording Of The Year
“Before Love Came To Kill Us” — Jessie Reyez
“Where You Are” — Savannah Ré
“After Hours” — The Weeknd
“Holiday” — Tobi

Producer Of The Year
Akeel Henry
Jordon Manswell
Kaytranada
Murda Beatz
WondaGurl

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.