new-albums

Azealia Banks says that her “voice has definitely matured a lot” and has plans to release two new albums. She discussed her upcoming music during a recent interview with Dazed. Speaking with the outlet, she revealed that she’s recorded 50 songs for Fantasea II, and another 25 for Business & Pleasure. She describes the new music simply as “rap,” but cites Spanish drill and some R&B.

“My voice has definitely matured a lot, and I feel really sexy when I sing now,” she says in the piece. “When you’re younger, especially when you come from theatre like I do, you’re kind of listening to yourself as you sing to make sure that you sound pretty. But I don’t care about sounding pretty. Because I’ve realized that I’m fucking gorgeous.”

Azealia Banks Performing In 2022

Elaborating on her new music, Banks explains that she’s never operated within one genre. “I do have some house songs, but a lot of my category is technically electronic music, and people really do gloss over how great of a traditional rapper I am,” she continues. “I’ve done everything. I’m singing opera on ‘JFK.’ I’m doing dembow on ‘Salchichón.’ I’m doing bossa nova with that cover of ‘Chega de Saudade.’ I put out a fucking Christmas record. I just like music.” Business & Pleasure will be a follow-up to Banks’ only studio album, Broke with Expensive Taste. She dropped that project back in November 2014. In the time since, she released an EP and a pair of mixtapes.

Elsewhere in the interview, she discusses her store, CheapyXO, her frustration with people considering her to be making a comeback, and more. At one point, she remarks, “People are always like, oh, it’s the Azealia Banks redemption arc. But who the fuck am I redeeming myself for? You should be trying to redeem yourselves for me.” She also stated at another time, “I never left. I’ve always been here.”

Revisit Banks’ Breakout Single, “212,” Below.

[Via]