One Year Later (feat. KeiyaA)

Explicit content warning

03/05/21 • 31 min

For the first month of the pandemic, Hanif couldn’t listen to music. Then KeiyaA dropped her album Forever Ya Girl! and the idea that new music could be made, in this moment, shook him. This week on Object of Sound, we're thinking back on the exhausting, scary, revelatory year we’ve just lived through, and how the pandemic has changed the need for music in our lives. We talk to KeiyaA about crystals, writing scene-rich lyrics and the music that carried her through these last 12 months. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-keiyaa

/ Show Notes /

KeiyaA’s most recent album is Forever Ya Girl. Her zine is titled, On Returning My Quikest Language Back To My Mouth.

Hanif’s book A Little Devil In America: Notes in Praise Of Black Performance, is set to release March 30th.

KeiyaA mentions Slauson Malone’s catalog for his exhibition ‘A star like any other’— at Midway Contemporary Art.

KeiyaA’s selects for music made in the last 12 months include “Use It” by Demae, “White Double Consciousness” by Nelson Bandela, and “Clock In-Out” by Cleo Reed.

KeiyaA mentions shows thrown by her friends AmaniFela and Maassai.

Hanif gives a shout out to Brown Recluse Zine Distro.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

I Want My Things, KeiyaA

I Refuse To Die, Sydney Sprague

Queendom, Girlhood

Other Side, Shamir

I Finally Understand, Charli XCX

Body, Megan Thee Stallion

White Double Consciousness, Nelson Bandela

Weird Fishes, Lianne La Havas

/ Credits /

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

/ Show Notes /

KeiyaA’s most recent album is Forever Ya Girl. Her zine is titled, On Returning My Quikest Language Back To My Mouth.

Hanif’s book A Little Devil In America: Notes in Praise Of Black Performance, is set to release March 30th.

KeiyaA mentions Slauson Malone’s catalog for his exhibition ‘A star like any other’— at Midway Contemporary Art.

KeiyaA’s selects for music made in the last 12 months include “Use It” by Demae, “White Double Consciousness” by Nelson Bandela, and “Clock In-Out” by Cleo Reed.

KeiyaA mentions shows thrown by her friends AmaniFela and Maassai.

Hanif gives a shout out to Brown Recluse Zine Distro.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

I Want My Things, KeiyaA

I Refuse To Die, Sydney Sprague

Queendom, Girlhood

Other Side, Shamir

I Finally Understand, Charli XCX

Body, Megan Thee Stallion

White Double Consciousness, Nelson Bandela

Weird Fishes, Lianne La Havas

/ Credits /

Previous Episode

Going Solo (feat. Matt Berninger)

Matt Berninger started out as the frontman of The National, but recently he’s taken off on his own artistic path. With the re-issue of the National’s early albums out today, we speak with Matt about revisiting past selves, his collaboration with Booker T. Jones, and take a broader look at artists who have reinvented their sound after going solo. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-solo

/ Show Notes /

Matt Berninger says Willie Nelson’s Stardust was a large inspiration for his most recent album, Serpentine Prison.

Matt cites “Sunny” by Booker T and the MG’s as an example of a record where you can “hear musicians look at each other.”

Matt calls Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” as, what he calls, “direct, on your knees, love songs”.

Matt says “Collar Of Your Shirt,” is the song on his album where he feels he really hit the mark.

Matt says “Even Here We Are” by Paul Westerberg and “When She Walks In The Room” by Bryan Ferry as his favorite song by front people who went solo.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

Collar of Your Shirt, Matt Berninger

Adam Lives in Theory, Ms. Lauryn Hill

Even Here We Are, Paul Westerberg

Mall Music, Nice As Fuck

Love, Selfish Love, Patrick Stump

Lazaretto, Jack White

Comes the Night, Karen O

Jòga, Björk

/ Credits /

Next Episode

Unpacking The GRAMMYs (feat. Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael)

This week on the show, we're taking a critical look at The GRAMMYs. We bring on NPR’s Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael to talk through the systemic inequities of an event that each year decides which musician can be called the “best.” Why do we still care about awards that trail seemingly years behind the culture? Plus, Hanif, Sidney and Rodney share which artists they think should be recognized, whether or not they take home an award this weekend. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-grammys

/ Show Notes /

Sidney and Rodney are the co-hosts of NPR’s Louder Than A Riot.

Sidney says Beyoncé’s 2017 Grammy performance, good kid m.A.A.d. city, Lemonade and My Dark Twisted Fantasy have changed the trajectory of music.

Rodney cites Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 GRAMMYs performance, a 2008 Sly Stone Tribute and Little Richard’s speech at the 1988 GRAMMYs as iconic moments in awards show history.

Sidney is excited for Kaytranda and Jhené Aiko. Rodney is pulling for Lil Baby and The Box by Roddie Rich.

/ Music in This Week's Playlist /

Shoegaze, Alabama Shakes

Sky Full Of Song, Florence + The Machine

Leave the Door Open, Silk Sonic (Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars)

Blue Lights, Jorja Smith

River, Margo Price

Shady Grove, Yola