‘Angel voiced, odd star’ lives up to hype

FKA Twigs performs at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. Picture: Getty
Source: Getty Images

Hype can be a cruel mistress. I’m telling you now though, trusting reader, twisted R&B artist FKA Twigs will be huge by the time she arrives in Australia and everything you’ve been reading about her is justified.

Living up to the hype … Singer FKA Twigs. Picture: Supplied.
Source: Supplied

It’s just that 26-years-young Tahliah Barnett — she got the name Twigs after her bones cracked loudly/constantly and added the FKA (Formerly Known As) when someone tried to sue her — only wants to talk about one thing.

“I just wanna talk about the music,” says FKA Twigs.
Source: Supplied

“People are like ‘Angel voiced, odd star Twigs’. I’m like ‘What the f—, man?’ I just wanna talk about the music.”

So far she’s put out two EPs, EP1 and EP2 and rad clips for Two Weeks and Water Me.

Just as the album LP1 drops, another clip will drop too. “We just finished shooting the Pendulum clip. It’s got me tied up by my own hair, Shibari style, Japanese bondage! I’m directing it myself. It’s about the art of Shibari. Usually your tied up with rope but I’m gonna be tied up with my own braids, you know how I always have braids?” she says, then unties a few theoretical knots.”

“That’s a representation of the song. You get tied up by yourself sometimes. In those situations you think that someone else is making you feel a certain way but no, it’s you that’s making you feel that way because they’re not being a nice person to you. You just have to walk away and be a stronger person. That’s what sets you free. If I said to you, ‘You’re a horrible journalist, I’ve read your work and it’s worthless’…which I haven’t by the way [cheeky laugh] It would be up to you how you’d react. You could either fink ‘Oh my God, I’m so bad, I need to think about what I’ve done with my life, my work is rubbish’ or you could be like ‘That’s not true, why would you say that? I disagree’ [calm tone]. You know wot-I-mean? That’s what Pendulum’s about.”

So true. As Dita Von Teese once said “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” George Costanza had a bit of an issue with it too.

George Costanza makes an unlikely appearance in an FKA Twigs story.
Source: Supplied

Tell us about more about Pendulum then, swinger.

“It’s a very personal song. It’s the most poignant on the album. It was the moment when I knew I would have to produce my own record,” she says in her clipped, wary accent.

“The song is about a friendship disintegrating out of nowhere. This friend said ‘You’re not present enough as a person.’ I tried learning about the economy in Japan and recited it back to this person.

“Pendulum is saying it’s so lonely trying to be yours … then I realised I’m an interesting person and I’d listened to their f—ing problems,” she says.

The singer denies writing about sex all the time … “obviously you’re not listening to the lyrics”. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied

Good art should be unsettling. LP1 is laced with violence and yearning.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Well you just write about sex all the time’ and I’m like, ‘Well obviously you’re not listening to the lyrics, I can’t really help you with that’.”

I ask people ‘How many times have you listened to the record and they’re like ‘Two or three’ and I’m like ‘Cool, go back and listen to the record some more,” she chides. “I’d rather someone hated it than if they thought it’s so-so. I’d rather someone say ‘It’s not for me, it’s horrible’.”

The majority of comedians share the same viewpoint. They’d rather get one star than three stars. A comedian will never put a three star rating on their promo poster. “Yeah that sounds like me. And on that, I don’t get how many stars there are in the star ratings. Are there 10 stars? Are there five stars? Is it six stars? Know-wot-I-mean.”

Interestingly, Time Out in London did something out of character and started giving out six stars to things that they decided were Exceptional. It was a crock. They made themselves the arbiters of how many stars one was allowed to give one’s “art.” What a load of Peter Tosh. Pitchfork’s oft-derided rating out of 10 is actually the best of all, it differentiates between a three star and a four star record in a more precise way.

Twigs is confused. “Do Pitchfork do 10 star reviews? No? Oh right.”

The second half of the record gets a little freaky.

“There’s no samples across the whole record. Pendulum, Video Girl, Numbers and Closer. Production-wise, towards the end of the record it’s much more me and less co-production. Things like Closer and Numbers and Kicks, I was a bit more confident and my vision was really strong. Preface and Closer are directions I want to explore, the hymn-like quality, soaring sounds and annoying drums and industrial sounds,” she laughs.

“Because I’ve been so beat-orientated I want to go and study songs, really think about songs. I’ve written every single melody and lyric across the whole record. I want to think about progression.”

As time progresses (it’s the 27.13 minute mark) it’s time to go for it. The Laneway Festival is on early next year and it’d be a great fit for you, are you going to come here and play us the record?

“Actually, like, I have my diary in front of me and there’s a big block for a month in January and February and it says ‘Australia: TBC’ so hopefully…” she peals into laughter. Sounds like Laneway Festival, Twigs. “Yeah that sounds familiar.”

EPILOGUE:

I tweeted it and then ker-POWEEEE, look what happened. Much like Ron Burgundy, it’s clear FKA Twigs is kind of a big deal.

SCOOP: @FKAtwigs will play @lanewayfest 2015. And the clip 4 Pendulum will feature her tied up by own hair, bondage style. #lanewayfestival

— Mikey Cahill (@JoeyLightbulb) July 25, 2014

The interwebz went cray for FKA Twigs’ possible Laneway appearance.
Source: Supplied

“Autralia TBC” … the star has hinted at an appearance at The Laneway Festival. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied

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