“I don’t want you to think that I see through you
When all I see is the reflection of who you are not
I never asked you to contemplate all the things
Whispered in secret while sitting with you in the park” – Breathe

When I heard about FKA Twigs, she was doing a show in Toronto, but I knew nothing about her so I didn’t bother to check it out. I always meant to give her music some spins, but never got around to it. Even my mother asked me if I knew about her, so she must have already had some form of popularity surrounding her. Then when I was doing some digging around and I came across the video for Papi Pacify, that’s when it hit me. One of the “oh, this is who sings this?” moments, and from there I wouldn’t be making the same mistake.

She hails from England and she is mixed with Jamaican – maybe that’s one reason why I fell in like with her so quickly; instantly the gelled down baby hairs and stylish braids that she consistently wears, brought me back to elementary & high school days when those were still the in things. It’d be crazy to see that style brought back (no thanks to Katy Perry, it just might be) but I liked her from the get go. I also appreciate her artistry because for each one of her EPs, there’s a video to go with it, and every single one of them has a different creative approach, theme, and message behind them that you don’t see very often. Rather minimalistic for some, not having grand productions, the emphasis is in the editing and visually how they’re put together.

To describe her music, when you look at the UK and their very wide range of sound because they like to blend other genres and fuse them into 1 (which is essentially what Grime is), they’re very experimental, yet alternative and that’s what makes it either: a) interesting or b) annoying through the eyes and ears of North Americans. R&B, as has been stated many times, is seemingly on a stranglehold mainstream wise. I don’t suggest that FKA Twigs would get a lot of airplay here, but since she does have a base outside of Europe, it’ll help her ascension to fame. She isn’t the traditional norm, but many artists like SZA, Tinashe, Jhene Aiko, and others are channeling that electronic and outside-the-box sound that has slowly become the norm and that’s where FKA Twigs can be easily thrown into the likes of them, which she’ll flourish. The subject content is sexual, it’s dark, and her voice is suitable for having an alluring feel to it, much like how I felt about Tinashe during her come up (especially if you listen to Reverie). Sometimes her music can be served as just background filler, but you can definitely just chill and zone out to it.

Looking across the pond, they’ve been churning out talent for many years, and with the newer generation of artists popping up out of nowhere, this is really the time to take notice of what’s going on around there because I find that people my age and younger are listening to a more unique and broader range of music compared to when I was in school. It’s a different time, and the response that she’s been getting certainly has her poised to have a break out in a larger way than just strictly for the underground. She has 2 EPs & an album out, so definitely give those some spins. And if you didn’t know already, the FKA is ‘Formerly Known As’. Enjoy.

That’s My Word & It STiXX