Sudan Archives is a singer, songwriter, producer, and violinist. She grew up in Cincinnati before moving to LA. Her music has been called “viscerally gorgeous” by The Guardian, and “stunning” by Pitchfork, who gave her in ‘Best New Music.’ This year, she’s releasing her second album, and one of the tracks on it is “Selfish Soul.” She told me the idea for this song started when she asked her boyfriend, James (who is the rapper Nocando) to shave her head. Cutting off her hair made her reflect on her whole hair story, from experiences she had as a kid, to the cultural and racial issues that have historically surrounded Black women’s hair.

You can buy or stream “Selfish Soul” here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Ween Ya Habaayeb by Aisha Al-Falatiya
Nocando
Lafemmebear
Ben Dickey, manager and co-producer
Dexter Story