Cincinnati-born, Los Angeles-based artist Sudan Archives dazzles on her debut album Athena, released earlier this month on Stones Throw Records. The release combines Sudanese and West African influences with her talents on violin, an instrument she taught herself how to play by ear back in the fourth grade.
In the video for today's Song of the Day, Sudan ends the clip with a snippet of another Athena track, "Black Vivaldi Sonata." She explained in a press release:
“'Confessions,' a female flip on classic rap music videos – resilient women surviving in a world that seems to be falling apart & ends with its alter ego 'Black Vivaldi,' an ode to duality. It’s about being the seduced and the seductress, it’s about God & the Devil, Yin & Yang, & about the possibility that we might have it all wrong about the two.”
Director Nathan R. Smith continues:
“We wanted to showcase female excellence in a unique and dynamic way. The world these women live in is aesthetically bleak but they bring beauty to it through their positive vibe and energy. I like to think of the women in the video as the angels that Sudan references in the pre-chorus. As the world around them is not very pretty and begins to fall apart towards the end, they maintain their confidence and are completely unfazed.”
Sudan Archives plays Barboza in Seattle on Friday, February 21st.
