R&B/Soul
Erykah Badu praises 'kindred spirit' The Alchemist as they drop new single from joint album
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have teamed up on an as yet untitled album, and dropped Witch Doctor, the latest single from the LP, on Thursday (13.08.26).
Erykah Badu says she and The Alchemist “speak the same language”.
The pair have teamed up on an as yet untitled album, and dropped Witch Doctor, the latest single from the LP, on Thursday (13.08.26).
They also set a release date for the record, which they co-produced and recorded over an 18-month period in both Dallas and Los Angeles - August 28.
Ahead of the release, Erykah and The Alchemist spoke to Zane Lowe about their experience of working together.
With Erykah telling the DJ: “Me and Al speak the same language - we are kindred in so many ways.
“The way he samples makes me want to make music with him that he would want to sample. He’s just got great, great, great, great taste, and that’s not saying something small.”
Zane shared a video clip from his interview with both Erykah and The Alchemist on his Instagram page, captioning it: “A legendary link up between @erykahbadu and @alanthechemist… doesn’t get better than this.”
Meanwhile, speaking about his collaboration with Erykah, and his work with other musicians, The Alchemist - aka Alan Maman - previously told Billboard that the music he makes with friends is always his best work.
He said: “In this business, you might meet people through the music and then just end up doing music, some even good music, some average, and then some people you develop friendships and relationships with beyond just making music.
“There’s something to be said about that. You probably make better music with your friends. You could still make great music with a stranger.
“But I think your chances, if you’re making something with people you’re friends with, you could really make something.”
The LP is described as “the inevitable collision of two iconoclasts: hypnotic, funny, blunt, deeply personal, and impossible to categorise neatly” in a press release.
The first offering from the new collaboration was the single Next to You, and the launch comes ahead of Erykah and Alchemist kicking off their North America tour together.
