Today, Britti – the new Easy Eye Sound voice channeling her singular and effervescent spirit through the rich musical traditions of her New Orleans community – releases the latest preview of Hello, I’m Britti (out February 2), her forthcoming debut album produced and co-written by Dan Auerbach.
Pairing bright trills a la childhood favourite, Dolly Parton, and shimmering lead guitar, today’s track, Keep Running, is a moment of clarity and a recognition that one can’t keep running from their problems forever. The accompanying video is simply magnetic: Britti, surrounded by a collection of dancers, breaks through bodies and limbs, setting herself free and moving endlessly forward. Listen to Keep Running and watch the video here.
“Britti’s song, Keep Running, resonates so much with me. Her lyrics awoke the feeling of loving what you do so much, that you can’t stop running — eventually the pains go away, you learn to keep going, and you become unstoppable,” shares director, Vanessa Pla (French Cassettes, Taylor Swift). “The lines ‘If you take my picture, and you go back later, well there won’t be nothing’ gave me early Bob Dylan vibes — a soul dancing miles ahead in endless creation, and the moment we think we’ve figured them out, they’re on to something bigger and greater.
Britti is an evolving muse, which is so cool to watch and experience. That woman has a heart of gold. I’m so thrilled to have collaborated with Britti, Easy Eye Sound and my incredible team.”
After years spent working in a music store – selling instruments to people pursuing their dreams, while deferring her own – Keep Running is a nod to the day Britti finally decided to change her stride. In the wake of both a life altering breakup and a pandemic furlough, Britti realized she had been standing in her own way and vowed to change her course. “What if I actually try believing in myself?” she remembers thinking. “I had this whole dialogue with my ancestors, my spirit guide, and the divine like ‘What if I try?’” Soon after, Britti began posting covers online — and was subsequently discovered by Auerbach himself, who was instantly captivated by her unique voice.
All the songs on Hello, I’m Britti. (available for pre-order now) are co-written by Britti and Auerbach, with a truly top-shelf collection of musicians backing her: Nick Movshon (Amy Winehouse, Wu Tang Clan), Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Sharon Van Etten), Tom Bukovac (Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks), and Mike Rojas (Yola, Miranda Lambert), among others.
Check out the lead single, Nothing Compares To You, the stunning Sade-meets-second-line groover that KCRW deemed “hypnotic, sultry, spare, and perfectly punctuated by the horn section” in their best songs of the week column, and her recent release, So Tired, a heavy lidded bit of 90’s R&B that offers a fresh start in the face of heartbreak.
