FKA Twigs Talks Falling ‘Back In Love With Music’ After 3-Year Hiatus
FKA twigs is back! The British singer released a new project titled Caprisongs following her 2019 album Magdalene and she took to Twitter to open up about the album’s inspiration while also explaining how it reignited her passion for music. In a series of tweets, the “Two Weeks” singer wrote about how she spent her time during the pandemic.
“i listened to podcasts and spoke to my friends loads on facetime, isolating alone i would pop my girlfriends on loud speaker and potter around my house listening to them natter on about this and that. as our lives got smaller and there was less to talk about,” she tweeted.
i listened to podcasts and spoke to my friends loads on facetime, isolating alone i would pop my girlfriends on loud speaker and potter around my house listening to them natter on about this and that. as our lives got smaller and there was less to talk about pic.twitter.com/Xp4LZDkrLZ
— FKA twigs (@FKAtwigs) January 14, 2022
“i found the search for connection and even the most simple conversations incredibly comforting. when i went out i would find myself listening in on other people talking and imagining what it would be like to hang out with those nattering strangers. i loved catching sound bytes.”
She added, “of the world around me and filling in the blanks, my imagination was set alight. i started recording my friends talking and weaved it through the mixtape like a narrative of my healing. having such wonderful people around me to laugh with. made me feel lucky.”
The 34-year-old artist continued to open up, sharing how she was able to “push myself to channel my pain and anxiety into work that felt more inclusive and dare i say joyful” and her journey in the process.
She concluded her series of tweets, “those of you who have listened to magdalene know haha. i have fallen back in love with music, danger, trying new things, sex, love, raves. caprisongs is my journey back to myself through my amazing collaborators and friends.”
The singer has been through a lot over the past few years. In 2020, she filed a lawsuit against her ex Shia LaBeouf accusing him of physical and sexual assault, which she said led to emotional distress in their yearlong relationship.
“There wasn’t one set moment,” she said in an interview with Gayle King. “It’s very subtle. That’s the thing about domestic abuse, domestic violence. It’s a really gradual step-by-step process to get somebody to a place where they lose themselves so much they accept or feel like they deserve to be treated in that way. It’s not one thing. It’s loads of tiny little things that get sewn together into a nightmare.”
She also got candid about her experience dating Robert Pattinson where she received racist abuse from his fans. The couple began dating in 2014 and lasted three years and prior to that, the actor was dating his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart. When fans found out about twigs and Robert, she was called vile and racist names such as “monkey” on social media.
She shared her experience in a January 2021 interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
“It was really, really deeply horrific,” she recalled. “It was at a time where I felt like I couldn’t really talk about it. If I was going through that now, I feel like I’d be able to talk about it and do some good with it. But I don’t know whether it was because of my age or whether it was because of the social climate or whether it was because being Black and from Cheltenham and from a low-income family and having to genuinely work twice as hard as everything I do to get a seat at the table–because that is true.”
“People talk about Black excellence, but that is because we have to be excellent to be considered average,” she added. “I’d worked so, so, so, so, so hard, just to get a little seat at the table. And then I got there and people just called me the most hurtful and ignorant and horrible names under the planet.”
It’s good to see our sis find happiness in her music and life again.
Featured image by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy