Sudan Archives Releases โSelfish Soul,โ A New Single
Sudan Archives, a Stones Throw resident, has made waves in the music world with her distinctive, original violin playing, which complements her addictive blend of R&B, pop, and hip-hop. She follows up her March release of โHome Maker,โ a lovely rumination on domesticity as a form of self-care, with โSelfish Soul.โ The song and video honor Black hair in all of its glory, paying tribute to the time, effort, and creativity that goes into each strand.
The cheerful, triumphant nature of protest yells and revolutionary folk music is evoked by the rumbling drums and Sudanโs merry violin. โAbout time I be my selfish soul,โ she sings, defying the harsh expectations that are placed on Black hair. Trey Lyons directed the accompanying video, which is a beautiful celebration of Blackness. All hair varieties are celebrated in the magnificent graphic, from braids to waves. Sudan also throws in a few surprises, such as playing the violin upside down on a pole.
Sudan describes the songโs inspiration as follows:
I feel like thereโs an American standard of what beautiful hair is, and I wanted to show in this video thatโs not what all beauty is; to showcase different hairstyles and different types of women and their hair. I was inspired by India Arieโs โI Am Not My Hair,โ one of the first songs I heard about this subject. She talks about extensions and weaves and natural hair and nappy hair, and that sheโs not her hair; she wonโt conform to the comparisons that would come up if you had a weave or sew-in or natural hair or Afro โ that doesnโt represent her.
Watch the video for โSelfish Soulโ below.
