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"When you show Mississippi, show it in color…I hope people put on this record and feel the humidity, the mosquito bites, the smoke off the grill, and immediately want to do a line dance. It's juke joint funk, with a hook as sticky as the Mississippi air after a summer rain."
-KIRBY
Today, with the release of her new single, "Thick n Country," KIRBY invites you to join the cookout. Featuring a scorching verse from rapper and fellow Mississippi native Akeem Ali, a blazing and boisterous horn section, and the filthy, fiery rhythms of funk, the track further raises the heat of KIRBY's Southern soul. As the second preview of her forthcoming album, arriving later this summer, "Thick n Country" continues an unapologetic mission to reclaim her roots and bring Mississippi music and culture to the masses. While previous single "The Man" honored the unsung heroes, workers and dreamers who built this country on their back, "Thick n Country" redefines the meaning of a Southern Belle, and celebrates what makes Mississippi women some of the most beautiful people KIRBY has ever seen – accent, body and all.
Listen to "Thick n Country" (feat. Akeem Ali), and see KIRBY and Akeem Ali in the accompanying visuals here: WATCH
"My friend Justin Hardiman once told me that historians come to Mississippi and photograph it in black in white, as if they want us to be stuck in this time capsule or era – so when you show Mississippi, show it in color. 'Thick n Country' is me showing and singing about Mississippi in color.
I hope people put on this record and feel the humidity, the mosquito bites, the smoke off the grill, and immediately want to do a line dance. It's juke joint funk, with a hook as sticky as the Mississippi air after a summer rain. 'Thick n Country' is simple and vibrant, but beautiful – and because of that it sounds just like home."
-KIRBY
Hailed as "the epitome of Southern Soul" (VIBE) and a "stroke of genius" (Okayplayer), with "a voice molded by the gospel church and a near preternatural handling of the deep-down intensity of the blues" (KCRW), songs like "The Man," and now "Thick n Country," show why the Memphis-born, Mississippi-bred KIRBY is one of the most in-demand vocalists, writers and collaborators of the century. Her ability to translate candid stories into unforgettable melodies and universal truths has been heard in her work on Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney's "FourFiveSeconds," Beyoncé's "Die With You" and Ariana Grande's "Break Your Heart Right Back"; in voicing the pop star Ni'jah in Donald Glover and Janine Nabers' Amazon Prime Video series Swarm; in touring with John Legend, Leon Bridges and Pink Sweat$; in landing tracks in HBO's Insecure and FX's The Bear; and in cultivating viral fandom, millions of followers and hundreds of millions of streams with heartrending songs like "Black Leaves." Her emotional and melodic range has permeated the mainstream, and reminded listeners that Black women can sing any genre. But with this next album, she turns the page on a profound and personal next chapter, daring you to hear the foot-stomping, humming and yearning, and transform those sounds to purpose and power.
Choosing hymns over hits, stories over samples, and truth over trends, this new project marks the most inspired work of her career, bringing her artistry, upbringing, vision and empathy to the fore. It is blues and soul music for the future, steeped in heritage, history and tradition, and made for those who came before her: the ancestors who danced, cried and sang on the land of the Dockery Plantation where she descends from, and where many credit as the birthplace of the Delta blues. "The music is unapologetically Southern, unapologetically Mississippi," she says. "When I go to the Dockery Plantation, how can I not feel a responsibility to tell their story? I believe that by shedding light on the heaviness in the soil—and in the beauty—something new can grow. You visit places where ancestors toiled, died, and bled, and somehow the grass is still green. There's sadness, yes. But also resilience. I want to reclaim what has been linked to oppression. I want to say: Today, this empowers me."
As her first full-length project since 2021's Sis. He Wasn't The One, KIRBY's forthcoming album was produced by Thomas Brenneck (Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones) and Homer Steinweiss (Amy Winehouse, Lee Fields). In addition to Akeem Ali, it features a wrecking crew of like-minded musicians such as Big K.R.I.T., Victor Axelrod, Nick Movshon, Paul Spring, Leon Michels, Dave Guy, Dan Edinberg, Robin Hannibal and more.
In recent weeks, KIRBY has appeared at the Recording Academy's first-ever GRAMMY House NYC, as well as Memphis' Stax Music Academy, and will have more album news to share soon.
Photos by Chauncey Magnum
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KIRBY & Akeem Ali
Photos by Chauncey Magnum
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