'Don’t Judge Me' is FKA twigs’s first full song since her acclaimed 2019 album, Magdalene.
FKA twigs, London rapper Headie One, and producer Fred again.. have come together for brand new song 'Don’t Judge Me' - an expansion of the 'Judge Me (Interlude)' from the rapper and producer’s 2020 GANG mixtape.
UK drill rapper Headie One appears alongside twigs (real name Tahliah Barnett) in an artful video to boot, which also features well-known Black activists and cultural figures.
Along with another stunning dance performance by twigs (wearing all Black designers), the video sees poets Solomon O.B. and Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Reni Eddo-Lodge, models Kukua Williams, Munroe Bergdorf, and Danto Earth, performer Lisa Elde, entrepreneur Nicole Crentsil, fitness trainer Efua Baker, soccer player Mahlon Romeo, and radio host Clara Amfo appearing.
Twigs’s unique voice sounds as ethereal as ever on the track, while Headie One’s verse tackles racism in the UK
“We can walk free, but are we really walking free here?” he raps. “How can this be home when I feel I wanna flee here?”
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The group stands around the artist Kara Walker’s fountain Fons Americanus, a piece currently installed at London’s Tate Modern that focuses on the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
The stunning video is directed by Emmanuel Adjei, who also co-directed Beyoncé’s Black Is King.
Twigs recently said that she made a new album in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s unclear whether 'Don’t Judge Me' will be part of that project. 2019's Magdalene project was met with huge commercial and critical acclaim. Among her collaborators is Spanish producer El Guincho - who worked on Björk’s Biophilia and Rosalía’s breakthrough EL MAL QUERER. Twigs has appeared as a guest on enigmatic producer Slingbaum's debut LP.
The creative recently filed a lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Shia LeBeouf, alleging abuse and assault. This week, twigs further discussed the allegations on BBC Radio 4 podcast Grounded With Louis Theroux, also speaking out about the racism she experienced as a result of dating Twilight actor Robert Pattinson.
LeBeouf, in emails to The New York Times, wrote that “many of these allegations are not true” but has not commented on any specifics.
“I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt,” he wrote.
Listen to 'Don't Judge Me' below:
