Last night, perched atop steel washers and dryers at the massive Atlantis Super Wash Center on Atlantic Ave, Solange gave a special performance to a handful of fans as a part of this summer’s Vitamin Water and Fader ‘#Uncapped’ series.
Solo has always been an outspoken advocate of R&B and champion of the genre’s lesser known cuts and stars. So she seized the unlikely venue as the perfect place to roll out an impromptu cover of Nivea’s early single, “Laundromat.” Though originally a duet between Nivea and R. Kelly, Solange held her own, singing both the male and female parts.
Following her set, the indie R&B star spoke to Fadar about heading back to the studio to record the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed ‘TRUE’ EP, shooting a new video in her hometown of Houston, TX and more…
Check out footage from her show and excerpts from the interview below!
Why did you chose to cover Nivea’s“Laundromat”?
“Laundromat” might actually be, and my best friend can co-sign, one of my top 15 most-played songs. Since it came out. I’ve always wanted to cover it and as soon as I found out that this was going down in a laundromat, it just had to be done. I wish we would’ve had more time to rehearse it, because being R. Kelly and Nivea at the same damn time is just not possible. So I was trying my best.
You just recorded a new music video. Which song is it for and where was it shot?
It’s for “Lovers In The Parking Lot.” I shot it in Houston, which is incredibly exciting, at a place called King’s Flea Market, which is basically my hometown hang-out, where we’d go on the weekends. Flea market culture in Houston is like swap meet culture in LA. It’s where you’d get your white tees in bulk, your stereo system, your bang in your trunk, your grills. Although I was never interested in that, I did get my nameplate necklace and my ex-husband’s nameplate chain there.
You’re just getting back into the studio after True. What’s the recording process for this new album been like so far?
I’m [working on it] up in Long Island as of now. It’s just really really been a chill vibe. A lot of the songs were pre-written. I wrote them two months ago just on the piano. So we’re just developing the sonics around them, which is great. It’s really kind of premature to talk about who’s working on the record because I’m really just working with a bunch of people and trying to find that chemistry.
Can you share with us any names of the early collaborators?
Yes, I worked with Sampha this week, who’s so so talented and just one of the nicest, sweetest guys that I’ve met in this industry.
Read the full interview here.
(Photo by Roger Kisby, additional video footage via Silent of TrueExclusives.com)
