Singer/songwriter Alina Baraz first gained attention with her Urban Flora project in 2015, but it was 2017’s collaboration with Khalid on “Electric” that really broke through.
Today (April 6), the Ohio bred, Los Angeles based songstress surprises with the release of her buzz-worthy new project The Color of You. The 9-track “prelude” as she calls it, is a lush, blissful collection of personal stories with 2 features from Khalid and one with Jada.
Speaking to Complex about her writing process on the project she says, “[This] collection of songs was more true to the moment. It was like a subconscious stream of thoughts. When something happened I went to the studio in that moment and captured my exact mood for the day. I didn’t try to depict it I just sang what came out of my mind.”
Explaining her reasoning for the title she says, “I have always been infatuated by colors. I better understand myself in color. For example If I can’t understand my mood I’ll switch through a color light until it matches up with my thoughts.” Adding, “In this case, something came into my life and I couldn’t define what it was and what I felt. It felt like a color that didn’t exist. So it’s me trying to interpret and understand a color I’m seeing for the first time.”
To accompany the project, Alina has released a video for the hypnotic track “I Don’t Even Know Why Though.” The visual tracks viewers on a journey, and she says the song was conceived when her emotions over a relationship were at the highest. “The night before I wrote this, I was frustrated and kind of fed up with a relationship/situation in my life,” she explains. “I went into the session with this same energy spilling over and my exact mood came out with the song. Every time I listen to it now, it brings me back.”
Alina Baraz has much more to share on her reflective official debut album, whenever that drops. But, don’t wait until then to explore her introspective artistry. Stream ‘The Color of You‘ below.