This Friday, September 17th, Adia Victoria returns with her third studio album, A Southern Gothic. Just ahead of its release, the singer-songwriter has shared another snippet of the album with the single “You Was Born to Die.” It’s her take on the Ernest B. McTell classic, and it features guests Margo Price, Jason Isbell, and Kyshona.
“You Was Born to Die” is a dark, rootsy slow-burner that erupts into a ferocious cacophony of screeching guitars and searing vocals. “Last year the lessons I have learned on my walk in the blues — the business of love, lies, loss and spectacular death — surrounded my every waking thought like armor,” Victoria wrote in a statement.
“In a society that attempts so suppress death into the unspoken, the blues has allowed me to death in dance’s face and sing her entire name. ‘You Was Born To Die’ is a celebration of the impermanence of any imprint we hope in vain to leave on this world. Like any blues worth the name, it is an invitation to stand apart and stare askew back on a world become ridiculous.”
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A Southern Gothic is heavily inspired by Victoria’s experience as a Black woman from the deep South: “With this project, I was so anchored in the past and the Black brilliance that came before me that it was kind of a road map,” the singer said. “You Was Born to Die” testifies to that brilliance. The song comes with a music video, and you can check it out below.
Aside from Isbell and Price, A Southern Gothic also boasts contributions from The National’s Matt Berninger. Pre-orders are ongoing.
