Things are afoot in the FKA twigs camp. In October, the R&B star revealed that her third album had been completed during quarantine. Now, she’s back with a new song called “Don’t Judge Me”.
Today’s offering is her first since dropping the masterful album MAGDALENE in 2019. In addition to a stunning performance from FKA twigs, the track features UK rapper Headie One and producer Fred again…, who’s worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Brian Eno. “Don’t Judge Me” appears to be something of a companion release or sequel to “Don’t Judge Me (Interlude)”, an early 2020 collaboration that also featured all three artists.
Unlike the intentional vagueness of that song, the themes on this version are a lot more direct. During her verse and the hook, twigs begs her lover to hold her and appreciate the “precious love” she sends their way with a devastating urgency. Headie One takes a different approach in his verse and goes off about racial injustice and police brutality.
“Know more about my people from the streets than from my teachers/ I done a million speeches/ No justice, no peace, ’cause we in pieces/ Officer, am I allowed to breathe here?,” he raps with a conversational directness. It’s a really powerful pairing from two different yet complementary artists with voices that demand the listener’s full attention.
Check it out below via a dazzling video co-directed by FKA twigs and Emmanuel Adjei, who was heavily involved in Beyonce’s Black Is King visual album. Like all of FKA twigs’ clips, this one is truly something to behold.
Editors’ Picks
It’s unclear whether “Don’t Judge Me” is just a standalone loosie or a song from her quarantine album sessions. When FKA twigs initially broke the news about the new LP, she said that it was mostly written with Latin pop producer El Guincho. And since he’s not present on “Don’t Judge Me”, then perhaps the two projects aren’t related.
Along with that third album on the horizon, FKA twigs is set to launch her very own Sonos Radio station titled “main squeeze” on February 10th. Outside of music, FKA twigs recently sued ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress.
