Mykki Blanco drops their brand new single “French Lessons” featuring Kelsey Lu, a dreamy, alt-pop, 80’s infused musing on the excitement and mixed sensual pleasures that go along with the possibility of love and romance. Merging a pop sound with the inspiration of visionary and off-the-beaten-path artist Loud Reed, ”French Lessons” is a fun, free exclamation of experimentation and a taste of Mykki Blanco’s upcoming album, Stay Close To Music, out Oct. 14 via Transgressive Records.
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“The song is a reflection on the possibility of true love, on the notion that one truly can experience what we see in the Hollywood films,” Mykki Blanco reveals. “The song is also this ode in a way to Lou Reed. I’m not what I would consider a singer at all, I’m a talk-singer so I look to people in history who have that same style: Tom Petty, Jonathan Richmond of the Modern Lovers, Lou Reed – these are all AMAZING ‘talk singers’ and I feel comfortable in that style vocally.”
Featuring prominently Lu’s vocals on the track, her slick and etherial voice contrasts Myyki Blanco’s courser, spoken word cadence where they deliver lines in a playful, yet punctual tone. Synth and instrumentals reverberate and echo within the song, creating an enveloping vibe, warm and familiar as we travel deeper down the tunnel of love. The music video that accompanies ”French Lessons” is a cinematic capture of harrowing imagery and acts of heroism and compassion set in ancient times.
Stay Close To Music was written in the same batch of tunes that would turn into their debut album, Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep. Realizing they had two albums on their hand, they saved tracks from those jam sessions for this new offering. Featuring artists such as Saul Williams, ANOHNI, Diana Gordon, Devendra Banhart, MNEK, Jónsi and more, Myyki Blanco expands heavily on their previous work, reaching new heights and forging something truly representative of the artist themself.
Both musician and poet, Myyki Blanco blurs the lines between the two closely related artforms, resulting in a unique sound with an ever changing anatomy. Composing without a genre in mind, and always open to inspiration and interpretation, their finesse and style helps pave the way for other queer artists.
Along with new music, Myyki Blanco is about to embark on US and international tour dates. See a full list of dates below.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For more on Mykki Blanco, make sure to visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
MYYKI BLANCO TOUR DATES:
Jul 19 – Boomtown – Ghent, BE
Aug 13 – Fuchsbau Festival – Hannover, DE
Aug 19 – The Roofs Festival @ Olympiapark – Munich, DE
Aug 20 – Opera Festival, Milo, Sicily, IT
Aug 26 – Capital Pride Festival – Ontario, CA
Sept 17 – The Big Climate Thing Festival at Forest Hills – New York, NY
Oct 25 – Petit Bain – Paris, FR
Oct 26 – Atelier 210 – Brussels, BE
Oct 27 – Bitterzoet – Amsterdam, NL
Oct 29 – Kampnage – Hamburg, DEl
Nov 1 – Loppen – Copenhagen, DK
Nov 2 – Gretchen – Berlin, DE
Nov 6 – Meet Factory – Prague
Nov 7 – Heidelberg Karlstobahnhof
Nov 8 – Rote Fabrik – Zurich
Nov 9 – Queersicht Festival at Bee-Flat – Bern
Nov 12 – Mousonturm – Frankfurt
Nov 14 – CBE – Cologne, DE
Nov 21 – La Nau – Barcelona, ES
Nov 22 – La Casa Encendida – Madrid, ES
Nov 23 – Music Box – Lisbon, PT
Nov 29 – Heaven – London, UK
Dec 02 – Trinity – Bristol, UK
Dec 03 – Mother @ Lost Lane – Dublin, Ireland
Dec 04 – G2 – Glasgow, Scotland
Dec 05 – The Cluny – Newcastle, UK
Dec 06 – YES – Manchester, UK
