Singer/Songwriter Bilal photographed by Kendrick Daye, Styled by Dane Young, Clothing by Shaka King
THE BEST ARTISTS HAVE SEEN A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED PROJECT SHELVED BY THE POWERS THAT BE. BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM BILAL ISN’T LETTING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY STOP HIM FROM SHINING.
All the best artists live to see a highly anticipated project shelved by the powers that be. It happened to Fiona Apple, and countless other artists. Singer/Songwriter Bilal is back with a new album Airtight’s Revenge, and he isn’t letting the music industry stop him from shining. I’m guessing then revenge is a dish best sung to the tune of Jazz, Electronic and neo-soul crooning only Bilal can bring.
When I speak with Bilal he is in good spirits. Even on the phone he can’t mask his childlike excitement. And he has a lot to be excited about. It’s just weeks before his third album Airtight’s Revenge is released independently by Plug Research.
“It has elements of everything,“ Bilal says of the album. “It’s so loose in some parts, almost like Jazz, it’s so much fun to play live.“
11 tracks of nostalgic bliss, Bilal’s latest effort is his magnum opus. The classic fans knew his previous album Love For Sale was. The album which fans have praised after it leaked online in 2006. It was previously was shelved by his then record label Interscope Records. They cited the album as inaccessible. This stung, and Bilal could have become bitter. But he didn’t. He is looking forward and only mentions it passing. It’s clear he’s over it.
Singer/Songwriter Bilal photographed by Kendrick Daye, Styled by Dane Young, Clothing by Shaka King
“I’m supposed to hate this shit,” Bilal says. “I’m supposed to hate this entire industry, but I don’t.”
Bilal was hardly absent in between the second album and now. He appeared on tracks with Jay-Z, Beyonce, The Clipse, Solange and more. This helped him maintain a heavy underground following that has, aided in his decision to go in- die as opposed to mainstream. This decision is smart in today’s market. Artists can make more money off their art indepen- dently then under Major Labels. I ask Bilal, if he could do it all over would he start as an independent artist? “Of course,“ he replies.
Bilal’s high profile collaborations kept his name bubbling enough to generate interest in a new album. In most cases these artists contacted Bilal directly off the strength of his voice.
“I’d be sitting home and just get a call and I’d do it,“ Bilal says of collaborating.
This is how you build stars, not by shelving their project. The music industry’s treatment of Bilal is typical. This is the same industry that have tried to pin comparisons to the singer since his debut. Whether being pit against Prince or D’Angelo
or Maxwell, Bilal could never be recognized on his own merit. Bilal says they are inspirations, but he has his own style.
“Of course I do listen to Prince and D’Angelo,“ Bilal says. “I was doing a lot of things for musical effect, people want to hear something without trying to put it in a box…It doesn’t matter if you switch it up a bit, In a time where everyone sounds like everyone else I like to be different. That made me get deeper with my shit.”
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