Mykki Blanco Releases 'Steps' (Ft. MNEK & Saul Williams)

On October 14, Mykki Blanco will release their new album, Stay Close To Music, via Transgressive. Adventurous and expansive, it shatters any previously held assumptions about Mykki's artistry, leaving them free to define their sound for themselves. Foregoing samples, Mykki wanted to create their own sonic universe from scratch and to do so, they collaborated with producer and multi-instrumentalist FaltyDL.

The end result is an innovative, complex sound that belongs entirely to Mykki. Today they share a new taste of the LP via "Steps" (ft MNEK & Saul Williams). The track exemplifies this metamorphosis and the organic textures on the record via the swell of an orchestra and the calming presence of watery pianos. Mykki shares:

I think a song like "Steps" is a testament to what can happen when three very unique artists are given time to create a meditation together - to respond to one another when the moment is right - almost like the lines of a haiku - maybe "Steps" is a prayer unique in its ability to transcend and transform and provide peace without necessarily providing an answer.

In many ways "Steps" symbolizes a pointed progression in my songwriting. I think as a songwriter I was not always willing to be so vulnerable. I finally feel I have lived enough, lived long enough and lived through enough to speak simply, plainly and find in the zen like simplicity something honest and true and pure. "Steps" is written as a diary entry to myself. It is naked in its delivery and it functions much more as a poem than a pop song - throughout "Stay Close To Music" I play with this tension.

Are these poems masquerading as pop songs? Is it the tension itself that makes the spiritual dimension in these moments shine through prismatic and lingering through the air, lingering through the ethers of sound, wrapping around you unafraid to be contemplative while tapping your foot to the ground? When I first became comfortable with the production on "Steps" the synths, the bells, the electronic harp like moments reminded me of a scene from a Spike Lee film which are always so orchestral and "Steps" felt profoundly cinematic.

There are certain people I have waited to collaborate with my entire career and Saul Williams is one of those people. In many ways there is a musical lineage that Saul is a part of, that he himself spearheaded, that I feel a very close connection with. I remember sitting in his beautiful home in Laurel Canyon California having lunch with him and his wife and thinking about how blessed their place felt, so much history on that land.

I kept thinking about how the music of David Crosby was such a huge inspiration for so much of my own songwriting an sonic sensibilities on "Stay Close To Music" and here I was with someone I looked up to having wonderful conversation, learning about everything Saul had going on, his new film, his first time working as a director, concerts he was doing with the LA philharmonic, just a creative polymath and he was so charming, and excited and at peace.

MNEK is a musical powerhouse, composing some of the best dance music of the last decade not only for himself but a slew of other pop stars. The voice, the talent, the songwriting, MNEK is truly a force to be reckoned with and is such a stand out artist I was truly nervous when I reached out to him to collaborate. We met in his home in London. I think this was key to understanding if there was a vibe, if we felt the energy between us could coalesce in a natural way. So much of what has made "Stay Close To Music" so important is the time involved, the time that was natural and not forced and allowed for such peace and such organic collaborations. It is so rare that artists are allowed this time, it is so rare that artists are given this much space.

Blanco announced Stay Close To The Music with the the Lou Reed-indebted single "French Lessons" which features Kelsey Lu (ANOHNI lends a feature on the album version). Previous to that they shared two additional songs from the LP - "Your Love Was a Gift" featuring Diana Gordon and "Family Ties" which features Michael Stipe.

Throughout their evolution, poet, artist, musician Mykki Blanco has continuously blurred genres - pulling rave, trap, grunge and punk influences into a swirling pool of experimental hip hop that celebrated queer and trans experiences. With their upcoming LP, they are stepping into the next phase of their career with music that represents an artist who now understands their limitless potential.

In 2018, after completing years-long touring schedule, Mykki found themselves living in Lisbon, Portugal, slowly readying themselves to record new music. They note, "I wanted to see what it would be like to go back and be a musician from another time where you had to start every ingredient raw from scratch. That process, ideology and that way of making has not only changed me as a musician, it has creatively changed me as a person."

Working with FaltyDL, the songs spun together through numerous jam sessions, with writing taking place in Lisbon, Paris, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. By 2019, Mykki realized that they were working on two different records concurrently. The first became 2021's lauded mini-album Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep and now Mykki readies the second collection of the sessions via Stay Close To Music.

Mykki Blanco is an artist revered for their fearless ability to evolve, placing their creative exploration at the forefront of their career. With Stay Close To Music, Mykki Blanco is leveling up. By stepping into unchartered territory untethered and free, they have fulfilled their ambitions and created a rich, complex and accomplished sound that belongs entirely to them and which only solidifies their status as one of the world's most innovative musical pioneers.

Listen to the new single here: