Photos: megiapa Releases Debut Album INTENTIONS via International Anthem

Los Angeles-based linguist, producer, visual artist, and vocalist megiapa has released her International Anthem debut album Intentions on vinyl LP and all digital platforms. The album's focus track, 'Black Gold of the Sun' (written by Charles Stepney and Richard Rudolph, and made popular by The New Rotary Connection), serves as a crown jewel of the record, where megiapa's sound is fully and gloriously realized. Within, layers of her silky vocals are met with vintage 808 beats, brightly textured synths, and soaring flute melodies. Listen to 'Black Gold of the Sun' and buy/stream Intentions here.

Previous single '(SMT)' was praised by KCRW as 'peace realized…lullaby basslines, smooth percussion, and pure-silk vocals…megiapa is as much an artist of words as of music.' The music video for '(SMT),' directed and edited by megiapa, includes video footage and still photography from Dr Tiffany R Smith's activism and community involvement from 2015-present.

Another album highlight, 'on the spaceway (frfr),' came via a music video illuminating Black joy, creativity, and belonging through an intimate portrait of Los Angeles life. It was directed by Eric Coleman and B+ of Mochilla, known for their visual work with MF DOOM, Madlib, Sudan Archives.

In July, megiapa shared the album's lead track 'Open Your Eyes,' a slice of high level, soul-warming R&B, with a delightfully infectious beat fronted by megiapa's voice and a legion of her own vocal harmonies in a positivity-laced update on turn-of-the-century Baduizms.

megiapa's sound was forged over a decade of development on Chicago's underground beat scene, where she regularly played standing nights like Push Beats, Open Beats, and Fresh Roasted, alongside artists like Sev Seveer, Radius ETC, Elijah Jamal Asani, and DJ Moppy. Majorly inspired by the contemporaneous Low End Theory scene of Los Angeles and artists like Madlib, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Flying Lotus, and Daedelus, megiapa's early music was made in headphones at home, where she stitched together samples in Audacity. When she started playing out, she was one of few female artists on the Chicago beat scene, and was also unique in that world in that she brought a mic to sing over her own beats. As curator, event producer and International Anthem community leader King Hippo began weaving beatmakers into the fabric of the label's live presentations in their early days, megiapa was one of the earliest crossovers he introduced, inviting her to open for artists like Makaya McCraven, Bottle Tree, and Ben LaMar Gay.

Intentions is a collection of music birthed by megiapa during her time in Chicago (initiated in part by a grant from the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in fact), but was made truly possible by the surge of growth she experienced after relocating to Los Angeles in 2023. In three years on the West Coast, megiapa has had a full and enthusiastic embrace from the LA jazz, beats and underground hip hop communities, and has become a regular collaborator of artists like Stacy Epps, Stones Throw artist Mocky, and innovative bassist/multiinstrumentalist The Growth Eternal. As she found her voice and place in the LA scene, megiapa's vision for her new album coalesced, and she finished the music by incorporating live instruments from The Growth Eternal, pianist Ahmad Muhammad aka Kafari (known for his work with Sudan Archives), drummer (and Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra musical director) Mekala Session, Telemakus, Will Miller (of Resavoir) percussionist Allakoi 'Mic Holden' Peete, and others, plus vocals from Voices of Creation singer Aankha Neal, and additional contributions from Blvck Spvde, 10.4 ROG, and more. megiapa then returned to Chicago in February 2026 to do final mixing on the album at International Anthem Studios with engineer Dave Vettraino.

In his liner notes for the album, writer Marcus J. Moore says Intentions 'feels handmade in the truest sense: every synth patch, vocal harmony and drum pattern carries the residue of lived experience…By the time Intentions concludes, what remains is the feeling of having accompanied someone through a profound shift. The album asks listeners to relinquish their fear of the unknown. Again and again, megiapa returns to the same guiding principle: trust the process; everything will work out.'

About what she learned through her work, and what she hopes to communicate with Intentions, megiapa says: 'Fear is a hindrance to our dreams and our goals and the beauty of life. Please dream with me. Please take a moment to reflect. And please be okay with things being uncertain.'

Intentions is out now, and can be purchased or streamed here.

Tracklist

Open Your Eyes

.....!

Dreaming About You

( ( on the spaceway ) )

Black Gold of the Sun

To Enjoy

Can't Believe

on the spaceway (frfr)

My Baby

wishing (u) well

11.11

(SMT)

Crashing Down

rising_outro

Credits

Aankha Neal - additional vocals (5,13)

Ahmad Muhammad - piano, Juno (3, 4, 8, 13,14)

Aisha Mars - flute (5)

Allakoi 'Mic Holden' Peete - percussion (3, 5, 7, 9, 13)

Blvck Spude - additional vocals (13)

Dave Vettraino - additional production (11)

ghalani of Greenwood - bass (3, 7, 8, 9), additional bass (11)

Juliana Markwardt - vocal sample (2)

megiapa - production (2-14), vocals (1-14)

Mekala Session - drums / drum sample (2, 11,13)

Mocky - additional arrangement (13)

Telemakus - additional vocals, Rhodes, synths, harp (8)

10.4 ROG - instrumental production (1)

Will Miller - trumpet, EVI, additional piano (7)

All compositions and lyrics by megiapa except:

Open Your Eyes — Written by megiapa, Produced by 10.4 ROG

Dreaming About You — Written by Kevin Toney, Originally performed by The Blackbyrds

( ( on the spaceway ) ) — End quote from Space Is the Place by Sun Ra

Black Gold of the Sun — Written by Charles Stepney and Richard Rudolph, Originally performed by The New Rotary Connection

Recorded and produced by megiapa between Chicago and Los Angeles. Additional recording by Viraj Gandhi at Chakram's Aarti HQ. Mixed by megiapa and Dave Vettraino. Mastered by David Allen. Artwork and photos by megiapa.

Photo Credit: megiapa

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