Who is this mysterious woman that popped up on the Young Turks label (SBTRKT, The xx, Glasser)? A friend told me about how FKA Twigs’ (FKA stands for Formerly Known As) performance at the Young Turks New Year’s party in Mexico blew him away and was easily his favorite, so i made a mental note to check her out. My first introduction, was this spellbinding video for “Hide”, released in February 2014 and filmed in the Mayan ruins of Tulum, where the aforementioned party went down:

We hear that ethereal voice, but it’s the visual aspect that really grabs you and lingers long after the video is over. The way she perfectly twists her hips and lets the energy of the ancient ruins run through her body and make every limb contort. The tribal sounds of natives banging sticks are juxtaposed with the guitar and synths….it’s unique to say the least. So i dug deeper and found this August 2013 video for “Water Me” produced by Brooklyn-based Arca, who claimed production credits on Kanye West’s Yeezus:

And we’re left with the burning image of her appearance. She’s almost doll-like and becomes more artificial as the video progresses. But the details are lasting…her tight-fitting septum piercing, matching with her ornery earrings…Her hair, meticulously braided behind her head, her eye make-up sparkling every time she blinks and her lush red lips are front and center as the words come out of her mouth:

He told me i was so small,

I told him “water me”

The melodious offerings of the British artist are just as intriguing as the visual nature of her output. And these are images that are now burned into my head whenever i listen to her. I can’t hear her music without thinking of her interpretive dance in that “Hide” video….or the way her eyelids flutter on the “Water Me” clip. Twigs has achieved a certain synesthesia…”in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” (A concept that Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes delves in to in his soon to be released TED Talk). And this is pretty fucking notable.

Want to hear more? Her EP2 is on spotify and you can hear it here:

Enjoy. Feel. And let’s see where this emerging artist’s road leads…….

 08/2014 – Editor’s Note: LP1 Dropped this month. Hear it below: