TKAY MAIDZA ANNOUNCES FORTHCOMING EP LAST YEAR WAS WEIRD, VOL. 3 OUT JULY 9 VIA DEW PROCESS/4AD + SHARES LATEST SINGLE & VIDEO "CASHMERE"
PRAISE FOR "KIM" & "SYRUP"
#2 Best Video of February, Best Songs of the Week for "Kim" - Pitchfork
“Another immaculate banger." – The Observer on "Syrup"
“A bassy, brooding track that oozes and entices.” – The Guardian on "Syrup"
"Another great song…A minimal, subwoofer-rattling song with some mid 2000s Southern rap energy.” – Brooklyn Vegan, Favourite Songs of the Week
"'Syrup' is every bit as sticky and dirty as the name implies. She sits in a low tone over a filthy beat that feels plucked out of the early 2000s and re-styled with present-day sensibilities." – Consequence of Sound on "Syrup"
“She comes with a real Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim flow… This goes up to 11 no problem!” – BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac on "Syrup"
"The sheer star power on display is out of control, the kind of thing that's sure to have teens 20 years from now screaming, 'Bitch I'm Tkay!'" – PAPER Magazine on "Kim"
ARIA & BET nominated rapper and artist Tkay Maidza returns today to announce the highly anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 (The Needle Drop’s #1 EP of the Year). Out digitally on July 9, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 is the final act of Tkay’s EP trilogy featuring eight new songs produced by long-time collaborator Dan Farber, including today's latest drop, "Cashmere", out via Dew Process/4AD.
Delivering a dreamy, pollen-filled video directed by Jasper Soloff (Tinashe, DJ Khaled), "Cashmere" is a satisfying counterbalance to its bombastic predecessors "Kim" and "Syrup". An enveloping slice of future-R&B and neo-soul, Tkay shines in her versatility for the introspective cut, forming a key final chapter in the Last Year Was Weird trilogy.
Tkay says of the forthcoming EP: "Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 is the final chapter of the trilogy - I am so excited but it’s also bittersweet, this last chapter is about accepting what it is and stepping into that power and really letting go of anything that’s hindering my path. It feels like a life cycle and a lesson that’s come and gone quickly and I’m grateful for the people I’ve met on the way. I feel like I’ve really come to realise that I’ve always had what I needed I just needed to see it clearly. And Last Year Was Weird has helped me do that. A lot of the songs feel like a mixture of the first two but are at their brightest and boldest as well because I understand now where I can exist - which was the point of this trilogy. I’m excited for what’s next."
"Cashmere” follows the release of gritty anthem "Syrup", a celestial cover of Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”, and Tkay's momentous single “Kim” (with Yung Baby Tate), alongside its instantly-appraised Kims-filled visual. The clip earned a nod from Pitchfork as the #2 Best Video of the Month, and praise everywhere from PAPER, FADER, Nylon, i-D, MTV, NME, Pedestrian.TV and more, many hailing it as one of the year’s best videos to date. Prior, Tkay Maidza wrapped a stratospheric 2020 that propelled the Zimbabwe-born, Australia-raised artist to new heights. From billboards in Times Square and Downtown LA, to features in Pitchfork and Vogue and a placement on the FIFA Soundtrack, her Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 EP presented a compelling new stride for the young artist whose craft spans genres. The ARIA-nominated EP for Best Soul/R&B Release and Rolling Stone Australia Award-winnerof Best Record received plaudits from the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, Crack, The Guardian and PAPER.
Already receiving praise from Crack Magazine and landing Tkay on the cover of NME Australia's May 2021 issue, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 presents the final piece of the puzzle in a thrilling evolution for one of the country's brightest exports. Having shaped a global reputation for eclectic and unsuspecting avant-garde hip-hop over the course of three ambitious EPs, the world now watches as Tkay Maidza assumes form in 2021.
LAST YEAR WAS WEIRD, VOL. 3 IS OUT JULY 9
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE