Revisiting Devonté Hynes' fourth studio album "Negro Swan" two years later.
Black History Month officially occurred two months ago, but it’s not a one-time thing for me; it is every day. It's amazing to have a time dedicated to the uplifting of black people and black progress amidst global suppression. Writer and self-described racial advocate Rachel Elizabeth Cargle has dedicated time to an effort that educates the general audience to "indulgently explore black American heroes" using the tag #DiscoverOurGlory on Instagram. The month of February was truly a time for reflection and pause to see how far we've progressed as a people, through both the triumphs and the struggles.
You may know him from the eye-catching cover of his album taken by Deana Lawson, "Freetown Sound" as models Binky and Tony hold each other in a warm embrace on a cream colored mattress with flowery sheets. Hynes has also provided ethereal vocals and production, co-producing with Solange Knowles on the cultural breakdown of an album, "A Seat at the Table." More recently, he debuted a medley of two new songs with singer-songwriter Toro y Moi on Late Late Show hosted by James Corden.
Blood Orange A.K.A. Devonté Hynes, originally born in Houston, Texas, is a singer-songwriter and classical composer who grew up in East London to his Sierra Leonean mother and Guyanese father. Under the moniker Blood Orange, Hynes took a new approach in his music career by delving into the world of R&B and pop fusion. Hynes released the highly anticipated feature-length album "Negro Swan" on August 24, 2018 (currently being his fourth studio album) as an epithet for his struggles with depression and our diasporic way of dealing with it. The sixteen song album boasts features from Diddy, Amandla Stenberg and A$AP Rocky, as well as Janet Mock's prophetic narration on "Family" preceding "Charcoal Baby."
In his interview with DAZED by Selim Bulut, Hynes originally described the album as "an exploration into [his] and many types of black depression and ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color." In my experience as a black teen to immigrant parents, the subject of mental health is often shunned and pushed aside. The tragedy of your child's mental state being anything other than "normal" and complacent is not what you want to deal with. Sometimes it can even be invalidated as one of a child’s many passing moods, especially during the stages of puberty and teenage years. The historical events that have shaped our ancestors’ or our parents’ ways of lives shouldn’t dictate how we should address instances of inherited trauma.
Hynes offers a brand new take to self-care and healing through a series of songs that offer both a nostalgic view of his past and an optimistic hope for the future of black queer youth, overall presenting a catharsis of emotion throughout. The art of reflection, of breathing and of simple isolation have to be normalized. Especially as people who are absorbed and easily influenced by our settings, it is essential to create these environments in which we can freely express our fears, anxieties, and worries. This is a lesson I have yet to learn as it is hard implementing these changes, especially if your environment is cold to the idea of this. This is a lesson I have yet to learn as it is hard implementing these change, especially if your environment is cold to the idea of this. In this case, Hynes’s album can be regarded as the spiritual and musical guide for your adolescent years.
Listen to Negro Swan by Blood Orange here.
Purchase "Negro Swan" by Blood Orange.