Dawn Richard spills the beads on new album Second Line, shares “Bussifame” music video
Whether the Mardi Gras parade is happening in New Orleans or in your bedroom, Dawn Richard promises “you’ll get your chance to move your feet” with “Bussifame,” the first single off her new album and Merge debut Second Line (subtitled “An Electro Revival”), out April 30 worldwide. Pre-order today in the Merge store and participating independent record stores on CD, LP, and white Deluxe Peak Vinyl. The latter includes a limited-edition King Creole–shaped gold vinyl 12-inch featuring “Voodoo (Outermission)” and “SELFish (Outro).” Exclusive to the Merge store are a Second Line long-sleeved t-shirt and a 20-page Dawn zine, each of which can be paired with the album or purchased with our album/t-shirt/zine bundle or Deluxe Peak Vinyl/CD/t-shirt/zine superbundle.
“Bussifame” premiered moments ago on Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe Show alongside a conversation between Dawn and Lowe. Check it out now at the top of the New Music Daily playlist and watch the music video, directed by Dawn.
When asked about the new track, Dawn says:
The term “bussifame” is a nod to the way New Orleanians run our words together when we speak (“bust it for me”). “Bussifame” is a dance anthem celebrating New Orleans second line footwork and second line culture; it’s a request to move your feet no matter where you are in the world. A pandemic won’t stop the parade!
Second Line is an unapologetic genre bender that pushes boundaries, expands possibilities, and shatters expectations. It’s more than just an album: Second Line is a cohesive sensory experience that questions traditional ideas of sound, production, and visual aesthetics as they relate to music. Its interlocking parts tell an epic story about the quest for artistic expression, with Dawn describing her project as “a movement to bring pioneering Black women in electronic music to the forefront.”
The story of Second Line centers on Dawn’s persona King Creole, assassin of stereotypes, a Black girl from the South at a crossroads in her artistic career. To move forward, she decides to look back, but where previous album New Breed took influence from her father, Second Line is illuminated by Dawn’s mother.
Why “revival”? Because Second Line embodies the heritage of soul music and the roots of New Orleans, all surrounded by the influences of electronic futurism. “The definition of a second line in New Orleans is a celebration of someone’s homecoming,” says Dawn. “In death and in life, we celebrate the impact of a person’s legacy through dance and music. I’m celebrating the death of old views in the industry. The death of boxes and limits. I’m celebrating the homecoming of the Future. The homecoming to the new wave of artists. The emergence of all the King Creoles to come. This is our revival.”
Dawn Richard is bold, confident, purposeful, and a King throughout Second Line. Are you ready to dance? Are you ready for the revival? Are you ready for Dawn Richard?
