Aluna Francis, also known as one half of duo AlunaGeorge, has shared her first track as a solo artist. Titled “Body Pump,” the new single previews the British artist’s forthcoming solo album and welcomes her Mad Decent debut. Under AlunaGeorge, she has released two studio albums, the self-released Champagne Eyes EP, and countless singles with production partner George Reid—having received widespread acclaim for their genre-fusing electronic. Now, Aluna steps into a new chapter with her decisive solo venture.
“Body Pump” weaves sultry club-learned beats and tinkling melodies with Aluna’s docilely sweet vocals for an intoxicating play. Stream the track below.
“Having enjoyed being the main ingredient to many successful dance records, I started wanting to create the whole dish. In the past when performing on the stages of my white male peers, I always felt like a visitor being one of the few Black women I could see, so it never fully occurred to me to claim dance music as my music, as an artist, even though it was at the heart of my connection to music,” stated Aluna.
“Then I looked at the history of dance music and saw how, for example, Chicago House, known as the invention of house music, was pioneered in the Black and Latino LGTBQ+ communities which gave me inspiration to stake my flag in the ground as a Black woman in dance music by taking control of production and songwriting with my own vibe.”
H/T: Pitchfork
