Previously signed to Mura Masa's imprint Irish/American artist bonzai switches lanes with "I Did"
With the ink drying on her new deal with Columbia, Irish/American artist bonzai throws another curveball with her new track "I Did", catapulting herself into the BBC Sound Of 2017 reckoning in the process.
Having put out a brace of EPs on fellow experimentalist Mura Masa's Anchor Point imprint - Royah and Sleepy Hungry - which grabbed two Hottest Records at Radio 1, bonzai was already something of an obvious tip. "I Did" ratchets that potential up a few more notches, though. Permeated with elements of R&B, hip-hop and flourescent rave, "I Did" delivers a concentrated shot of very 2016 pop with lazer-guided accuracy - all fizzing synths, skittish found sound drums and bonzai's punky chameleonic vocal melodies. With former label boss and current touring partner Mura Masa nailing down a 5th place finish in 2016's BBC Sound Of, I don't want to imagine a world where bonzai isn't right in the mix this time around.
Speaking to Best Fit over email, bonzai explained the typically unpredictable origins of the track: "I went into the session with the "I Did" verse written and had a rough idea of how I wanted it to sound. So me and John [Calvert, whose previous production work includes NAO and Ghostpoet] started hitting different parts of his metal desk with spoons and Allen keys, which made that rhythm at the start, then we just went from there!”
"I Did" will feature on the Lunacy EP, out 28 October on Columbia. bonzai supports Mura Masa and Flume in the UK and Europe this autumn.
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