It’s suffice to say that that most exciting day of the month (of 2021 in its entirety?!) has finally arrived. This is not a drill: underground princess BACKXWASH has just shared her brand new self-released album I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses. Following her 2020 Polaris Prize winning album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It, I Lie Here “features BACKXWASH as an empress of chaos on a path of self-destruction,” complete with her signature industrial-hip-hop-meets-thrash backdrop, introspective bars and candid narratives; all in their most confrontational and unapologetic form yet. With I Lie Here, BACKXWASH claims her title as contemporary hip-hop’s greatest force to be reckoned with, and we are celebrating her reign.

Tonight, BACKXWASH headlines Suoni Per Il Popolo - Day 18, performing I Lie Here from start to finish via the festival’s livestream at 9:30 PM EST. BACKXWASH was kind enough to make time for us to chat about her upcoming premiere and give us the inside scoop on everything from what she’s spinning to stay in the right headspace, to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her I Lie Here performance. Read our conversation with our hero, BACKXWASH, below.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Ashanti! Thank you endlessly for making time to chat with Also Cool during such a whirlwind of a week! How are you leading up to your album launch show on Suoni Per Il Popolo?

BACKXWASH: Thank you so much! We’ve been busy preparing everything we are very stoked to show everyone what we have planned!

Rebecca L. Judd for Also Cool: If you can give us some insight into tonight’s program — where will you be leading us?

B: Sunday will be a performance piece for the album. It was directed by Mechant and shot by the Suoni team. It looks very beautiful to me and I hope everyone likes it! We will be diving into the album from front to back.

All behind-the-scenes shots by Cameron Mitchell

R - AC: We feel like a huge part of preparing for a big event is getting in the right headspace. You’re no stranger to providing song recs on Twitter — and we can’t get enough! What are you spinning these days to stay inspired, or maybe grounded, while managing all of the anticipation surrounding your release?

B: These days I am mostly into Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails, Censored Dialogue, who just had an album drop, and some Rural Internet! All very, very solid releases.

R - AC: Among your collaborators on I Lie Here is the incomparable Sad13, of noise-pop outfit Speedy Ortiz. Seeing your friendship blossom has been such a treat.

How did this come about, and how was your experience collaborating together?

It was great! Sadie is extremely talented and I was very honored to have her as one of the features on this album. Working together has been an amazing experience.

Z - AC: On the topic of music releases: we saw that the Polaris Long List dropped this week, and were instantly reminded of your win last year… Which still feels like it was yesterday? I Lie Here continues your streak of vulnerability that you paved with your previous releases in many ways. How do you preserve your wellbeing when sharing these emotions with a growing audience?

B: There is nothing else I can do aside from be authentic. If I want to speak to truth on record, I should not be bothered by the growing audience. I am happy that people are listening - it still trips me out incredibly!

Z - AC: Have there been any particular takeaways or realizations on reckoning with these raw feelings on I Lie Here?

B: My main takeaway is just based on the creation of music itself. A lot of insight into layering and just making songs more fuller. I am ecstatic!

Z - AC: With that being said, these experiences have nonetheless culminated into the realization of I Lie Here. How are you planning to celebrate this latest venture, and what does the future hold for you, Ashanti?

B: I am planning to celebrate with Mechant! They have helped me a lot through this and they are just generally amazing as a collaborator and friend. We will be hanging and watching the livestream. We are excited to see how it is going to turn out!