Aluna of AlunaGeorge has announced plans to release her first solo album, after signing to Diplo's Mad Decent label. First single 'Body Pump' is out now.
"Having enjoyed being the main ingredient to many successful dance records, I started wanting to create the whole dish", she says. "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".
She continues: "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".
On signing her to his label, Diplo says: "I've been a fan of Aluna for years - her voice, her style and her way of putting records together. Having her sign to Mad Decent feels like a family reunion - can't wait to get these records out to everyone".
Listen to 'Body Pump' here: