On Tuesday (Aug. 13), the highly promising, Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Sirah will return with a new EP, “Inhale,” one day after kicking off a tour supporting Atlantic label mates Icona Pop. Before officially dropping on Tuesday, check out the full six-song release below, in an exclusive Billboard.com premiere:
Sirah, best known for her award-winning Skrillex collaboration “Bangarang,” has already previewed the “Inhale” EP with the melodically boisterous title track and spaced-out single “On To The Next.” The ambidextrous songwriter swipes at a variety of genres — from grimy rap to zonked-out electronica to bubblegum pop — and says that all six songs on the “Inhale” EP, which follows the “C.U.L.T. Too Young To Die” mixtape, are crucial to her personal development.
“The recording process for ‘Inhale’ was really all over the place,” says Sirah. “The title track was actually recorded a while back in my producer Mighty Mike’s closet, and it’s the song that got me signed to Atlantic. Sometimes writing or recording I don’t necessarily remember the exact moment I put something down or how I was feeling when I did it because I go back in and work on it a million times over, but I remember exactly how I felt and where I was for each one of these songs because it felt so distinct.”
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Sirah believes that “Inhale” and the track “Icarus” are her favorite songs on the new EP, and says of the latter, “‘Icarus’ was about how people lose themselves to vices — ego, drugs etc. I dedicated it to my best friend Tom because it was his favorite song and he passed away during the process of pulling this EP together. He had a huge part in where I am today.
“All around,” Sirah concludes,” “I feel like ‘Inhale’ is an accurate introduction for most people who have never heard of me, or who’ve heard me on Skrillex’s songs. It paints an all-around sordid picture of who I am.”
Along with K. Flay, Sirah will support Icona Pop on their “Iconic” tour ahead of the Sept. 24 release of the duo’s “This Is… Icona Pop” album. The tour starts tonight in Asheville, N.C. and runs through mid-September — be sure to get there before the headliner to check out another dynamic artist on Atlantic Records.
What do you think of Sirah’s “Inhale” EP? Sound off below.