Black Pumas talk to us about new album ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’: “It feels more like a second start”

Black Pumas have announced their new album ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’ and have shared the single ‘More Than A Love Song’. Find out below along with our interview with frontman Eric Burton.

The duo, consisting of Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada, received critical acclaim and six Grammy nominations for their self-titled album in 2019. The first taste of their follow-up comes with “More Than A Love Song,” a song that Burton did. described as “the exclamation point of the beginning of my relationship with Adrian in the first place”.

“This is what we hear, together when he introduces me to the music so that I can then find the character or the moment to decorate and add colors to that first canvas,” he said.

Now, the band is ready to show how far they have come with the highly anticipated “Chronicles Of A Diamond”.

“This time we were under pressure,” Burton told NME, “because it’s the second dreaded album, it was very difficult, I’m not going to lie. It was also a fun process and very cathartic. we’re all lucky.the fact that when Black Pumas started, Adrian had already made a lot of music.

“I also had the opportunity to share some of my own music with Adrian for the first project. In this round, I had much more to do with the creation of the music beyond the lyrics and the melody.”

Burton noted that ‘Chronicles Of A Diamond’ feels “more like a second start” where he and Quesada “almost have the handshake backwards”, finding a new chemistry where his bandmate ending their own establishment.

“We were lucky, because the music that Adrian submitted for me to finish for the first album was really beautiful,” said Burton. “Now Adrian has been tasked with taking some of my really weird and interesting ideas, as well as bringing back some of my older stuff.”

Black Pumas set some goals for themselves for their second album, looking to “put out something that would confirm that we belong here.”

“We’re grateful to have been put in a position to engage in conversations with some of our favorite artists,” Burton said, “Ultimately, we wanted to make our colleagues proud, as well as continue publishing the things that concern us. . We are glad to see that it is resonating. Some of our friends have heard it and they are proud of us. So we’re excited to share it.”

Burton has previously said that creating the second Black Pumas album felt more like a metamorphosis for him. He confirmed that he was able to exercise his chameleon ability in the first LP, but that this was a new process for him.

“On this album, I have become a different type of recording artist. My thoughts and ideas regarding the production, the music behind the songs, and the messages within the song to close the coagulation of those elements to clear of the process.” .

It was a huge commitment and it cost me a lot of work. It was the first time I had experienced making an album at this level. Fortunately, I have some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever worked with, as well as one of the most talented producers I’ve ever worked with. What a perfect umbrella to nurture the artist, especially when it comes to making it in the studio.”

There was a moment during his performance at the 2021 Grammys when Harry Styles was caught on camera singing the song word for word.

“I mean to see Harry Styles sing our song…None of us realized that someone was singing or clapping while we were performing, we just wanted to get in there and show the industry and the organization how excited we were to be there and Burton said.

“It was really great to see him enjoying himself. The HAIM sisters really enjoyed it too. It was nice to get validation from your peers in any shape or form. It’s the highest praise because these are people who have experienced the same ups and downs when it comes to creating art. to that level. At that time it was a great validator for the journey he was going to create content and bring this Black Pumas brand in.”

Last year the pair ended up canceling their tour and are still not back on the road. Explaining the situation, the singer said exhaustion was the main reason for the breakup.

“For us, because of how quickly we’ve been successful, I think it was really important for our team to make sure we had every opportunity to take advantage of the move by now sending us to different cities and countries around the world to play. as much experience as we can for the growth of the brand as well as the stability of the brand,” said Burton.

“We feel as a group that we will only need so much attention to cement our place in the heart and psyche of the average music listener. As hard as we worked, it was time to rest. When we got home, I felt like the body was telling the mind it was over. It didn’t seem like a child fighting in his sleep. At some point you have to take a step back.”

Burton understands that the Black Pumas have a lot of work ahead of them. From touring in California and Texas to their Grammy-nominated debut three years later, Burton says their journey has been “surreal.”

I’m not sure I’ve fully assimilated it, especially with how quickly our rise has gone,” he says, “I’ve been singing and acting for quite some time now, and I’ve done nothing but my put one’s head down and run to the finish line, which is the completion of this album”.

He added: “Now that we’ve finished the second album, I take a step back and realize how exhausted I’ve been doing it. It feels good to catch up with my family and friends and reset myself. A place to be in for pedestrians who don’t have to be rock and roll veterans to entertain some of these ideas.”

Chronicles Of A Diamond” is out on October 27th and “More Than A Love Song” is out now. Pre-order the album here. Check out the tracklist below:

More than a love song

Ice Cream (Pay Phone)

Lady Postman

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Chronicles Of A Diamond

Angel

Hello

Sauvignon

tomorrow

A few suns

Rock And Roll