iskwē has finalized the details of her forthcoming fourth studio album, shared alongside new single "Waiting for the Laughter."
Among Exclaim!'s Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2024, nīna officially drops on April 12. Named after the Cree translation for "me," it follows the singer-songwriter's 2019 solo album acākosīk, as well as her 2022 collaborative venture with Tom Wilson, Mother Love.
nīna is described in press materials as "the opus of iskwé's rebirth," and "sonic manifestation of the divine feminine explored through vignettes of love, passion, anger, betrayal and loss."
The record features the 2023 singles "I Get High," "Sure to Come" and "End of It All," as well as latest track, "Waiting for the Laughter" — written in collaboration with akaMatisse of Keys N Krates.
"The song started as a piece of poetry before I sat down with him. During the session, with this little book of poetry in my hand, I began pulling bits out while we started our musical exploration," the artist shared. "We both share a love of classical music and orchestration; we could hear the grand, cinematic direction it needed to go! This was one of those magical tunes that took us about an hour to write and demo, with the song seemingly falling out of us."
Of the single's exploration of her relationship with social media and aging, iskwē continued:
Each time the mirror faces, I find brand new lines and deeper creases. The art of aging never changes; we all get older every day. Somehow women are told we age out faster, life spinning out so quickly, it can be hard to live up to all the beauty standards that keep changing along the way. I find it dizzying to think of the times I've loathed my body, how I pluck, colour, and cover the natural body I was born with. Will I stop? Probably not. Do I try to push myself as far as I can in order to love the body and being I was born with? Every day. I'm constantly searching for the laughter in it all. Laughter is medicine, after all. Waiting for the laughter to drive the hurt away.
"Sit there like a statement / Looking pretty, looking vacant," the song opens chillingly. It's a tough act to follow — but she does it, the track building into a towering beast.
Hear "Waiting for the Laughter" below.
Among Exclaim!'s Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2024, nīna officially drops on April 12. Named after the Cree translation for "me," it follows the singer-songwriter's 2019 solo album acākosīk, as well as her 2022 collaborative venture with Tom Wilson, Mother Love.
nīna is described in press materials as "the opus of iskwé's rebirth," and "sonic manifestation of the divine feminine explored through vignettes of love, passion, anger, betrayal and loss."
The record features the 2023 singles "I Get High," "Sure to Come" and "End of It All," as well as latest track, "Waiting for the Laughter" — written in collaboration with akaMatisse of Keys N Krates.
"The song started as a piece of poetry before I sat down with him. During the session, with this little book of poetry in my hand, I began pulling bits out while we started our musical exploration," the artist shared. "We both share a love of classical music and orchestration; we could hear the grand, cinematic direction it needed to go! This was one of those magical tunes that took us about an hour to write and demo, with the song seemingly falling out of us."
Of the single's exploration of her relationship with social media and aging, iskwē continued:
Each time the mirror faces, I find brand new lines and deeper creases. The art of aging never changes; we all get older every day. Somehow women are told we age out faster, life spinning out so quickly, it can be hard to live up to all the beauty standards that keep changing along the way. I find it dizzying to think of the times I've loathed my body, how I pluck, colour, and cover the natural body I was born with. Will I stop? Probably not. Do I try to push myself as far as I can in order to love the body and being I was born with? Every day. I'm constantly searching for the laughter in it all. Laughter is medicine, after all. Waiting for the laughter to drive the hurt away.
"Sit there like a statement / Looking pretty, looking vacant," the song opens chillingly. It's a tough act to follow — but she does it, the track building into a towering beast.
Hear "Waiting for the Laughter" below.