Santigold regains her inner strength on her new single, “Ain’t Ready.” The song is from her forthcoming album Spirituals, out Sept. 9, which will be the first Santigold release through her label, Little Jerk Records.
Santigold recorded her fourth album during the 2020 lockdown after she suddenly found herself with three kids out of school, and her days became a domestic blur of cooking, cleaning, laundry and changing diapers. She felt out of touch with her artistic side and decided to start working on the album as a way to find herself again. “Ain’t Ready” brims with the resilience it takes to persevere through an artistic slump and reconnect with your true self. The synthesizers exude a certain vigor, but the sheer power of Santigold’s falsetto commands your attention as she declares, “It come in hard, kick in one side of your heart / What a blow, no, it won’t stop / So I take my time now gettin’ back up.”
Santigold says of the song in a statement:
“Ain’t Ready” is a song I started with Illangelo. Dre Skull and Sbtrkt came on board to help bring it home, another true collaboration of such distinct and amazing talent. It was one of those songs where as soon as I opened my mouth the whole melody just poured out. There were no words but all the emotion was there. To me, the song sounded full of struggle and perseverance. It sounded like a battle, and I wanted the production to sound tough, to mirror that grit. I struggled to find the right lyrics at first, but when I got them right, and I started singing them one night in my studio alone, I cried. This song was my own battle song. It’s about taking the hits that life brings and getting back up. It’s about change and moving forward. It’s about faith and vision. And it’s about stepping into your own power.
The multidisciplinary artist also released a video vignette to accompany the single. Instead of simply releasing the album, Santigold envisions it as a multi-sensory experience that she brings to life through videos, a natural skincare line and a tea, all of which will be named Spirituals. She is also creating a new podcast where she interviews other artists and visionaries about some of the same themes she explores in her music.
Check out the video for “Ain’t Ready” below.
