French-Senegalese artist anaiis shares her long-awaited debut album ‘this is no longer a dream’, out now via her own independent imprint Dream Sequence Recordings. The announcement of her 12-track project is accompanied by the latest single ‘cry in your sleep’ feat. Chronixx.
anaiis also recently revealed the artwork captured by Brazilian photographer Raphael Pavarotti and creative director Ib Kamara, a duo of icons in their own standing who helped actualize her vision. “It was an honour and a privilege to work with two people who have changed the landscape of fashion and visuals in recent times”, she says. “We wanted to create something bold and symbolic that would represent the paradoxes and dualities of my journey.”
Following on from the critically acclaimed releases ‘vanishing’, ‘juno’, ‘reverie’ and ‘chuu’ the singer-songwriter anaiis delivers her most honest and self-reflective work yet, ‘this is no longer a dream’, embodying the artist’s arduous journey over the past few years. Digging deep into her psyche, anaiis is armed with a body of work that invites us into the tortured thoughts of an artist finding her way back to herself and to her truth.
Reflecting on the emotional turmoil she found herself experiencing since the beginning of her career, her testimony is dedicated to those who’ve experienced self-doubt, gaslighting and the hardships that pour from it; there is light at the end of the tunnel and she wants this record to be a vessel of self-love and healing. “I want to share with others a very vulnerable experience that can inspire them to indulge in a process of introspection that will allow them to reconnect with their intuition,” she states.
The resulting piece is a conceptual album that explores surrealism and turmoil and takes the listener on a beguiling journey through a vast range of emotions, contradicting at times, creating a comprehensive record of everything she has been through, with an overarching need to verbalise things in order for her to reclaim her narrative and power. “The title of the album was an affirmation towards being able to manifest my reality” the artist reflects. “The process wasn’t in any way straightforward, as I had to dig into an emotional place that was dark and confused. I almost felt like I was scrambling to put the pieces together, untangling everything that had become convoluted in my mind.”
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