DIGITAL ISSUE 01: Who is LUCY?

Bktherula graces the first edition of 1202 MAGAZINE’s digital cover series.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

In the Scarlett Johansson film, Lucy, the main character activates 100% of her brain. Lucy is also a 3.2 million-year-old female hominin in the Australopithecus species—the first known person on Earth. In the bible, Saint Lucy was persecuted, blinded, and killed. When she was being buried, her eyes were miraculously restored. Atlanta-born musician Bktherula is at a stage in her life as powerful and revolutionary as reaching full brain capacity, being the first person on Earth, or reclaiming capabilities.

In her recent album, LUCY, Bktherula embodies these concepts in the form of spiritual ascension and continuous evolution. Whether it’s a life-changing experience or a glimpse of a moment in passing by, there’s nothing that can’t spark inspiration for the boundless artist, in music, fashion, or her identity. Bktherula isn’t making any compromises. Her experimental sound runs deep and fluidly, blending loud rap, melodic trap, punk-infused R&B, and avant-garde alternative in each introspective track.

Like her previous projects, LVL5 P1 and LVL5 P2, LUCY is a 17-song album with features including 9lives, Ty Dolla $ign, Joey Bada$$, KayCyy, and productions from Simmy Auto, Skaiwater, and Murda Beatz, among others. It takes us on a journey to prove that people like Bktherula don’t peak or hit a prime, but are constantly growing. Though there were trials and tribulations, nothing stopped her from challenging norms, switching up her swags, and rebelling against any and all conformity.

After her premiere album listening party at BelAire and ESSX and prior to her performing the album live for the first time at her event with Le PÈRE, we caught up with Bktherula. Here, we discussed LUCY, who and what that means for her, her artistic revolution, how she intertwines different aspects of life into her music, and what’s next for the alternative musician for our debut digital cover series.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

How has the feedback and reception of LUCY been since its release?

Honestly, the feedback has been nothing but good. Everyone is saying that this is my best album, and I have to agree with them. It’s hitting a different market than my past albums have hit, so it’s pretty cool to see I have new and different fans. My music and this album specifically are going to a new place. Everything feels so new and different.

What is the meaning behind the name LUCY?

It’s a combination of different meanings that all lead back to the same idea. If you’ve ever seen Lucy with Scarlet Johansson, she reaches 100% of her brain over time and is immersed in a whole new world that no one else understands. I feel like that’s what I’ve been representing with LVL5 and going into that dimension. LUCY is a more mature version of it. It’s also a way of thinking. Lucy is the name of the first woman on Earth. There’s also a saint in the Bible named St. Lucy. She was one of the first women to gain popularity. All of it goes back to being the first of something, and I feel like I’m the first of my kind in music for women. It’s a more mature version of LVL5—new ways of thinking, seeing the unseen, and knowing the unknown.

Are LVL5 and LUCY cohesive bodies of work, or are they different entities?

They’re definitely two different bodies of work, but it’s more like expanding the idea of LVL5. That’s what makes it one of the best albums I’ve ever dropped. LVL5 had P1 (Part 1) and P2 (Part 2). This is a new me, but I’m still staying true to the LVL5 wave.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

Walk me through the creative and emotional process behind the making of the album.

I worked on this album for about two years. The producer is a friend of mine, named Simmy Auto. He’s my main producer, and one of the coolest guys on Earth. We’ve been working on LUCY since the last album, LVL5 P2. Some songs were already recorded when LVL5 P2 dropped. ‘DUMBSHIT’ was recorded last year. A lot of songs were already made, but we put a lot of time into the transitions to make sure the songs stood out and sounded like a story rather than just dropping music. There are different emotions in each song: happiness, breakthrough, and sadness. The transitions take you through those emotions, and that was the hardest part of the process. We worked all the way up until our deadline and pushed it back. The difference between this album and previous ones is the time we spent on it and the thought process we had while making it.

One new aspect about LUCY is that you have skits. How did they come about, and what do they mean?

The first skit, ‘I FEEL LIKE,’ is my manager, Brit. We were going through it really badly with the music overseers. There were a lot of trials and tribulations with this album. I’m so glad that it’s out, but thinking about everything we had to go through, like clearances, is much deeper than music. Every artist has their own story about that, but we had deadlines. We had transitions, but something else was missing, and the deadline was the next day. We were calling studios at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. to see if we could get in. When I called Simmy, we went to the studio, recorded it, and actually felt those ways while recording: real-life, raw emotions. We didn’t get home until 4:00 a.m. We crashed, woke up early, and turned in the album. It was insane—and not even too long ago.

You tapped really unique samples, like A$AP Rocky’s ‘LSD’ and VANO3000’s ‘Running Away.’ What made you want to use these songs in LUCY?

‘LSD’ is one of my favorite Rocky songs, and one of my favorite songs in general, especially the video. My brother and I used to watch the video every day. I really just wanted to redo it and put my own twist on it. Skaiwater and I went to Joshua Tree to finish the album—or thought we would finish it—and a whole other year went by. I told Skaiwater I wanted to do ‘LSD,’ so we made the beat together in Atlanta, coming back from Joshua Tree. I recorded over it the same exact night, and that was it. I wanted to pay homage to Rocky. He heavily influences a lot of people and is a staple in music. I thought it would be cool to revamp [the song]; not in a way of taking it and making it mine, but more so in a way like, ‘I fuck with you and love this song. It’s changed me in a beautiful way, and this is from me to you.’ He really enjoyed it, so he cleared it for us and used it in his rollout for his Paris fashion show. Younger me is screaming.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

What message do you want LUCY to convey to listeners through you as a musician?

It’s okay to change. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to express yourself and go a new route. Think the way you want to think. This is my most vulnerable album. It took a lot for me to speak about the things I did on the album. Before this album, I was fearful of it. I don’t want others to be fearful of doing that. I want everyone who listens to the album to know that that’s okay.

Sometimes they say you are what you fear, and that’s how you succeed.

Exactly. Honestly, I’m fearing $100 million right now.

Earlier, you stated that you feel like the first of your kind for women in music. As an alternative Black woman musician, what makes you, you? What makes you stand out?

It’s the originality, to be honest. I feel like I’m still very humble, and humble is different from knowing what’s a fact. I am the first of my kind to come out in music. That’s what it is. I’ve seen what it’s done for people after me. I see it and I love it. The flows are never matched. The intro to LUCY is called ‘DROPWHENIDROP,’ because I have to do it first for everyone to understand it. For people to get their ideas, I have to do it first. I have to drop first, make the flow first, people hear it, and it inspires what they make after that. I come out with the craziest flows, and I’m not scared to drop something that people might not understand at first listen. That’s the difference; there’s no fear in that. I do what I want to do, and I don’t conform to the music trends of the time.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

Are there any artists who have shaped who you are as an artist, or does most of your mindset and craft come from your own inspiration?

It comes from my brain at random times. Even I, being in the car and looking around, small things inspire my flow, even things that aren’t music. I haven’t started recording for my next album, but I’m already thinking, ‘Dang, I wonder what my next flow will be.’ Living everyday life inspires my flow. The songs on LUCY are about my real life. When I was making ‘BLEHT,’ I was throwing up in the studio because I was extremely hungover, and I just really wanted to make a song. In the song, I said, ‘I’m throwing up right now.’ I was so nauseous that I had to take breaks during the song. It didn’t come from another sound, but it came from what I was doing in my life.

So, all of your lyrics are based on both small and big moments in your life?

Basically, I have to live life in order to make music. Without living life, there is no music. Without trials and tribulations, there is no music. That’s why a lot of people are really happy when artists go through sad things, like breakups. They say, ‘This next album is going to be crazy.’

You said it’s not always music that inspires you. How do you intertwine the other aspects of beauty in life—like fashion, style, or even politics—with your identity and music?

They go very hand-in-hand. The swag of everything; what I put on makes me feel different and actually makes me rap differently too. I’m actually most inspired by fashion when I go to the shows. I’m not sitting at the shows to look cool, I’m actually looking at the pieces. It makes me very emotional. It ties in to my music and inspires me to make crazy flows that people can feel. I recently went to the KidSuper show and teared up. It was insane. I thought, ‘How is this nigga thinking like this?’ The reactions of the people inspired me. I want people to react that way to my music.

I don’t think many musicians would be who they are if it weren’t for the way they dress.

For sure. It’s pretty important. If you don’t have swag but make really good music, it’s harder to get to where you want to be. You need to have your own unique swag.

Photography by William Rowan. Styling by Staff NYC.

LUCY also has a lot of features, like KayCyy, Joey Bada$$, and Murda Beatz. How did these collaborations come to life?

Same shit. Everyday life. I’ve always wanted to work with KayCyy. We worked on DONDA together when I was mad young. We reconnected a year or two after that. Everything he does is really amazing, and I wanted him to work on this with me. Murda sent me a pack [of beats] and ‘EUPHORIA’ was in it. I sent the beat to KayCyy, he rocked with it, and I recorded over it while he was in the studio in New York. I said, ‘KayCyy, why don’t you sing on this? Go in the fucking studio and sing on that shit.’ He did that. It was going to be just KayCyy and me on the song. Then, Joey’s manager hit up my manager, said he rocks with me and likes the song, ‘SHAKIN’ IT,’ and wants to get in the studio to meet. We go to the same studio, I play him ‘EUPHORIA.’ He really liked it. His manager hit us up two days later, telling us he wanted to get on the song, which was great because there was a nice, big track at the end of the song he could use. He recorded it and sent it back a long time after the song was made. It was a surprise because we didn’t know if he would send it back on time because of the deadline. He sent it back the day before the deadline, and when I heard it, I said, ‘This is insane.’ I think it’s one of the most beautiful songs on the album.

You said you haven’t started recording your next album yet, but do you have an idea of which direction you’re going in for it?

Yes, we do. We were talking about it yesterday. It’s going to be completely different. Very, very different.

Who are some artists you want to work with soon?

I really want to work with NoName. I’m talking with her about it. I recently listened to her album, which I used to listen to all the time in high school. I want to work with a lot of people that you wouldn’t expect. The next album will be about making younger me proud, and NoName is at the top of that list.

The Le PÈRE event is your first time performing LUCY live. How are you feeling?

I’ve only performed it at listening parties, so I’m extremely excited. Wow. It’s going to be fun. I didn’t know it was a venue at first. I’ve been so busy with the album that I thought it would be something like a pop-up, and we get behind the DJ booth. But when I went to soundcheck at 99 Scott, I was like, ‘This is a fucking performance!’

What do you want to say to your fans, especially those who have been following you from the beginning?

I have the best fanbase in the world. They have been beside me forever. I can change my swag up, and they still get me. I love my fans. They’re the biggest reason why I’m here, after God, of course. I wouldn’t be here without my fans. I feel like I tell them that a lot, but I need to say it again because the feedback on this album was amazing. They never fail to make me feel amazing. They show up for me more than some of my friends do. I’m very locked in with them.