We had the opportunity to interview with R&B artist, Almondmilkhunni! With her breakout single Grapefruit going viral, she is definitely one to watch. She recently released her new song Bandana! Keep reading to get to know her and what the process was like creating this single!
You recently released your new single Bandana. Could you tell us what the inspiration was behind writing this song?
Almondmilkhunni: “When my producer and I were in the studio that day, we were going through his beats and he was like, ‘Well I have one that has an Usher sample on it’, but the chances of it getting cleared were really slim. So, we just tried it and try to make it fun.
I was with my writer, Jade Mckenzie, we were just listening to the sample and it was a little about real life experience, something I was actually feeling at the time. It was cool because it was kind of the reversal of the sample of U Remind Me. It was flipped roles for the sample, it was the opposite perspective, which we thought was cool.”
What is the process like when working on a new song?
“It depends. In the beginning of me coming out to LA and recording with Electric Feel, before everything was super official with them, it was very based on what I was feeling.
When I write, usually it’s always something that I’m actually going through at the time. I feel that’s the only way I can write about anything. Lately, and for the EP, I got to work with Jade, my writer. She’s insanely talented with writing. We would go back and forth. I would come up with the idea for the song and then I would write my version and she would go in and show her demo… Usually hers was better! There is a lot of collaboration with the writing for this EP, which was fun.”
When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?
I pretty much always did. I was always so shy growing up and my parents were very conservative and everything. College was important to them for me to do, I was a first generation college student. It wasn’t like I had many other options to be successful, so it was not super encouraged to get into my creative outlets. It had always been there for me, it took until I got older to make the decision to take it seriously. I didn’t tell my parents for a while, though. I waited to tell them until it was pretty obvious that I could go somewhere with music!
Are you currently living in Philadelphia? Has living in Philadelphia played a role in the sound or feel of your music?
“I’ve been in Philly for I think three years now. My lease is up at the end of May and I think I might move over to the West Coast. It’s been something that I’ve been wanting to do especially since I exclusively work out there.
Philly is interesting with the influence because there are so many artists here. There is a lot of musicians, but it’s very independent. Everyone is doing their own thing. In that sense it definitely makes you less self conscious when you’re creating. It’s just an independent energy. Like, do what you want and whatever you like. I think on the West Coast it’s a lot more of a collaborative effort.”
Where did the name Almondmilkhunni come from?
“Originally, I was a barista at Starbucks on campus. I think I did that for two years. I never took social media seriously back then. All my usernames were jokes, I just thought were funny. When I was at Starbucks I would always make drinks with almond milk, and I thought it was funny. My socials started blowing up.
Then when I started music, I remember not knowing what name I was going to go with for a while. Everyone was like, ‘You have to just do your username because that’s what people know you as!’ How I started my username was just a joke. I was so against it! I started thinking about it. What it means to really embody who you are and be your own person. I was like, ‘Okay, I guess this is kinda me.’ So, that’s how it started!
If you could collab with any artist of your choice, who would it be?
“There is a lot of different ones because I listen to all different music. I love R&B and that’s what I was raised listening to. I think there are some older R&B artists I would love to work with. The-Dream, I love him, his production and all the writing he has done for other artists.
There is newer age R&B that I love, like SZA and Summer Walker, but there are also a ton of alternative artists that I listen to. It is a whole different genre but I think at some point I will be experimenting with different sounds.”
Can we expect any new projects or music coming this year?
I have another single coming out in May! It’s one I made before the EP. We’ve been waiting to figure out when the best time is to release it. It has super stay at home fall vibes, it’s not fall anymore, but everyone is stuck at home.
