Bubba (album)
Bubba (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by the Canadian electronic music producer Kaytranada, released by RCA Records on December 13, 2019. The album's release was preceded by the release of the single "10%" which features singer Kali Uchis,[2] which was released on December 9, 2019.[3] In the lead-up to the album release, Igloofest, a winter music festival, announced Kaytranada as a surprise guest.[4] Just after the album release, Kaytranada announced a one-day pop-up shop and DJ set in Montreal.[5]
Bubba
It won a Grammy award for the Best Dance/Electronic Album category, while "10%" won Best Dance Recording at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on March 14, 2021.[6] At the Juno Awards of 2021, it won the award for Dance Recording of the Year.[7]
Recording[edit]
In an interview with GQ, Kaytranada said that recording Bubba was a very different process to his previous album. Previously, songs would be edited on his laptop and sent remotely to collaborating artists for them to add their own ideas. With Bubba, recordings took place mainly in-studio with both the producer and the artist present.[8] As a result, Kaytranada had to adapt to creating chemistry and personal relationships with artists in the studio.[9]
In an interview with GQ, Kaytranada revealed that some of the artists on the previous album 99.9% turned down reappearances on Bubba.[8] This changed the direction of the entire album, as it instead focused on the "Kaytranada sound", searching for and evolving his personal style of music.[8] The result is a unique blend of neo-soul, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and other varying genres in a dance style that the artist describes as "funky".[10]
Musical style and themes[edit]
The Haitian-born Canadian producer Kaytranada expands on the house and techno genres to create modern Disco tracks, using what Billboard describes as an "inventive, funk-meets-electronica sound".[11] An NPR review noted that, rather than adhering to any single genre, the album morphs between Afrobeat, house, funk, R&B, disco, hip hop, and others.[12] These are ubiquitous styles found in the Nigerian popular genre, from where Afrobeat gains its heritage.[13] Bubba relies on its Afrobeat elements to "build a physical experience" in its bass and instrumentation, and feels "chameleonic" in its range.[12][14] The album is commonly described as "trance-like" and "psychedelic".[15][16] In a Pitchfork review, it was said to "[push] the audience's boundaries away from what they are comfortable with".[15]
Atwood Magazine noted that while Kaytranada's style is categorized as electronica, he deviates from the genre's usual audience of music festival goers,[17] instead focusing on diversity and blending together different genres on each track.[12] The Nation identified overarching themes of love, culture, and hiding behind masks, summarizing the album as thematically disconnected but emotionally "human".[14] Individual songs do not thematically blend, but transition musically; for instance, consecutive tracks "What You Need" and "Vex Oh" give almost opposing views on love.[14] Crack Magazine and NPR identify connections between Kaytranada's use of backbeats and synthesizers, and the evolution of R&B and post-Disco club music from the 1980s, especially in early underground DJs.[12][18]
Kaytranada revealed the album was influenced by the events in his life after the release of 99.9%, including opening up about his sexuality, coming to terms with his newfound fame, and dealing with anxiety, stress, and depression as a result.[19] Bubba focuses on themes of loneliness and being an outcast, which Kinfolk states to be what appeals most to his audience.[20]
Promotion[edit]
In the first year of its release, Bubba topped Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums Chart.[21][8] Kaytranada spoke out about his experience continuing producing for RCA records despite his experiences with depression from touring to promote his previous album.[22]
The album was preceded by the single “10%”.[23] This was followed by Kaytranada touring in Australia in January 2020 as part of the FOMO festival line-up in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.[24] More tour dates included the III Points Festival in Miami, Florida in May 2020, and the REBEL Entertainment complex in Toronto, Ontario, though both dates were postponed indefinitely due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.[25]
Credits adapted from Tidal.[41]
Rolling Stone lists Kaytranada collaborating with a range of artists on Bubba such as Pharrell Williams, Tinashe, GoldLink, Estelle, Mick Jenkins, SiR, Charlotte Day Wilson, Iman Omari,[37] Masego, VanJess, Ari PenSmith, Eight9fly, Durand Bernarr, and Teedra Moses.[43] Forbes notes that this is quite a large guest list for an R&B album.[23] Forbes writes that this album demonstrates Kaytranada's ability to visualise the songs in their rudimentary stages and determine which artist suits the final version of the song.[23]
Kaytranada perceives vocals and lyrics as another instrument rather than as a vehicle for meaning.[44] His collaboration with a range of artists and the way he uses their voices demonstrates that he values the sounds and texture that vocals add to songs rather than the meaning that lyrics can convey.[44] On Bubba, he frequently uses the voices of his collaborators to reference the sounds of the early 2000s.[44]
Kaytranada stated in an interview with Pitchfork that he wanted the audience to be able to feel the sense of collaboration and chemistry between himself and the individual artists which change on each track.[44]