Four years after "BABYDOLL" turned her into a TikTok cult favorite, Ari Abdul has a title and a date for her first full-length album. It is called The Void, and according to an October 1 interview with EARMILK, it is expected to arrive on November 13.
The road here
The Brooklyn-born artist told EARMILK that her early viral moment "came at a time that I was in a really dark place," and that seeing the music mean something to others "healed something in me." Since then she has played Lollapalooza and toured with Nessa Barrett, building the shadowy, downtempo, trip-hop-laced sound that runs through her recent singles.
The singles so far
EARMILK lists "EGO," "SO GOOD," "ENAMORED," "SEDUCTIVE" and "FMTYLM" as the songs that have led into the album. "Seductive" was produced by Stint, whose work on Ari's debut The Ring has covered before. Ari called "FMTYLM" "truly one of my favorite songs I've ever made," saying it "really sets the tone for the dark and vulnerable themes on the upcoming album, as well as the soundscape to expect."
What The Void is about
Asked what the project explores, she told EARMILK: "Myself, I truly was trying to understand who the hell I am. I feel like, in making the project, I've experienced so much self-discovery and destruction. I'm ready to share that experience."
She also named the influences. The record, she said, "is heavily inspired by the loneliness and the yearning for connection that's felt in films like Requiem for a Dream, Taxi Driver, and Fallen Angels," along with growing up in New York City. Sonically she pointed to Massive Attack and Portishead.
And after it
Ari already seems to be looking past this chapter. "Honestly, I want to explore more positive and romantic sides of myself after The Void," she told EARMILK, describing the record as "quite heavy."
For fans who have followed her since "BABYDOLL," November 13 is the day the full world finally arrives. The Ring will be listening.