The Singular Brittany Howard On Creating and Thriving in Chaos: “I’m Still OK”

“I want to be singular,” Brittany Howard told The Guardian in a recent interview while discussing a moment with Joni Mitchell. “She was so lovely,” said Howard. “And she felt just as awkward as me, like she had never gotten used to the extravagance they put on us. I really appreciated that, and appreciate her for being so authentic. She did her thing her way and I want to be like that. I want to do my thing my way.”

Howard is definitely doing just that with her forthcoming solo album What Now, which is described as both a resignation and a hopeful look to the future. The album is due out on February 2, 2024, and Howard spent most of the pandemic writing it. She spoke about her catapult to fame with the Alabama Shakes, how she wasn’t necessarily prepared for that drastic change in her life, and how, even through “destruction and fear and chaos” in the world, she’s still thriving, falling in love, and being creative.

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“I feel like the only job I have in this life is to explore my own creativity,” she said. She described the pandemic as “a dark gift” for her writing process, which birthed What Now, tackling real, tangible issues and experiences she’s had in her life. For example, the song “Goat Head” describes a moment when someone in her neighborhood slashed her father’s tires and left a goat’s head in the backseat, “Earth Sign” is Howard writing a “witchy sort of prayer” for a romantic partner, and “Another Day” is an exploration of the dichotomy of the world’s current situation related to Howard’s experience as a mixed-race queer woman living in the South.

“They’re telling me to hide and fear my neighbor, to be suspicious,” she said of the track, “But, at the same time, I’m falling in love. Somehow, among all this destruction and fear and chaos, I’m still OK.”

Howard also mentioned that some moments on the album might sound “off,” but that she didn’t correct them because it would be erasing her authentic self. “There are times on this album when I don’t correct my voice. It’s not perfect. It’s strange sometimes. Sometimes it’s a little off. Or maybe I’m lisping. That’s just me. That’s who I am, take it or leave it,” she said resolutely.

“That was the whole point,” she continued, speaking of the nature of chaos and beauty and art, “that all these things can exist. There’s no neat ending and this isn’t a perfect record. It’s called What Now … there’s always gonna be some s–t going down. Who knows what’s going to happen next? Those are the times to play.”

Featured Image by Mike Coppola/WireImage