This Experimental Pop Artist Flips the Script on Menswear With Her Stunning New Album Art

In some ways, the Paris-born, London–based experimental singer-songwriter known as Lafawndah has spent the last year in collaboration mode. She’s fleshed out the cacophonous yet club-ready sound of Tan, her 2016 EP, over the past few months, mostly by working on projects with others. With the two Honey Colony mixtapes she released last year, she’s put her own spin on the songs of Klein, Kelela, and Cardi B (on “Nana,” she layers a flute line over a vocal from the megastar). In the live show at London’s South Bank that followed these re-imaginings, she performed alongside fellow singer-songwriters Kelsey Lu and Tirzah, working with New Age legend Midori Takada on the audiovisual release “Le Renard Bleu,” a part of Kenzo’s ongoing Folio series and Takada’s first new original composition in close to 20 years.

Now though, Lafawndah’s back to building her own distinct solo body of work. She just announced her official debut album, Ancestor Boy, which comes out at the end of March. “Daddy,” the slow-burner single, is the first of the new work to be released, but it’s the cover art that’s most salient: a portrait of Lafawndah, shot by photographer Mathilde Agius, with a towering updo created by braider Sara Mathiasson, who Lafawndah calls a “hair master.” And as for the intricate bodysuit she’s wearing in the album cover photo, it’s a piece from Nihl, the New York City–based menswear brand headed up by designer Neil Patrick Grotzinger, who describes his aesthetic as “masculine effeminacy.” Stylist Sharifa Morris paired the stunning piece with an earring from Avocet, a handmade jewelry line from Mexico. “I wanted the whole team to come together to build an image that felt like an invitation to an epic adventure,” Lafawndah told Vogue over email. If the album sounds anything like the cover art, then it’s sure to be otherworldly.