Multi-talented singer Devonté Hynes, aka Blood Orange, returns with his fourth album Negro Swan, arriving on August 24, 2018. Negro Swan was written and produced by Hynes. About the album, Hynes says: “My newest album is an exploration into my own and many types of black depression, an honest look at the corners of black existence, and the ongoing anxieties of queer/people of color. A reach back into childhood and modern traumas, and the things we do to get through it all. The underlying thread through each piece on the album is the idea of HOPE, and the lights we can try to turn on within ourselves with a hopefully positive outcome of helping others out of their darkness.”

Raised in England, Hynes began performing in  teenage punk band the Test Icicles before releasing two orchestral acoustic pop records as Lightspeed Champion. In 2011, he released Coastal Grooves, the first of three solo albums under the name Blood Orange. His last album, Freetown Sound, was released to critical acclaim in 2016 with Hynes receiving comparisons to the likes of Kendrick Lamar and D’Angelo for his own personal expression of life as a black man in America. He has collaborated with Solange Knowles, Skepta, fka twigs, Carly Rae Jepsen, A$AP Rocky, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Blondie, and many other artists, and was recently one of four artists invited to the Kennedy Center to perform alongside Philip Glass. In addition to his production work, he scored the film Palo Alto, directed by Gia Coppola.

Hynes will be touring in support of Negro Swan this fall. Check out the album cover and tracklist below.

UPDATE — Devonté Hynes (Blood Orange) has now revealed the album tracklist for Negro Swan. It includes contributions from Puff Daddy, ASAP Rocky, Steve Lacy, Janet Mock, Kelsey Lu, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Project Pat, and more. The tracklist is below.

1.Orlando
2.Saint
3.Take Your Time
4.Hope (feat. Puff Daddy and Tei Shi)
5.Jewelry
6.Family (feat. Janet Mock)
7.Charcoal Baby
8.Vulture Baby
9.Chewing Gum (feat. A$AP Rocky and Project Pat)
10.Holy Will (feat. Ian Isaiah)
11.Dagenham Dream
12.Nappy Wonder
13.Runnin’ (feat. Georgia Ann Muldrow)
14.Out of Your League (feat. Steve Lacy)
15.Minetta Creek
16.Smoke

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna