Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn, the creative forces behind the mesmerizing album Pigments transcend musical boundaries with their unique collaboration. 

Known for her dynamic presence in the electro-revival scene, Dawn Richard joins forces with Spencer Zahn, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer. Pigments is not just an album; it’s an immersive electronic, avant-garde jazz and neo-classical experience that delves into self-discovery, dance, and the vibrant arts scene of New Orleans.

Dawn Richard’s music feels as if it’s emanating from a higher plane than ours. Even back in her more radio-friendly days with Danity Kane and Diddy (Puff Daddy), the New Orleans singer imbued her songs with a rare vulnerability, emerging from the hedonistic landscape of late-2000s hip-hop and R&B with earnest, heartbroken compositions about losing love and finding it beneath the strobe lights of the dancefloor. She’s a singer of big emotions, and even as she’s pushed her solo work further into experimental realms, she has continued to foreground feeling above all else.

Breaking away from Richard’s familiar R&B and dance music, Pigments is a departure that showcases her versatility. Spencer Zahn’s intricate electronica soundscapes, rooted in principles of open space and motion, provide the perfect canvas for Richard’s stripped-down and intense vocals. The album is a continuous composition with distinct “movements,” led by instruments such as clarinet, saxophone, guitar, and strings, to the likes of artists like Björk, Ólafur Arnalds, Pharaoh Sanders & Floating Points, Hans Zimmer, Portishead and The Cinematic Orchestra.

The collaboration originated from their work on “Cyanotype,” a track from Zahn’s 2018 debut album. Motivated to explore a full-length project, the duo embarked on a musical journey that unfolded the narrative of “someone painting with broken brushes.” Richard reflects on the album as a testament to being a dreamer, embracing imperfections, and finding beauty in the unconventional. Marking Richard’s first step into the contemporary neo-classical world, Pigments reveals a new facet of her limitless talents and provides a fresh introduction to Zahn, whose intimate, sprawling soundscapes play with principles of open space and motion.