6LACK remains a prominent figure in the R&B world because of his unapologetic honesty and storytelling skills — so much so that he has a chance to win his first Grammy Award this weekend (Feb. 4) for his latest album, Since I have a lover. A departure from his sad, melancholic releases, SIHAL presents 6LACK's most healthy exploration of his relationships and, more importantly, himself.
“For that, I feel really good because it's an album that's not rooted in things that people see as cool, like growing up and trial and error and maturing and having healthier relationships with yourself and the people around you,” 6LACK says Billboard News after scoring his Grammy nod for Best Progressive R&B album. “Getting the name for it is the icing on the cake.”
For 6LACK, he underwent a five-year layoff between projects and used that time to upgrade his soul. “Working on these last two albums and doing these tours, I think I got into a movement to create from a certain place and not heal whatever those stories were,” he says. “So I would make something, promote it, perform it, live it and move on to whatever was next. The next time I finished both of those tours, I felt like I had a lot of baggage and extra stress that I didn't need to have anymore.”
And he adds: “So if we play Free 6LACK, we don't need to worry about anything from that time. If we play East Atlanta Love Letter, we don't need to have anything with us from those times. So when I stopped touring and looked around at everything, I felt like I was in a room full of clutter — just mentally. That was the main thing that made me feel like I needed some time.”
The real eye opener came during his tour last year, which allowed 6LACK to see the calming effect his music had on people in real time.
“The tour was the number one thing that showed me the effects of the album because when you do it, it's one thing, and you can feel how you feel about it, but when you see it in real life, it's like, Aw.' People are here crying, laughing, saying, “This is the best night of my life. This is the best show I've ever been to.' It's really rewarding to do something rooted in positivity and see the effect it has on other people.”
Watch 6LACK's Billboard News detailed above.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/6lack-since-i-have-a-lover-grammys-interview-1235591921/