Free Nationals feat. Benny Sings: Apartment

From Free Nationals’ self-titled debut album, “Apartment” feels like it’s from another era, courtesy of the lush, horn-ladened instrumentals by the Anderson .Paak-backing band and airy vocals from Amsterdam-based Benny Sings. Soulful and slow-burning, the track floats along until an eruption of crescendoing chaos—a cinematic stretch of piano, guitar and horns washes over, clearing the way for Benny Sings’ storytelling.

James Blake: I’ll Come Too

Pulled from James Blake’s Grammy nominated 2019 album Assume Form, “I’ll Come Too” details love and its boundlessness. From following a lover to a new city to promising to be better for the sake of the relationship, the repetition of lyricism—sometimes metaphoric and other times literal—reinforces a familiar plot. But, rather than pair the song with an expected music video, Blake tapped Matt Meech, an …

Interview: Sheldon Scott on His Powerful 13-Hour Performance Portrait

An intimate depiction of the daily life of his enslaved ancestors creates space to heal, respond, and understand the institution's place in today's society

Artist (and Eaton DC Culture Director) Sheldon Scott‘s “portrait, number 1 man,” is the first-ever performed portrait included in the Outwin Boochever Competition Exhibition, hosted annually at the National Portrait Gallery. This year’s other entries—which follow the gallery’s prompt: to respond to the current political and social context—include a stop-motion drawing, oil work and photographs. And while they’re all noteworthy for their own particular traits, …