Papi Pacify

Album: EP2 (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • An R&B musician and dancer of Jamaican and Spanish descent, Tahliah Barnett moved from her childhood home in rural Gloucestershire, to London where she became known as Twigs (for the way her bones crack). The acronym FKA was later affixed at the request of another artist called Twigs. The young singer paid her dues as a back-up dancer in Jessie J's video for "Do It Like A Dude," and also appeared in a BBC comedy sketch called Beyoncé Wants Groceries, in which she can be seen dancing in a supermarket.
  • This smoldering track was the lead single from Twigs' critically acclaimed EP2, which was released on indie label Young Turks (The xx, Jack Penate) on September 10 2013. The moody and intimate cut features production from Yeezus collaborator Arca.
  • The song's music video was directed by FKA Twigs and Tom Beard. She told NME regarding its concept: "It's important to run with your first instinct. The video is meant to be a physical manifestation of emotional turmoil with a lover."
  • The video features a disturbing scene where a man covers Twigs' mouth with his fingers. The singer admitted to London's ES magazine the dark imagery is a reference to an abusive former partner. "In the relationship I couldn't communicate," she explained. "The person I was with was stopping me from explaining how I felt. So the physical manifestation is someone putting their hand in your mouth."

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