The secret is finally out. After teasing her much-anticipated new album via Snapchat clips, cryptic Instagram posts, erased Tweets, and website updates, Solange Knowles has announced that A Seat at the Table will finally be out this Friday, September 30. The final and biggest clue came last night when 86 lucky fans received a mailed copy of a book — also titled A Seat at the Table — containing poetry, photos, lyrics, and the date 9/30/16 stamped into one of the middle pages. This led many to rightly surmise that Friday would mark the release of an album by the same name.
According to a track list sent today by Columbia Records, who will release the new album with Solange’s own Saint Records, the youngest Knowles sister has rounded up an extremely sick list of contributors. Dev Hynes worked closely with Solange on her 2012 EP True before the two had a falling out on Twitter in 2013 and an emotional reconciliation at FYF last year, and will contribute vocals to an interlude called “This Moment.” Lil Wayne has taken a break from beefing with Birdman to feature on the track “Mad,” Sampha will appear on the politically charged “Don’t Touch My Hair,” and Kelela on the album’s second-to-last cut “Scales.” Other exciting collaborators include Q-Tip, Kelly Rowland, and rising R&B crooner BJ the Chicago Kid.
Solange says that the album is “a project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief, and healing.” Check out the full track listing below and a digital version of the beautiful poetry/photo book here.
- “Rise”
- “Weary” (Additional Vocals blessed by Tweet)
- “Interlude: The Glory Is In You”
- “Cranes In The Sky”
- “Interlude: Dad Was Mad”
- “Mad” Ft. Lil Wayne (Additional Vocals blessed by Moses Sumney and Tweet)
- “Don’t You Wait”
- “Interlude: Tina Taught Me”
- “Don’t Touch My Hair” Ft. Sampha
- “Interlude: This Moment” (Additional vocals Devonte Hynes of Houston Texas and Lu of Carolina)
- “Where Do We Go” (Additional vocals blessed by Sean Nicholas Savage)
- “Interlude: For Us By Us”
- “F.U.B.U.” Ft. The Dream & BJ The Chicago Kid (Additional Vocals blessed by Tweet)
- “Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)” Ft. Q-Tip
- “Interlude: I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It” Ft. Kelly Rowland & Nia Andrews
- “Junie”
- “Interlude: No Limits”
- “Don’t Wish Me Well”
- “Interlude: Pedestals”
- “Scales” Ft. Kelela
- “Closing: The Chosen Ones”
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley