![\"M-33-neneh-cherry\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/M-33-neneh-cherry.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nIt\u2019s been 25 years since Neneh Cherry\u2019s megahit \u201cBuffalo Stance\u201d from her debut Raw Like Sushi<\/i> invaded U.S. airwaves, and nearly 18 since she released her last solo album. But the Swedish singer-songwriter is back with a new album,\u00a0Blank Project<\/i>. \u201cI\u2019ve been saying I\u2019d do it for 17 years, but it became, \u2018I need to do this now<\/i>,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cIt became a lifeline\u2014my mother died four years ago, and I had shut down. So this album is a rebirth of sorts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blank Project<\/i> is a laid-back, rhythmic mix of beat poetry, rap and soul, with hints of EDM courtesy of acclaimed beat-maker\u00a0Four Tet\u2014aka Kieran Hebden\u2014who produced the album. Brothers Ben and Tom Page of RocketNumberNine served as her backing band, and first single \u201cOut of the Black\u201d features fellow Swedish artist Robyn. But don\u2019t assume the star power means Cherry\u2014whose stepfather was the late American jazz musician Don Cherry and half-brother is Eagle-Eye Cherry\u2014is riding any coattails.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t ever say, \u2018If I do this, it would be good for business.\u2019 If I did, I\u2019d probably be a lot more successful,\u201d says Cherry, 49. \u201cIt was about wanting the music to be the best it can be. Of course, there\u2019s always the hope you\u2019ll find new fans, and working with those artists means reaching an audience that was barely born when my debut came out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cherry is no stranger to collaboration. She\u2019s appeared on recordings by Peter Gabriel, Gorillaz and Groove Armada, and credits experimental jazz group the Thing on 2012\u2019s The Cherry Thing<\/i> for helping her new set come to fruition. She started writing songs for Blank Project<\/i> three years ago, but it took just five days to record in a studio near Woodstock, N.Y. \u201cRecording with the Thing helped me come back to life,\u201d she says. \u201cWe made The Cherry Thing<\/i> very quickly, and the energy I experienced working that way carried over to Blank Project<\/i>. In the past I\u2019ve spent days going over a verse. Letting go of that gave these new songs intensity, making them feel more personal or even slightly unhinged. I felt alive doing it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the music that put her on the map 25 years ago, she says, \u201cThey were important songs for me. I love them, but they\u2019re part of the past. They\u2019re not something I want to recreate. But I\u2019m glad I had those babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
So don\u2019t expect to hear \u201cBuffalo Stance\u201d when she tours the States this spring\u2014and don\u2019t expect another 18-year gap between albums. \u201cAfter taking my time, I\u2019m now the polar opposite. I want to hold onto this and make some more music really soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Katy Kroll<\/p>\n