Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Dawn Richard Reveals New Album Creole Culture
Dawn Richard has announced her first solo album in five years, Creole Culture, due for release on 9 October via Merge Records. The singer has also released "Enough," a new track offering a second preview of the record following her June single "Baby, Can We?" with Durand Bernarr, and the album's opening track features a guest appearance from Big Freedia.
Richard has described Creole Culture as the concluding chapter of a trilogy exploring her New Orleans heritage, following 2019's New Breed (which told her father's story) and 2021's Second Line: An Electro Revival (centred on her mother). The 11-track album also features contributions from Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph, Frank Richard of Chocolate Milk, and Tarriona "Tank" Ball, and follows recent collaborative projects Richard has released with composer Spencer Zahn and saxophonist Joseph Shabason.
In short
- Dawn Richard announces new album Creole Culture, out 9 October
- Album completes a trilogy started with 2019's New Breed
- New single "Enough" released, featuring guest Big Freedia on opener
Explained simply
Dawn Richard is a singer from New Orleans whose solo music draws on the city’s musical traditions and her family history. She first became widely known as a member of the girl group Danity Kane, and has since released music under her own name.
New Orleans has a distinctive Creole culture shaped by African, European and Caribbean influences, including in its music, food and language. Richard’s earlier albums New Breed and Second Line: An Electro Revival explored her father’s and mother’s stories; together with Creole Culture, they form a trilogy about her heritage.
The new album brings Richard together with musicians including Big Freedia, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph and Tarriona “Tank” Ball, artists connected to different strands of New Orleans music. This context helps explain why the record’s focus is broader than an individual family story: it also engages with the culture and musical community of the city.