Dawn Richard Says Massive Attack Birthed a Generation of Alt-Black Kids—Including Her

Music That Rewired My Brain is an interview series in which artists we like tell us all about the songs and albums that made them think about music in an entirely different way.

Part of engaging with Dawn Richard is realizing her imagination and taste are boundless. Listening to the ebullient artist’s music is like taking a trip through an extremely well-manicured playlist of influences: R&B standards and somber folk; brassy second-line celebrations and swelling orchestral film scores; crunchy guitar music and pulsing electronica. Whether she’s putting a sci-fi spin on her hometown of New Orleans or dipping into her singer-songwriter bag, her choices are always as intentional as they are unpredictable.

Perhaps her most startling left turn comes with her work alongside Massachusetts producer and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn: If your only experience with Dawn revolves around the girl group Danity Kane or her collaborative singles with producers like Kaytranada, then 2022’s Pigments and this month’s Quiet in a World Full of Noise are intense pivots. On Quiet, Dawn’s songwriting manifests as diaristic stories of trauma and uplift that echo through Zahn’s pianos and orchestral flourishes. Her voice cuts through the minimalism like a Maglite through the shadows in the corners of her mind, trembling with power and hope to make it past failure and regret. 

When I spoke with Dawn on a recent rainy afternoon, she came at her myriad influences in terms both technical and silly; she described the work of film composer Hans Zimmer as both “spatial” and “yummy.” Dawn approaches music with deep reverence and a sense of wonder undamped by the bleak and beautiful world she and Zahn have created together.

Here are eight songs and albums that have rewired Dawn Richard’s brain.