skaiwater Expands Their World On Surprise New Album Femme Fatale OUT NOW
In celebration of their birthday, UK’s genre-defying artist skaiwater releases their new album, Femme Fatale. The 12-track project marks a distinctly international chapter for skaiwater, expanding their sound into something larger, more expansive, and worldly while retaining the unmistakable energy of their music. Drawing from Caribbean rhythms, Afrobeats, and influences that stretch far beyond a single scene, Femme Fatale feels connected to a world without being tied to one place. Born to a British-Jamaican mother and a Sierra Leonean father, skaiwater has always existed across cultures, and the album brings that perspective into sharper focus. “If creation began with attraction (energy pulling energy), lust, seduction, and mystique are the same feminine attracting forces that tie back to the creation of everything. That’s why the album is called Femme Fatale,” skaiwater shares. Ambitious in scale and deeply personal in its point of view, Femme Fatale feels built for a world much bigger than any one scene.
Inspired by Young Thug and the era that helped shape the world skaiwater is building, Femme Fatale carries that influence through both its title and visual identity. “HITUNES” shares its name with Thug’s unreleased debut album, while its artwork recreates the Barter 6 cover in pink, a nod to an era that continues to inform their approach. The project’s focus track, “ella,” carries a larger-than-life energy, driven by an infectious dancehall rhythm as skai goes off over the production with their signature intensity. The track captures the album’s expansive, worldly feel, bringing together the effortless energy and wide-ranging influences that define Femme Fatale.
Earlier this year, skaiwater released Wonderful, a project that earned significant support and led to a cover story with The FADER. Wonderful featured production from Bankroll Got It, North West, and others, alongside collaborations with Tezzus, Ti Steele, and diamond*.
Following the album’s release, skaiwater took Wonderful on the road for a U.S. tour, bringing the project directly to fans and delivering a memorable set at Rolling Loud Orlando. Their profile also grew through an appearance in Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack x Nike campaign alongside Chloe Cherry and Molly Santana. Throughout the year, skaiwater has continued to stretch beyond their own releases, collaborating with i-dle on “Mono,” which has surpassed 30 million views on YouTube, while contributing production to CORTIS on “REDRED,” Lancey Foux on “Who Do You Love?,” and Tezzus on “Guess What.” Their growing list of collaborators also includes Skepta, Lil Nas X, PinkPantheress, BKThaRula, and Karrahbooo.
Femme Fatale follows a catalog that has consistently challenged expectations. Their critically acclaimed project #MIA (Manic in America) earned a Pitchfork Best New Track for “pop” and praise from Paper Magazine for their “genre-bending moves” that “seamlessly traverse musical, cultural, and digital worlds.” Prior to #MIA, #gigi was named The FADER’s Album of the Year and landed on “Best of 2024” lists from Rolling Stone, Complex, and Pitchfork. If anything connects with the work, it’s skaiwater’s refusal to let genre become a ceiling.
FEMME FETALE TRACK LIST:
1. vampires, zombies
2. HITUNES
3. Delilah
4. Ella
5. WEVERSE
6. nana
7. angel
8. sophia (ft. Sophie Gray)
9. BAITFACE
10. radar, radar
11. foreigner
12. JUMP
