keiyaA – stupid prizes

Chicago-born, NYC-based keiyaA returns with “stupid prizes”, her first single since 2020’s “Forever, Ya Girl”. The track previews her upcoming sophomore album and shows she’s still working with layered harmonies and conceptual frameworks.

She recorded “stupid prizes” in one late-night Brooklyn session, sampling Percy Faith’s orchestral compositions. Faith specialized in lush American standards and show tunes, which keiyaA uses as intentional contrast. She describes it as creating “a bed of irony” – singing about misery over beautiful, romantic music.

The production revolves around looped harmonies that build into a calming state. keiyaA’s vocals sit comfortably in the mix, neither fighting the sample nor getting lost in it. The arrangement gives her space to work through what she calls a period of emotional and physical upheaval.

Five years between releases is a long gap, but “stupid prizes” suggests the wait was worth it.