Photo: Instagram
Angel Haze is back with brand new music, and a story to tell. On Friday, the star released their highly anticipated EP entitled Girl With The Gun after a five and a half year hiatus from music. Earlier this week, Haze took to social media to share the six-song track list with their followers, writing:
"Official artwork for Girl With The Gun, FRIDAY Nov 19. SWIPE FOR THE TRACKLIST. i missed this feeling so much."
Haze's coming-of-age story is unlike any other. Growing up in Michigan, in what they describe as a "cult", Angel learned early on that in order to be successful, it's wise to bet on yourself. The star recently caught up with iHeartRadio and opened up about Girl With The Gun, healing from trauma, and being inspired by life, love and Kanye West.
On dropping their single "Altar"
I'm a church kid, I grew up in a cult, and what I really love about gospel music just kind of how like universal it can be. If you can get someone to dance to gospel music, you can get them to do anything. They're like love songs to Jesus essentially. And growing up I really loved that, I loved how infectious it felt and I wanted to make something like that and to get back to that part of myself. So to me I feel like "Altar" is an offering. And something that's purer than anything. It comes from a place to me that's sacred because it's about the truth
On Healing
I think my healing has been most major in my voice. I did a lot of work. I spent a lot of time on myself. Just getting to know myself, re-earthing myself and getting to know my seed. It's weird, someone used to tell me I don't remember it was like 2016 that, uh, the seed is the most important thing because it tells the roots who you really are. And for a long time it was hard for me to speak. I grew up in an environment where I wasn't allowed to use the width of my emotions or express them or whatever the ****. I've been able to heal myself by saying these things [in my music], even if I'm saying them to no one at all.
On Kanye West's Influence
I know it's gonna sound stupid because everybody hates Kanye now, but Kanye [is an artist I look to that uses their voice]. Kanye says anything that comes to his mind like 24 ******* seven. Even if it's stupid you're just like, "Bro did you think about that?" and you love it and you eat it up because there's a fearlessness in that, that we all haven't learned to gravitate towards. So we see it and it's our eyes widen and we're like, "**** that's tasty." I love that, Kanye's inspired a large part of my journey when it comes to being able to use my voice, regardless of what I'm saying, if I believe it I say it.
On Girl with a Gun
Angel Haze is girl with the gun and to me that just means I'm unstoppable like I like, I don't see myself as any less or as any more than anyone else, but I have realized my purpose. So deep and so thick in myself that I cannot be, like I'm an immovable force. I won't be the kind of story that I thought I would be before. This is about power-- reclaiming and knowing and growing yourself. Stepping into your life and saying, "F*** it, I'ma shine till the b*** go out." And for me, I'ma die one day, so I gotta get my s*** off and that's just it for me."
On Self-Love
I'm gonna tell you to know yourself, that's the only way to survive, the only ****** way to survive is to know who you are, to know your strengths, to know what makes you feel weak, to conquer your impulses, like to really feel the earth in yourself and stand on that shit and say, "I'm here for a reason," because you are. And learning to motivate yourself is a part of learning to be great 'cause no, nobody's gonna do it for you, think somebody wakes Jeff Bezos up and says, "Sell that shit."
Catch Girl with the Gun available now.