04 TIED | LINER NOTES

[verse]

out the dust, out the mud

in my bones, in my blood

out the soil on the land

where my great-granddaddy stood

yeah my spirit remember

yeah them ghosts, they're alive

and it go beyond science

how I have nothin' but thrive

aside from stories

I ain’t inherited nothin but pride

a certain steady vibe

the day I held my cousin she cried

no I can’t explain the thing

it just be somethin' inside

'cause my soul can recall

'cause them stories alive

so I carry them lessons wherever I’m at

God forbid that I forget

you know I could never do that

the magic is the fabric

the cadence and words

I’m from people that’s unafraid

to speak up and be heard

let my body remember

like my tongue can recite

let yo' eyes be the witness

I be divine by design

get my force from the source

wear it and wrap it up tight

it’s within everything in me

I remain bonded and tied

[chorus]

tied

oh, I carry them lessons wherever I'm at

carry them blessings wherever I'm at

carry the connection wherever I'm at

here's one undeniable fact

tied

[verse]

out the dust, out the mud

to the streets in the 'hood

to the blocks, to the buildings

where business is stood

let my conscience remember

let it stay on my mind

even when you no see me

know I am out here for mine

aside from stories

I ain’t inherit nothin' but time

to get up and get it poppin' because I’m the kind

from the seed that was planted

to the trees I've done climbed

to the babies and generations down in the line

oh, I carry them blessings wherever I’m at

Got forbid that I forget

you know I could never do that

the magic is the fabric

bred in the thread

I was meant for the bigger things

let it not be unsaid

let my body remember

like my tongue can recite

let yo' eyes be the witness

I be divine by design

get my force from the source

wear it and wrap it up tight

it’s within everything in me

I remain bonded and tied

it’s within everything in me

I remain bonded and tied

LYRIC VIDEO

I created this lyric video for the annual Apple employee Juneteenth talent show, using a rough demo track with original chorus. The song wasn't complete at the time, and I'm glad we took a bit more time to sit with the concept and polish it, but it felt right to share it with my co-workers at that time.

Compare this rough version to the album version, where I re-recorded the verses, re-wrote the hook, and Chip made some adjustments to the production.

OFFICIAL VIDEO

SCENES: Anastasia at home, retwisting her locs. Preparing a meal. Outside barefoot in the country on a moonlit night.

The Artist is fundamentally “tied” to a rich heritage which is written on her skin and knotted into her hair. “Here’s one undeniable fact.”

I’ve never approached the topic of my Blackness in my music, so this song is a first for me. The concept - originally “My Roots” - was introduced by a collaborating artist. Collaborations are a great opportunity to step outside the creative comfort zone and explore ideas which may not otherwise occur to you.

The challenge for me was to sum up how I feel about my background as a Black American in two straightforward 16-bar verses, which I constructed in February 2024.

I spent Juneteenth 2024 in the German countryside, where I had plenty of time and space to contemplate the significance of the holiday. To contemplate my own life and freedom. To contemplate how I show up. I wrote the final chorus upon my return home.

I set out to say that, wherever I go in the world, my Blackness goes with me. My perspectives and experiences are informed and filtered by it. Hence the lyric “I carry the connection wherever I’m at.

WAY OUTSIDE

executive produced by Anastasia Hera

lyrics & listening guide

TIED