Fielded — forever...

Brooklyn’s beacon of shining light — Fielded; press photo courtesy of the artist.

Fielded — otherwise known as pop culture polymath Lindsay Powell — is an artist that does it all. Producer, designer, singer, songwriter, healer, activist, working class hero, icon. With today’s release of the hotly anticipated album Demisexual Lovelace on the esteemed hip hop imprint Backwoodz Studioz; Powell orchestrates an album situated at the intersection of sensuality, the infinite power of the almighty femme, relationship dynamics, life, culture and more. Inner conversations are exchanged on the personal "Talking to Myself", to trading verses and bars with labelmate billy woods on the Isley's production aesthetic of "Justus", basking and exploring the fluidity of being on "Liquid Nouns", to the runaround routines and reasons of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", to the heart-stitched balladry found on "Sherita".

Rapunzel like fantasias flourish on the sophisti-r&b of "Glass Vines", to the focused frenzies of smart styles alongside ELUCID on "Grasses Sweet", entering the enriched hedonism of "High in a While", embracing the amorous evolution of our impact on earth with "Looking for Love in the Anthropocene", right before the last call/curtain call of "The Closer" that shines a light on Powell's rich and evocative vocal range. Sharing a listen to the botanically illustrious bonus track "Valleys & Peaks", Lindsay generously presents an exclusive Week in Pop curation of inspirations, intrigues and all around ingenuity:

Fielded’s Week in Pop

Demisexual Lovelace is an intimate exploration of mortality, sex, womanhood and intersectionality. It’s a project that questions the nature of our relationships, of love and shame, of the shackles we place on ourselves and each other. This is Fielded's first full-length since 2018 and it is significantly more autobiographical than my past work, inspired by healing modalities such as the group work of recovery, a deepening relationship to herbalism and meditative labor with the earth.

Vibroacoustic Sound Baths with Devi Mambouka of Vibrobath

Now, I’ve only done this a handful of times, the first of which was a few years ago when I first met Devi Mambouka, the creator of Vibrobath — but I can tell you this is an amazing experience. Every time I’ve been a part of it during quarantine I’ve felt lighter, more free and more grounded at the same time. Even through Zoom Devi manages to create a deeply meditative and entrancing space wherein intentions can be set and manifested.  If you are looking for a way to connect more deeply to yourself — or you just want to bathe in exquisite sound for an hour or more — Devi’s got you. They also have a music project called Masma Dream World and just released a new album called Play at Night on Northern Spy Records. I highly recommend following the instructions and listening with the Moon.

Roberta Flack’s 1975 album Feel Like Makin’ Love and Bobbie Gentry’s 1971 album Patchwork.

I’ve honestly been having a hard time listening to music during the pandemic. It’s most just been audiobooks and podcasts. Listening to people talking makes me feel less alone. But I’ve recently reunited with Feel Like Makin’ Love and I have found that this album has cheered me up quite a bit over the last few months. It’s super approachable and dreamy. My personal favorite is “Early Ev’ry Midnite".

Patchwork is an album I love getting in my feels to. It’s also such a warming Fall album. Bobbie’s voice is one of my absolute favorites, so sultry and crisp. My personal favorite to cry to is “But I Can’t Get Back”.

Studying Music Theory

Natural dalliances with Fielded’s Lindsay Powell; press photo courtesy of the artist.

I’ve always just played piano and sang without any true understanding of what I’m doing. Since starting quarantine I’ve been studying music theory and learning how to read music. It is so hard but within the challenge there is a satisfaction when I start to understand what feels like a foreign language. As I learn more the closer I am to being able to chart my own songs which is very exciting to me. It might take me years but I really want to get there. I think the act of studying something during this hard time has made me feel like I have more purpose.

Drinking Chamomile and Lemongrass Tea and taking Rose baths

Pop icon Lindsay Powell, aka Fielded; photographed by Alex Ramírez-Mallis.

There has been a lot of wisdom in the combination of Lemongrass and Chamomile for me. It’s soothing, tasty and ancient. It’s also good for relaxing the tummy. Every day I make myself a cup of this special combo and it is one small simple, pleasurable step towards completing the tasks of the day. Another favorite combination of mine is hibiscus and rosemary.

I’ve been working on my self-love and self-compassion so rose is a beautiful flower to soak in. I take baths when I don’t know what to do with myself and it feels like my head is spinning. They put me back in my body and calm my mind.

A podcast called Spooked! Hosted by Glynn Washington

A twilight smoke break with Fielded; photographed by Alex Ramírez-Mallis.

I absolutely, without a doubt, love ghost stories. This podcast is comprised of people telling their firsthand encounters with the supernatural. I am a big Halloween nerd so this podcast is the perfect build up.  Additionally, Glynn Washington is a really interesting host with a lot of his own stories regarding the thinning of the veil but he manages to tell them while also tackling larger, very real issues that plague our society. There’s something in hearing people talk about their experiences with the paranormal that comforts me.  Even though some of them can be dark, it’s that idea that there is something beyond this and that sometimes we can grasp it momentarily. That’s really exciting to me.  It’s also like — it’s okay to believe in magic during such a hard time in the world. I also think I’ve wanted some activities that bring me back to childhood. Listening to ghost stories takes me back to that time.

Demisexual Lovelace is available now via Backwoodz Studioz.