
What the fuck did you say? Nars Illuminator’s ‘Illumination’ makes me sick
NARS Illuminators’ new album, Illumination of Conscience, has been lauded as a groundbreaking work of art.
But as one woman who worked on the record told The Huffington Post UK, the song has made her feel very uneasy.
“I was thinking of it as a personal statement.
What I felt when I listened to it was that there is a level of powerlessness, which is very real for many people who work in the arts and are very visible to others,” she told HuffPost UK.
“It’s about being able to be heard, and having people understand that you are not alone in this.”
“When you’re in that space, the whole world is listening,” she continued.
“That’s something that has always made me feel very safe, and it’s something I’ve always had.
I feel like I’m not alone, that people are listening to what I’m saying.”
The album is an attempt to tackle the issue of power, inequality and the oppression of women and minority communities in the entertainment industry.
“There are many people saying that we should celebrate women artists and celebrate people of colour in the music industry,” said Roxy, one of the three women behind Illumination.
“We should celebrate our artists and people of color in the industry, and there is an awful lot of people in the world who are being told that this isn’t enough, or that we don’t want to celebrate them.”
“I am so fucking grateful to be a part of this project, because I feel that I’m a part to change the world.
I’m an artist and I feel powerful.”
The three women, who all describe themselves as artists and artists in their own right, are currently filming the album in their studio.
They will be in England next month, performing with artists including the Black Lips, Pavement, Nine Inch Nails, the Lumineers and Biz Markie.
As well as creating a music video, the project will also be releasing a series of art prints.
“The album has a lot of very interesting and powerful messages, but there’s also an awful big amount of racism and sexism in the record,” said the Luminester.
“For me, it’s a celebration of the power that people of different backgrounds and races have in this industry.”
Nars has also announced a tour that will see the trio perform a series on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and BBC World Service.
“People have asked me if we want to record a single in a single night, and that’s actually going to happen,” Roxy said.
“But we’re going to record all of these songs in a set of two or three nights.
And then we’ll start to see if it’s going to be successful.”
For Roxy and the Luminers, the tour will be a challenge, given that they are in a unique position to speak out about this issue.
“This album is about being in a position of privilege and being able the freedom to speak my mind,” said Lumineer.
“If we want people to listen to it, then we need to put up a sign, because we need people to understand what it’s like to be in that situation.”
NARS Illumination is out now.
Watch more from the band below.
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