Jamila Woods has released a new version of her Toni Morison-inspired track, ‘SULA (Paperback)’. The new version is called ‘SULA (Hardover)’ and is produced by Slot-A. Check it out below, alongside an accompanying music video directed by Brown Girls creator Fatimah Asghar.
“Who do we give ourselves permission to be when we’re alone? When our gaze is only on ourselves?” Asghar said in a press release. “I’ve always loved Sula by Toni Morrison, and been particularly struck by the way that Sula isn’t understood by the people around her because of her sexuality. Being in quarantine, connecting to my own sexuality in a way that I hadn’t before, re-reading Sula and listening to the song inspired me to think through the concept of the video.”
The director added: “The music video follows Jamila as she goes from the outside world to the inside, disrobing in the comfort of her own space, stripping down to her interior—the part of her no one else gets to see. Quarantine has had us all wondering what our lives, our sexuality, is like away from the gaze of the world. And Sula is all about empowered sexuality, carving your own path outside of what society thinks is okay. Embracing both the empowered erotic in her own way, this video will show a side to Jamila we’ve never seen before.”
Jamila Woods’ most recent album was 2019’s LEGACY! LEGACY!.
