Victoria Monét and Khalid brought the happy summer vibes with the help of SG Lewis in the form of their new collab, "Experience." In a joint statement in regards to the release of the song, both artists admitted they were hesitant to put "Experience" out right now in light of the current state of the world, but ultimately decided to in order to bring some levity to the heaviness of everything going on.
"We’ve always used music as a form of escapism from troubling things," the statement reads. "This song, though deep in subject matter, sonically simply feels joyful and celebratory. It’s important to us to highlight and celebrate Black joy and love in the middle of so much pain and trauma." Victoria also wanted to use the opportunity to celebrate her queer identity with the song, given that it's Pride month. "The LGBTQ+ community and the Black community (especially those of us who are part of both) have always struggled to be seen in our own ways," she noted. "The struggles between the two are not the same, but they share the inspiring persistence in the relentless pursuit to be heard and seen, especially in difficult times like these."
"Though it was a scary decision, we wanted to honor and represent the fearless part of our people by continuing with this release through it all," the statement concludes. "We hope this brings some solace and joy to you. We hope the double ended message of this song is heard: based on experience, we want change! We matter, we always have. Here’s to making changes and celebrating US the best ways we know how."
Quotable Lyrics
Try not to make this obvious
Tell me what you came for
Need to forget it now
Lost in the middle of it all