BANKS Talks Touring, Dancing, And Opening Her Show With A 'Punch In The Face'
BANKS Talks Touring, Dancing, And Opening Her Show With A 'Punch In The Face'
Immediately after a sorely needed two-year break from music, BANKS reemerged this past summer with a clear headspace, her most confident album to date, and one hell of an itch to get back on the road.
"I was certainly prepared to go," the synth-pop singer told MTV News over the phone. "I missed performing a lot, and I had been working on new music, and I was really, really willing to put it all together."
Steph Wilson"It's been astonishing. It's so much fun to be able to see what you've created in different mediums of art," the 31-year-old mentioned of the show. "I was in the studio making the songs, however actually seeing it come to life and seeing people singing the words and then creating a movement to it and figuring out what lights and what colors I wanted for each one... It's really fun for me."
The tour's U.K. Leg kicks off on November 1, nevertheless before that, BANKS checked in with MTV News to give us the scoop on all things III.
She is aware exactly how to bookend her show.
"Till Right now opens BANKS's third album with a walloping blow as she snarls, "I let you push me around till right now It was a no-brainer, she mentioned, that she would open the III Tour the same way by placing that track at the very top of the setlist.
"It felt like this declaration of strength and an ode to where I have been she explained. "And I think that the way it begins — how it begins off really raw and then it gradually builds into this monster — begins the show off with what it needs to be. It's sort of like a punch in the face right away."
Her encore, meanwhile, caps off with the 2014 fan-favorite banger "Beggin for Thread," which closes the show with a similarly efficient bang. "It's a bright one. It's an anthem. I think people like singing along to that one, so it's fun to close it up with that."
The setlist may go through some changes.
There's a "skeleton" of a setlist that BANKS sticks close to, however that doesn't mean she won't switch things up every once in a while. Take, for instance, the fan movement that sparked the inclusion of "This Is What It Feels Like." A revered anthem from her 2014 album Goddess, the track was nixed from her set at one point, before fans campaigned for its return by means of the a change.Org petition.
Laughing, BANKS mentioned of the fan-led movement, "I mean, I think that there's something special any time while you discover an artist about the song you hear first. And that's one of the initial songs I put out. I love that song, it's one of my main go to songs I've made. So I understand. It's got a special thing to it."
Discussing other possible set list changes, she revealed, "I haven't been performing 'Made of Water' or 'What About Love' and I want to begin doing that on the Europe tour. So we'll visualize what unfolds."
She's dancing more than ever before.
BANKS began incorporating dance into her live show on The Altar Tour, although on her current trek, it's become even more integral. She's not classically trained as a dancer, nevertheless with the help of L.A.-Based choreographer Nina McNeely, she's become more in tune with her body.
"I just love moving and I think that there's something physical about making music," she explained. "I wanted to express how my music affects me physically and why I visualize it. I want my vision to be as clear as possible and to prepare construct a global onstage that visualize Whenever I make music. So I think that movement was just an organic progression into getting that across."
On the III Tour, BANKS is often flanked by a pair of lookalike backup dancers, Nadine Olmo and Allison Fletcher; with each other, they are a twirling trinity that moves in stunning unison. "You get to know people pretty well once you're touring," she mentioned of her friendship with the pair. "They've been with me for several years, so it's great."
She's also been incorporating original poetry into her show.
An artist who clearly can't be boxed in, BANKS has also expanded behind music. Earlier this year, she released a poetry book called Generations of Ladies From The Moon Poetry, comprised of personalized poems and hand-drawn illustrations. On tour, BANKS has frequently recited one of that book's standouts, "Ode to the Grey Zone," in between songs.
"Poetry is like music. It comes from the same segment of me that likes to work things out in those ways, and yes it fulfills me in a similar way. Creating fulfills me overall. It's just another piece of me," she mentioned. "I think of my show as, I'm just sharing myself with people. It doesn't have to just be singing; it may be singing and movement and poems."
She wants you to leave feeling empowered.
The lead single from III, "Gimme," correctly incapsulates BANKS's aura of control as she involves, "Gimme what I want, what I deserve." That energy is only bolstered by seeing the song performed live, however the singer insists every track on III — no matter if it's about heartbreak or jealously or love — has its own sense of empowerment.
"There's a strength to every emotion," she mentioned. "You could feel a strength in the sadness. You can feel a strength in wanting someone. You can feel a strength in anger. Every song, there's a different emotion that goes with them, although it's just about owning what you feel. That makes me feel strong."
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