[Interview] Shad talks “Flying Colours,” fighting fear and pride, and why it’s important to remember to remember
Photo credit: Danielle Da Silva
Interview by: Martin Bauman How do you follow an album that won a Juno? That was the pressing question facing Shad as he set to work on his latest album, Flying Colours. His response? Take the same approach as always, trying to write music worth sharing and explore ideas worth talking about - something he had plenty of time to do after completing his master's of Liberal Studies at Simon Fraser University. The result, in Shad's fourth full-length album, is a thoughtful offering that delves into the topics of success and failure, fear and pride, and the power of truth, all while displaying Shad's typical honesty and humour. As a result, it may just be the best album yet for the Vancouver-based "most-rewinded Rwandese." We caught up with Shad at his homecoming show in London to talk about Flying Colours, fighting fear and pride, why it's important to remember to remember, and much more. Read the full interview after the jump.
It's been three years since Shad's last full-length offering (2010's TSOL), and Shad's had plenty of things in the meantime to write about. From winning a Juno Award to completing his Master's Degree, this is the first time in Shad's career that he's found himself with a certain level of expectations and nothing to focus on but the music. It's a challenging position for any artist to be in: how do you top your previous work if it won Best Rap Album - beating Drake, no less? In the midst of this situation, Shad responds with Flying Colours, a twelve-track offering that may very well be his most brilliant, thoughtful work yet. We were fortunate enough to get an advanced listen of Flying Colours and really take it in over the past several weeks. Read the track-by-track review after the jump and pick up Flying Colours on October 15th.
We're less than a month away from Shad's