Second album 'Miss Power' sees CONNIE CONSTANCE embracing her powers to make herself a true contender.
Words: Martyn Young.
Photos: Joel Palmer.
See, now it all makes sense. Yes, 'Miss Power' is a triumphant return from an artist whose trajectory hasn't quite been straightforward but is now revelling in having the freedom and the confidence to just do whatever the hell they want to do, and it pays off in stunning fashion. "I feel really good," exclaims Connie. "This is my proper baby. I love it, and I'm not afraid to say how much I love it. I'm just excited. I'm excited for people to hear it, and I'm excited for it to be alive outside of my world and my brain. It's nice to feel excited."
The genesis of the album can be traced back to the difficult period in the years following Connie's debut album with a lack of support from a distant major label ("They didn't give a shit") plus recovering from a period of trauma coupled with general uncertainty of a career in the music industry let alone the challenges a Black woman in the industry faces. Many artists would crumble in these circumstances, but like pop legend Humpty, Connie is now thriving. Indeed, the final words heard on the album in a spoken word segment at the end of closing track 'Red Flag' are emblematic of her creative and personal renaissance. "This is about the first time in 3 years that I've felt my flow of energy back. I don't know if it's just a creative career, but definitely, in my field of work, it feels like sometimes you're going up against the wall. You're going up against the tide, and you're swimming against the tide, and it doesn't feel flowing," explains Connie about the significance of that line. "You're working so hard, and things are coming in return, but it's just like, where is this going? Am I meant to be doing this? Doubt kicks in, and you have to try and keep your head above water. It feels sticky, and it doesn't feel smooth. In 2020 it was like, right, I'm putting a lot of energy into something that doesn't feel natural. It doesn't feel like it's flowing. With this album, it was like, I'm in it again. It's flowing again. I'm not fighting. I'm just enjoying it, and it's smooth and beautiful. You have to get there. You can't avoid the fight, but when you get there, other things come into place. You've got to do the work to get to that nice little sunset."
