Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and producer sali returns with a striking new single “BODY”, a deeply personal, genre-defying fusion of alt-pop, ambient textures, and Afrobeat rhythms, featuring producer and rapper Linsey, and Malian master kora player Yacouba Sissoko.
“BODY” is an exploration of embodiment, identity, and ancestral connection. Opening with a voice memo from sali’s sister speaking Bambara, the native language of their family’s home country Mali, the track unfolds as a hypnotic meditation on dissociation, dysmorphia, and self-reclamation. With Linsey’s ethereal production and grounded rap feature, and Yacouba’s soaring, one-take kora performance, the single pulses with a spiritual undercurrent. It’s a ritual, a question, and a celebration — all wrapped into one ambient, sensual groove.
“For me, ‘BODY’ is a channelling of my Malian ancestry,” sali shares. “When I wrote it two years ago, it was like a self-guided therapy session. The song came out on Mali’s Independence Day—which felt full circle and spiritual.”
Best known for her jazz-informed vocals, singer-songwriter roots, and dreamy live shows, sali is building a name as a bold and unpredictable artist on the Brooklyn scene. She’s headlined venues like Baby’s All Right, The Sultan Room, and Mercury Lounge with her band “sali and the babies,” and her past EPs ‘charming’ and ‘OTHER PEOPLE’ drew praise for their intimacy and innovation.
With “BODY,” she takes things further, sonically and emotionally. The release is accompanied by a surreal, visceral music video, inspired by the cover art created by Greg Bond. It’s a visual and sonic world where the spiritual and the physical collide.
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