True to her name, Fana Hues has an endless ability to paint emotions with her music. Her voice, at times celestial and tender, at others, intrepid and electric, is the driving force behind her meticulous and soul-stirring sound. Throughout her career thus far, the Los Angeles-born-and-raised singer-songwriter and executive producer has cultivated a musical practice that centers a careful reflection of self and a rooted intention to grow. Fana’s songs are instinctive, sensitive, and honest, without sacrificing joy and pleasure. They entrance and soothe as much as they rouse and awaken, resonating with listeners as Fana masterfully chronicles the emotions that arise along her journey.
MOTH (Matters of the Heart), Fana’s third full-length album arriving on Bright Antenna Records on June 14, is the final chapter in a trilogy of records showcasing Fana’s pristine execution, lyrically and sonically. Executive produced by Fana, MOTH is a vulnerable and arresting portrait of her newfound womanhood. Its 12 tracks explore a panorama of themes, from lust and love languages to patience, karma, and setting an example. “All of my projects are pretty introspective because music is therapy for me—I want the growth to be documented,” she says. MOTH follows her critically acclaimed 2022 album flora + fana, an exquisite meditation on self-love praised by NPR, Vogue, Complex, The Guardian, Billboard, and more.
Matters of my heart, they make mistakes, she sings on the album’s title track, a song she wrote after a challenging relationship experience, and simultaneously triggered by the loss of her voice. The song embodies the album’s throughline with a metaphor: “I’ve heard people say that you can’t tell if a caterpillar is going to become a moth or a butterfly,” Fana says. “One is revered, and the other is darker and a little uglier, but they’re both very beautiful.” MOTH gracefully and vulnerably reinforces that for Fana, transformation is an imperfect process. There will be mistakes along the way, the result may not be as shiny and brilliant as she’d envisioned, but there is beauty in evolution.
Was it all for fun?, she harmonizes on the album’s opener “Take 2”, reflecting on the sincerity of her past endeavors while introducing listeners to MOTH’s otherworldly sonic cocoon—produced almost entirely by her collaborator Josh Grant. “Sweetlike”, a sultry, playful, assertive examination of a cat-and-mouse dynamic between lovers, follows. Elsewhere on the record, Fana is carefree and sassy while subtly referencing the moth symbolism. My attention be veering, I need power steering, she sings on undeniable summertime bop “Rental”, invoking the winged insect’s attraction to light. An orb of light is the destination in the music video for her single “Paper Tigers”, a passionate, emotionally raw track produced by Leven Kali and filled with ribboning, psychedelic guitars, and limitless, evocative vocals. A student of R&B’s masterful vocalists Nina Simone, Dionne Warwick, and Anita Baker, and one of nine children, Fana was raised within a large, musical family who instilled within her a strong sense of purpose. Fana contemplates what she hopes to pass on to future generations on album closer, “Summer Rain”, where her nieces and nephews join her, emphasizing the cyclical nature of growth.Since releasing her debut album, Hues, in 2020, Fana has steadily risen through the ranks of R&B as a promising singer and songwriter, earning a prominent feature on Tyler The Creator’s “Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance" with Brent Faiyaz from his Grammy-winning album
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Fana’s compelling live performances led to her touring with Raveena, Snoh Aalegra, and Giveon in the US and playing a sold-out headline tour in Europe, as well as gaining fans in the likes of Janelle Monae, Sabrina Claudio, and Lucky Daye. Now, with MOTH (Matters of the Heart), Fana Hues’ return marks an exciting new chapter in her masterful artistic evolution.
