AKTHESAVIOR and sagun have released their new single “Dear World,” the fifth and final preview of the rapper & lo-fi producer’s forthcoming joint record u r not alone. Serving as the opener to the album – which officially releases in its entirety on April 5, 2024 via Platoon – “Dear World,” aptly captures the project’s meditative reflections on solidarity and optimism beneath a bed of looping beats that float like a daydream.
“This is my letter to the world,” says AK. “Creating this song during the heart of the pandemic, I was home in my room a lot thinking about the world and my purpose very deeply. I had some friends who lost not only their jobs, but family members on top of everything else. I was inspired to make something that feels uplifting; a reminder to persevere and know that you are not alone no matter what situation you live through.”
Consisting of fourteen tracks that blend AK & sagun’s worlds of hip-hop and lo-fi, u r not alone features a studded lineup of guest collaborators – from Pink Siifu and Mick Jenkins, to Erick The Architect, A$AP Twelvyy, Jaws of Love (Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives), and Azizi Gibson. The project ruminates on self-actualization, perseverance through isolation and the search for community within a social landscape that feels increasingly disconnected.
Headlined by a stream of singles over the past few months, the album’s tracklist includes their recent moody alt-hip hop track “Issues”, “Humble feat. Pink Siifu,” “No Scars” and “Tetsuo’s Ways.” The last of which, a collaboration with Mick Jenkins, draws inspiration from the cyberpunk anime film Akira as a parallel for a specific life experience: witnessing how the taste of power can corrupt a friendship.
From rap to lo-fi, to the thousands of miles between AK & sagun’s respective homes of Brooklyn and Nepal, u r not alone is a world-bridging album. Finding common ground over things like anime and the inspiration they draw from the natural world, the duo bonded and collaborated via FaceTime from opposite ends of the planet before eventually relocating to Los Angeles and meeting in-person for the first time this year.
What do you think of “Dear World,”? Looking forward to the album?
