Celebrated singer-songwriter Sampha picked Steve Lacy’s hit “Bad Habit” for his customary cover during an appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.
Sampha delivered a pared-back, practically delicate rendition of the song. Instead of the original’s thumping drum beat, Sampha used only a spare, skittering percussion track which provided a steely counterweight to the tender thrum of his piano and vocals.
Along with his rendition of “Bad Habit,” Sampha also performed his own song, “Only,” off of his recent LP, Lahai. The LP, released last week on Oct. 20, marks Sampha’s second studio album, as well as his first in six years, following his celebrated 2017 debut, Process.
In the interim, Sampha continued to solidify his reputation as a go-to collaborator. Having already worked with the likes of Drake and Solange, he’s also worked with David Byrne, Robyn, Alicia Keys, Mustafa, Kendrick Lamar, and Stormzy.
Speaking about Lahai in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Sampha said he hoped listeners would be able to find a “moment of sonic empathy” in the LP, “because it’s someone expressing something that they’re going through, more than anything.”
He added: “I guess for me as an artist, it’s just I’m someone who’s on a road of self-discovery and I’m just trying to be more confident in sharing my intuitions and my preoccupations and my thoughts and feelings. And it’s OK to experiment in both directions, whether it’s going more left or more or being in the middle.”
Sampha will kick off a North American tour in support of Lahai tomorrow, Oct. 25, in Los Angeles. That show will be part of his more intimate Satellite Business series, while the rest of the dates — starting Oct. 29 in San Francisco — will be more traditional gigs.
