We’ve become so comfortable with the idea of the apocalypse as being the type of vaguely religious Armageddon (or perhaps some sort of rat-king of twisters) event that it never really occurs to us that our current climate crisis, in addition to so many ongoing humanitarian disasters across the country it can be hard to keep track of them all, is essentially the slow unfolding of a mass extinction event. And while that’s obviously quite bleak to think about, Nigerian musician and visual artist SIRA* finds cause for wary celebration among the impending doom.
“I, like many people in the West, am obsessed with the apocalypse and the idea of the end of the world,” shares the artist born Zina Saro-Wiwa. “But the end of the world is not a fixed thing or idea. There are many worlds, many endings, many beginnings—and mostly, it’s about cycles. There are billions of people in the world living in disadvantaged conditions who don’t think about this at all. They’re battling for life daily. But I find joy in these places and I want to explore the idea of joy in the end times—or let’s call it ‘end-of-a-cycle times.’”
Such is the headspace that brings us “Cosmic Shebeen,” an upbeat pop song made deeply uneasy by SIRA*’s low vocals (not to mention the subject matter she sings about, obviously) and a spare, repeating instrumental painting a picture of the galactic speakeasy addressed in the song’s title. “I don’t think apocalypse needs to be represented by dirges, atonality, dissonance, or sadness,” she continues. “It’s much more challenging and exciting than that. Moreover, I do think dance, community, and connection is the way through this transition those of us in the West are facing. And I think the shebeen represents that space. I don’t know if you’re dead or alive in the cosmic shebeen, but you are free.”
Check out the video Saro-Wiwa created for the track below, which stars Black Panther actress Constance Ejuma traversing SIRA*’s visceral sonic world.
