Last year, Grammy-nominated, Polaris Prize–winning musician Lido Pimienta released her great album Miss Colombia, a follow-up to her breakthrough LP La Papessa. The Colombian-Canadian artist has returned today with a cover of Björk’s timeless battle cry “Declare Independence.” Her rendition trades in Björk’s crumbling electric guitar and intense delivery for Afro-Caribbean rhythms and joyous, steadfast vocals.
“I chose this song mainly because of the lyrics: ‘Wave your flag, raise your flag, higher higher’ and ‘don’t let them do that to you.’ I heard this song live and I loved how all the immigrants in the audience were waving their flags,” Pimienta said in a statement. “The sense of PRIDE we all felt then, I wanted to carry it through with this version, one that would honour my Caribbean roots and the camp of pride but most importantly, a message of love and revolution in togetherness and acceptance. Björk has been an inspiration to me, not only as a singer, but as a composer and producer, so this song is also a thank you to her for encouraging womxn like me to not be afraid to create my own sonic universe.”
The cover is part of Spotify’s Pride 2021: Claim Your Space rollout. Stream the track below.
