Kiana Ledé is done with the bullshit. Her third album, Cut Ties, is a farewell and good riddance to people who no longer serve her.
“I’m just in this new I do whatever the f—k I want era of my life, and that requires me to only have a certain energy for me to feel the freedom to do whatever the f—k I want safely,” Ledé tells Rated R&B over Zoom, wearing a white button-down shirt and thick-rimmed glasses.
“I think because I’m such a loyal person, I’ve tried to maintain relationships that I felt have been important just because we’ve done so much together and been through so much,” Ledé continues. “This new version of me is cutting ties [with] all the people that don’t deserve to be in my life, obviously in romantic relationships, but more than that.”
Cut Ties follows 2023’s Grudges, Ledé’s final release under Republic Records. Her new album, which dropped Friday (Nov. 1), marks the dawn of her independent journey in partnership with BMG.
Preceded by the singles “Natural” and “Space and P—y,” Cut Ties chronicles the deterioration of a relationship. It also reveals how pain can have a lingering effect on how we navigate future situations.
Everything starts off peachy in the opening track, “LTF,” which is short for “Loving, Touching, F–ing.” Over a sweet-sounding production, helmed by Sir Nolan, Ledé sings about letting her guard down for her partner.
“Since I let you in / I’m feelin’ different / Don’t feel like Runnin’ and runnin’ and runnin’ / Just feel like lovin’ and touchin’ and f—in’,” she coos. Although “LTF” is heartwarming to its core, Ledé isn’t shy about laying all her feelings on the table as she also expresses some wariness: “Used to having reservations / But this is a new situation / So don’t take offense / If I hesitate.”
The romance continues to flow in “Natural,” which she previously explained “is a sensual song about the only person that gets to see the sexiest side of you.” As the album unfolds, Ledé’s intuition proves to be correct. “U Can’t Remember” uncovers the cracks forming in the relationship’s foundation: “All that you put me through / Did you forget that too?”
After being tangled in “Too Many Strings,” Ledé finally breaks away from the decaying relationship in the climactic title track. “I gotta cut them ties / At this point, I’d rather be alone,” she sings.
The rest of the album features ruminative tracks like “No Stress” and “Space and P—y,” where Ledé reflects on how much of herself she poured into the relationship as she makes way for her next chapter in life.
Below, Kiana Ledé discusses her new album, Cut Ties, in-depth.
Your previous album, Grudges, aired out some of your grievances about love. How would you compare it to Cut Ties?
Grudges was more emotional. It was me realizing the different traumas that I’ve been through in my romantic relationships. Cut Ties is more [about] looking at all of my relationships when it comes to [romance], friendships, and even some of the parts of myself. Self-reflection is a common theme of all my projects, but this one is more about growth and the empowered version of me coming out from reflecting on the grudges I have with different people and showing this romantic timeline that reflects more recent relationships.
What song sort of jump-started this Cut Ties movement?
The last song on the album, “The Truth,” is actually the first session I did, I want to say three weeks before we started getting into the studio every day. That was what kicked it off. We pretty much were finished within a month and a half. We have a whole other album ready full of music. So, it’s exciting. I divided them into two; you’ll see why when the second part comes out.
You open the album with the lovey-dovey “LTF.” What inspired that song?
I’m not used to writing love songs. It kind of grossed me out a bit. But I’m in this super healthy and happy relationship where I actually feel comfortable and safe, and everything starts out great. So I went into the studio one day, and the producer [Sir Nolan] I was working with, I hadn’t seen him in a long time. I was talking to him about things going on in my life, and he was like, “You should write a song about what we just talked about.” And I was like, “Ew.” Then he started playing these chords, and I was like, “Ugh, it does sound like love. It’s disgusting” (laughs).
We started writing a song about falling in love and how somebody with an anxious-avoidant attachment style, like I have, who’s been through a lot of s—t, and how sometimes being comfortable can feel really uncomfortable. But being with that person and experiencing a new type of love makes you want to run away from the feeling of wanting to run away. It sounded really cute, sweet and happy. I was like, “F—k this s—t. I need a ‘f—k’ in this song.” So that’s why there’s loving, touching and f—ing.
“Burn It Up” is one of my personal favorites on the album. How did that come about?
“Burn It Up” is when you’re in a relationship, sometimes s—t can get monotonous and boring. I can’t stand that. I don’t like feeling bored or stagnant, but if you really love somebody, you want to stay with them. So maybe that’s a little bit of the toxic side of me. In my head, I’m like, “OK, what can I do to maybe stir some s—t up or do something exciting and fun because I don’t want to leave this person, but I’m so bored that I know I will leave, so what the f—k can I do? I’m going to let a match really quick, start a little fire, and burn it up.”
What’s the meaning behind “Too Many Strings”?
“Too Many Strings” is a song that I love so much just for being the song itself. I feel like we all know the feeling of feeling caught up in a situationship, something that we thought was going to be super easy, [but] turns out to be a lot more emotional than we or the other person expected.
I heard the first half of [the song] three years ago, sitting in Tre’Von Waters’, the guy I wrote a few of the songs on the album with, car in Atlanta. He played me the first half, and I was addicted to it. There was something about it that I was just like, “I need this song.” I played it on repeat for three years, the unreleased half-finished song. And I was like, three years later, “We’re going into this new album, and it’s still one of my favorite songs. I think we need to finish it, and I need to be on it because everybody knows this feeling.”
You titled the album after “Cut Ties.” What was your mindset when you were making that track?
The title track is the verb of Cut Ties. It is the “I need to do this for me and I need to start doing this before things get too deep.” I let friendships and relationships get so deep that it really hurts when people aren’t really there and don’t show up for you. So because I know I get so hurt, I need to figure out how to cut ties with the people [who] don’t belong in my life before it gets that deep.
I’m so used to it being the same thing every time, where I end up being hurt in the end anyway. So that is my opposite side of letting everybody in. It’s like, “You know what? I’m going to shut everybody out because as long as they aren’t allowed into my life and I don’t let them so deep, then they can’t really hurt me. I’m just going to cut ties before shit even starts to get deep.”
This is your first album as an independent artist. What does this moment mean for you?
Oh, f—k. Being independent is something I have not done since I was 14 or 15 years old. So it makes me really nervous, to be honest. This is new territory for me. I’m not used to having so much control over my budgets, my artistry [and] what I decide to do for my projects. [It’s] nerve-wracking, but also exciting. I’m growing into myself as an artist and as a business owner every day with every decision I’m making. It’s definitely empowering.
You’re getting ready to head back on the road with Jhené Aiko on leg two of The Magic Hour Tour. What was your experience during the first round?
I love being on tour with Jhené. I love being on tour in general, but being on tour with Jhené was amazing because, obviously, it’s a girl power tour. It’s all women, which is f—ing sick. Every time I’ve interacted with her, I feel like I’m getting to interact with a literal fairy and a genuine person. I love that she has her family on tour with her. I think that’s what’s helped her stay so grounded. And it’s just so nice to be around. Every single day, we would walk to the dressing rooms [and] there would be flower petals and glitter all over our rooms. I love that because she makes us all feel so special.
She knows it’s a team effort and everybody has such an important role. Seeing the appreciation she has for everybody around her, I admire that a lot. I’ve been on my own tours. I’ve been on other tours, and this is the biggest tour I’ve opened up for. It’s exciting that I have to prove myself every day to a new crowd. I’m having a lot of fun.
Stream Kiana Ledé’s new album, Cut Ties, below.
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