

And that song is kind of mid-realization that it just can’t.” You want to find little pockets of belief and hope. And 'Contaminated' was me realizing that no matter how much you want something, it's just negative, period. Something feels so good in the moment and it then it feels so bad later. It's like, when you want something so badly to work out, but it's just too fucking toxic. “‘Contaminated’ is kind of an ode to being an adult, I guess. So I wanted the beat to feel dangerous, and I met up with Hud Mo, and I mean, I had never worked with him before, but the second I met him I was like, 'I want to dive in with you,' because he's just so fucking dope and brilliant.” Not always, but sometimes, songs like 'Fuck With Myself' and 'Gimme,' there's this inherent power in speaking quietly but saying really savage shit. “I feel the most badass when I'm singing. It's like, 'You've been my see-you-around, till now,' and 'You've been doing this, till now.' It's a really nice beginning to a new chapter and a new album, just letting go of the old and announcing where you're at in the present.” And I like that it starts the album, because it's kind of like this announcement, an ode to where I've been and a declaration of where I'm at now. I just felt angry, so I wanted to get rid of the anger that I had been carrying. “I think I cried when I was singing the first verse. Here, she explains what went into each of III’s revelations, track by track. It feels like everything that comes to an end is kind of represented by threes, and a big theme on this album is letting go and being able to start a new chapter and be more present." The project, which explores the many peaks and valleys of a relationship and the renewal that can come from leaving an unsuccessful one behind, features songwriting and production contributions from BJ Burton, Buddy Ross, and Hudson Mohawke, as well as a duet with Francis and the Lights-the first guest feature of Banks’ catalog. “It's like the beginning, middle, and end. “For me, III represents a life cycle,” she tells Apple Music. Banks’ III is, of course, the beloved singer’s third studio album, but that’s not why she’s titled it as such.
