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By Devin Robertson
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Atlanta-born and -raised artist BKTHERULA's presence radiates an electric clarity. On her new album, N5ON, the rapper and singer weaves through an array of genres without ever feeling out of place. Her sonic evolution is deeply tied to her heightened frequency in self-expression and metaphysical beliefs.
While many contemporary artists struggle to find their signature rhythm within an increasingly saturated industry, BKTHERULA moves fluidly through musical boundaries, blurring the lines between high-energy dance, electronic experimentation and heavy hip-hop. Speaking with Newsweek, the genre-blurring artist discussed her diverse tastes in music, expanding past the physical realm, and the evolution of her music.
From Tape Recorders to Dimensional Harmony
Her musical awakening began long before she ever stepped into a professional recording booth, because her household was constantly filled with vibrant melodies.
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"Growing up in my childhood, my mom was always singing," she recalled with a smile, remembering the R&B classics that echoed through her home. "My dad actually was in a rap group, so I feel like just seeing that, and I was kind of born with it."
Her childhood environment provided a fertile testing ground for creative expression, and she began capturing her earliest musical ideas on rudimentary home equipment.
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"I think my first song that I ever recorded, it was on like a tape recorder," she said, reflecting on her early days. "I was 9 years old, actually, and it was with my mom."
That early foundation allowed her to absorb music without genre constraints, and she developed an expansive appetite for diverse sounds.
"I don't think I can sit and say I hate or I dislike a specific genre of music," she said, noting how her personal listening habits bounce effortlessly between alternative, hardcore, dubstep and jazz.
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Architecture of Structured Chaos
As her career has progressed, her sound has undergone a sophisticated transformation, shifting from raw impulse to intentional composition. Her latest project, N5ON, showcases a mature framework that elevates her signature energy without stifling her natural spontaneity.
"I would say my music is becoming more mature," she said, describing how her creative process has refined over time. "It's still chaotic, but it's structured chaos."
Collaborating closely with her trusted team of producers and engineers, she has learned to lean into new structural ideas while remaining fiercely authentic. Instead of simply recording vocals over a beat and releasing it immediately, she now sends tracks back to her collaborators to sculpt intricate arrangements.
"They push me, and they know I'm going to be receptive to it," she said, acknowledging how open dialogue in the studio elevated N5ON into an immersive, electronic-forward experience that builds upon the alienistic motifs of her earlier Level 5 era.
Digital Connections and Creative Synergy
The single "ADDICTED2U" highlights BKTHERULA's seamless ability to connect with like-minded visionaries across the experimental landscape. Her collaboration with hyperpop artist underscores originated purely online after BKTHERULA stumbled upon a Twitter video featuring underscores performing an elevator DJ set while playing BK's song "BIG FEELING."
Captivated by underscores' energy and sound, BK reached out to share the track. Upon receiving the song, underscores took "ADDICTED2U" even further by refining and transforming the production, adding new textures and depth to make the record more lush and layered.
Ascending to Level Five
Central to her worldview is the concept of "Level Five," a personal philosophy that serves as both a creative compass and a spiritual state of mind. When asked to demystify the phrase, she breaks down the dimensional framework that governs her mindset.
"Level five is a state of being, a state of feeling," she said. "Third dimension being the state that we're all in, Earth, things like that; fourth dimension is like the astral realm where dreams come true; and then the fifth is just a mixture of all of it—understanding that you're here, but somewhere else at the same time."
In an era defined by social noise and rapid news cycles, her perspective offers an empowering antidote to cynicism. She distills her approach to life's inevitable obstacles down to a resilient mantra: "f*** it, we ball." While acknowledging past trauma remains crucial, she refuses to let hardship paralyze her growth.
"We can't stick and stay in that type of feeling all the time," she said. "You have to move forward, and you have to grow; some days can just be pure fun, pure dance, not that deep."
Fashion, Movement and Total Self-Reliance
Her aesthetic identity moves in exact harmony with her music, reflecting a shift toward bold statement pieces, vibrant neon accents and expressive makeup. Rejecting the rigid rules of high-fashion elitism, she believes authentic style comes strictly from personal comfort and instinct.
"Whatever you feel the most comfortable in, that is the do's," she said, emphasizing that confidence outweighs label prestige.
That same commitment to authenticity guided her recent return to dance choreography, where she reunited with her childhood roots in tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop. While preparing for a high-intensity performance in Toronto alongside choreographer Alexander Thomas, she quickly rediscovered her innate muscle memory.
"Once a dancer, always a dancer," she said.
Looking ahead, her ultimate vision involves synthesizing every facet of her artistry into a complete sensory experience. She envisions live shows that transcend standard concert venues to evoke the immersive scale of world-class festivals.
"I want my set to look like an entire festival," she said, describing her dream of pairing fireworks, lighting and back-to-back DJ sets.
Beyond the stage, she continues to master every technical aspect of her craft, from engineering to MIDI production, aiming for total artistic autonomy.
That strive for continued mastery is a core belief for the "Tweakin' Together" artist, saying: "Keep learning, keep growing, and don't feel afraid to go a completely different route, because it's your life."
Listen to N5ON.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Dave Siminoff.
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