SUPA DUPA FLY

Georgia Anne Muldrow has a way of making people think she’s from another planet. Her ability to craft a cosmic blend of funk, jazz and R&B has brought all sorts of talent into her orbit, from Erykah Badu to Blood Orange. The results sound so forward-thinking that the rapper Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) once told the New York Times: “She’s like religion… I’ve never heard a human being sing like this.”

“People just eat that quote up,” says Georgia, breaking into a laugh so warm that hearing it feels like a hug. “I’m thankful that he sees it that way but, , I don’t know what he’s talkin’ about!” The 35-year-old is speaking on the phone at home in a quiet cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Las Vegas, the expanse of Nevada’s desert looming nearby. As she describes the room, her voice is smooth and mellow, her manner slightly guarded but still exuding intimacy. The shelves beside her hold various spiritual paraphernalia – an amethyst crystal, a smudge stick of sage, sticks of palo santo – alongside mementos from a career that’s best described as daring. “Some people want to get signed to a major label because they feel like that’s the only way that they can be successful,” she says. “But I was never afraid to be independent. I knew the kind of music I was making was different and that it wouldn’t be understood right away.”