dress + hat. Pipenco
shoes. Marc Jacobs
headpiece + necklace. Talent’s own
rings. Jovana Djuric
In the 25 years since Badu’s sophomore album ‘Mama’s Gun’, the multi-hyphenate Erykah Badu has achieved a rare but sweet taste of timelessness. The album brought an innovative zest to neo-soul that continues to bridge generations. Badu says she never doubted its potential. “You don’t have to be some special, brilliant person. You just have to be willing to do it and explore,” she says for her Schön! 49 digital cover story. “The role of an artist is to immerse themselves in the process because the thing itself is actually not the art. The art is the doing: it’s the taking part and the figuring it out.”
The award-winner’s warm greeting and gentle tone reveal an endearing softness behind the enigma of the legendary Badu – also known as Lo Down Loretta Brown, Badulla Oblongata and Analog Girl in a Digital World. These are just a few of her signature monikers, which she uses as a canvas to create. “Names are like clothing to me,” she explains. “It’s just an aesthetic that goes along with whatever piece of art I’m making. To come up with a name, with an imaginative description, is as creative as making a song.” Badu lives her life like a painter without lines and a poet without limits. Every aspect of her lifestyle is a manifestation of her art. “I have a very strong relationship with source, nature and technology, which are all the same to me. My strength comes from my practice,” she tells us.
Read Erykah Badu‘s digital cover story now in Schön! 49.
top. Marc Jacobs
hat. Lorenzo Seghezzi
opposite
top. Marc Jacobs
skirt. Shriya Myneni
headpiece. Talent’s own
coat. KidSuper
shirt. Proenza Schouler
hat. New York Vintage
Get your print copy of Schön! 49 at Amazon Globally, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Italy, Amazon Spain, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Poland, Amazon Belgium, Amazon Sweden and the UK Schön! store.
Download your favourite cover now at the Schön! store.
This Schön! 49 digital cover story is produced by
photography. Tyler Patrick Kenny
creative direction, fashion + talent. Erykah Badu
co-styling. Ayumi Perry @ Opus Beauty
hair. Yasmin Amira Davis
make up. Amanda Wilson @ A-Frame Agency
nails. Juan Alvear @ Opus Beauty
videography. Simone Holland
first fashion assistsant. Franceleslia Millien
fashion assistants. Angelina Khyan, Christelle Sylvain, Dayshawn Bolling + Mark Mankarious
executive production. Danielle Hawkins + Arielle Stevenson
production. Tunnel Media Group
location. Contra Studios
words. Shama Nasinde
