Today the multidisciplinary Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh (they/them) returns with the striking new single “unruly” featuring Grammy-nominated artist serpentwithfeet out via Ghostly International.
“unruly” is part of a body of work that ushers in a new era for the singer-songwriter sonically and personally, and follows their 2023 single “daylight falls,” Saleh’s contribution as a co-writer for Travis Scott’s UTOPIA track ‘MY EYES’ (alongside Justin Vernon and Sampha), a cover profile by GAY TIMES as their Rising Star in Music honour recipient, and Saleh’s breakout role in the Netflix series Sex Education.

Were they find a kindred spirit in serpentwithfeet. “Something about his voice is so captivating,” says Saleh. “I think our connection musically is queerness, being able to have that against-all-odds connection with somebody where we may have had to resist our identity initially when we were younger. There’s a power that queerness holds for both of us.” The song pairs otherworldly atmospherics with a tangible bounce. serpentwithfeet rings questions into the night (“how’d I get so unruly”) as Saleh trails with hushed hooks and sly verses.

Born in Kassala, Sudan (Tunjur Tribe), raised in Minnesota, and now based in LA, Saleh has quickly established their own lane in the larger music arena on their terms. Across three EPs since 2019, they’ve deftly fused and inverted genre conventions, traversing R&B, soul, rock, hip-hop, electronic pop, and beyond with a socially conscious style driven by melody, grit, and bravado. Saleh’s foundation as first a skilled poet and their close ties to the indigenous roots have enriched their music with incredible depth. They’ve garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Complex, Nylon, i-D, Wonderland, PAPER Magazine, HYPEBEAST, Elle Magazine, and more, and clocked in over 81 million streams to date. Additionally, Saleh’s list of collaborations includes Bon Iver, Amarae, Denzel Curry,
Duckwrth, Psymun, Corbin (fa Spooky Black), and more.

DUA SALEH ON “UNRULY”

“unruly’ addresses an instinctive presence, omnipotent aura, and carnal desires that one may possess as they lean into their strength.

This takes place across a number of different areas in life that this power can be translate to. It poses as something related to subversion: subversion of norms,
reclamation of power, & resistance against sensual suppression through a lean into the erotic (see Audrey Lorde’s essay on ‘Uses of the Erotic’). This comes along with an examination of “effection,” offering a reassessment of generative influence on the
world. It allows sensuality through mutual respects and desires. It reexamines the social imaginary and spins it on itself.”