Khatumu – Clothes On

Introducing Khatumu – a first-generation American, Sierra Leonean-German artist who, despite being at the very start of her career, has already built the kind of following most artists spend a decade chasing. She has already caught the attention of the likes of SZA, Stephen Colbert, Florence Pugh, and Spike Lee on social media, Pigeons & Planes has praised her work, she’s toured with Mon Rovia, Infinity Song, Sunday (1994), Hannah Cohen, and more. Her newest single, “Clothes On,” is the first taste of what’s next. Check out the song and music video, directed by Sabra Binder (Willow, Suki Waterhouse, Blondshell) below.

Khatumu got her start almost by accident: stuck in Brazil during COVID-19 lockdowns at just 20. The then-Yale student stumbled on a video of an artist breaking down his production process and decided she could do the same, teaching herself to write, produce, and play guitar. She soon found her own distinct voice.

Drawing on the matter-of-fact storytelling of Dylan-era folk and the emotional candor of artists like Phoebe Bridgers, “Clothes On” finds Khatumu at her most honest as she details a fight between her and a former partner.

“I wrote ‘Clothes On’ with my then-boyfriend right after our first explosive fight in his car. As luck would have it, he was also one of my producers at the time, and we had a session scheduled immediately after — no time to cool off, no real chance to process what had just happened. We sat down to work, and the tension in the room was so off that it somehow became on. That became the pattern for the rest of the relationship: sex as a band-aid for problems that ran much deeper than either of us wanted to look at.”

Khatumu will make her Americanafest debut next month before embarking on a West Coast tour with Bebe Stockwell

Khatumu on Tour 

*supporting Bebe Stockwell

Sept 18 – Nashville, TN – Americanafest @ The East Room

Oct 8 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern*

Oct 9 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry*

Oct 10 – Des Moines, IA – xBk*

Oct 12 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall*

Oct 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court*

Oct 15 – Portland, OR – Holocene*

Oct 16 – Seattle, WA – Barboza*

Oct 17 – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Fox Cabaret*

Oct 19 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop*

Oct 21 – San Diego, CA – Casbah*

Oct 23 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour*

#khatumu