Khatumu – Big Back Door
At a time when the ethics of college campuses across the country are called into question, Khatumu poses an important query on her new song “Big Back Door” – who are we to judge?
Khatumu is a first-generation American, Sierra Leonean-German artist who identifies as a leftist, and on her poignant new song “Big Back Door” she explores the complicated and classist experiences she had on campus as a student at Yale. She sings, “(So I) cosplay as wealthy / oh I went to prep school got lessons in tennis / was a WASP-y cesspool…I’m a lightskin bitch / With color privilege / don’t know enough / about politics / my life’s not hard / there’s food to eat.”
Khatumu explains of the track:
Big Back Door was inspired by a former roommate of mine, a Harvard graduate who constantly put down rural, poor Americans who voted red. At the same time, she considered herself a socialist and an altruist, all while her family paid for her rent and lifestyle. As a Yale graduate on full scholarship, I’ve become acutely aware of a phenomenon on the left: wealthy people get to flirt with political theory without recognizing the strain of elitism that was born into them. As a leftist myself, I sometimes think I have more in common with poor Republicans than with rich Democrats. Class stratification fascinates me, and this story is about that.
Despite being at the very start of her career, Khatumu 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.
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.
This summer, Khatumu played BottleRock and Guster’s On the Ocean Festival, and last month she made her Americanafest debut. She’s now wrapping up a West Coast tour supporting Bebe Stockwell, with final shows tonight in San Diego and Friday in Los Angeles.
Khatumu on Tour
*supporting Bebe Stockwell
Oct 21 – San Diego, CA – Casbah*
Oct 23 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour*
#khatumu