FEM du lit Premieres Poignant New Single “BANKRUPT”

Based in Seattle, alternative R&B/electro-soul artist Fem du lit releases their brand-new single, “BANKRUPT,” a track lifted from their forthcoming debut album, STIGMATA, slated for release on February 28.

The project of singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visionary Francesca Eluhu, who is of French and Congolese descent, FEM du lit’s sound is inspired by their Afro-diasporic heritage as well as influences such as Mereba, Liv.e, and Salami Rose Joe Louis.

FEM du lit, whose name means ‘woman of the bed,’ fronts Seattle’s psychedelic neo-soul outfit Day Soul Exquisite, while their solo project delves fearlessly into the sphere of electro-soul.

At once cool and glossy, “BANKRUPT” juxtaposes pursuing the increasingly blurry American dream against the struggle for simple happiness in a fragmented culture.

“This business is troubling me / How can I invest in myself if you’re depleting all of my energy? / Uncle Sam I’m running on dry / Putting in overtime, to break even from the crime of trying to eat / Trying to sleep, trying to breathe my dreams into being.”

“BANKRUPT” opens on a swaying, almost drifting motion, capturing the sensation of both movement and contemplation as FEM du lit’s velvety voice blends with the warbling tones of Obsvdian’s (Xiomara Mills-Dupree) echoing sax. Lily M Tahar’s shifting percussion perfectly delivers the rhythmic flow while glowing harmonies silhouette FEM du lit’s silky timbres. When the saxophone takes off, the tune assumes a graceful sensuality.

Easy, oh-so evocative, voluptuously fluid, perfectly timed, and paced, “BANKRUPT” reveals the lavish, enormous talent of FEM du lit.

FEM du lit “BANKRUPT” single artwork