On her debut single “Imagine,” New Jersey’s Kayla Childs — aka Black Buttafly — speak ambitions and big plans into existence. “See, I’m that type of girl: black girl, not scared, dreaming big, 25, different mind, different life, dope music.”
It’s a mission statement for this exciting new artist, who has been active in the Philadelphia regional music scene for the past several years, playing locally with the Omar’s Hat collective and Ryan Gilfillian, and touring internationally with keiyaA and more. Black Buttafly is an artistic identity Childs has had on the back burner for several years, but it’s taking center stage this year, bringing her love for Herbie Hancock, Lauryn Hill, J Dilla and more into a vibrant and immensely catchy whole.
With collaborator Steve McKie on production (and the drums), Childs recorded Imagine at MilkBoy studios with bassist Nazir Ebo; she played piano and sang, and dedicates the song to her home state of New Jersey and her godmother Vershelle Jarmon, AKA “Gommie.” “Thanks for watching and guiding me this far,” Childs wrote on the Black Buttafly Bandcamp. “I love you forever and ever.”
Talking about the song in a promo reel, Childs says “I’m a very visual person about all the things I want in life. And this song just really talks about where I wanna be in the next 3, 5, 10, 15 years from now. And it’s very inspiring. I even wake up and say these words to my own self.”
Listen to “Imagine” and watch the trailer below, and support the single on Bandcamp. Forin’s Cafe in Fishtown is holding a single release exhibit and pop-up from 8 p.m. to midnight on March 15th; for details and to RSVP, head here.