Expect The Unexpected With INK [INTERVIEW]

Expect The Unexpected With INK [INTERVIEW]

Interview by Alina Pawl-Castanon – Photo by: Santiago Sanchez

Grammy Award-winning artist INK made her Lolla Debut at the BMI stage on the third day of festivities, bringing her Atlanta roots with her to Chicago. Adorned in her signature turquoise, a cowboy hat with snake detail and fringe, INK made waves with her raw, honest lyricism and the community she created on stage that the intimate crowd could feel.

Born Aita-Boggs, INK has been on the map as a multifaceted artist; If you don’t know her name, you certainly know her music and the genre-bending sound she’s created. INK has already left her mark with collaborations with big names like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar, having a leading hand in shaping albums like “Renaissance” and Lamar and SZA’s latest hit “Luther”.

Now, INK is standing center stage with her debut album “Big Buskin”, released in October of last year, allowing audiences to see the face of the name who has earned two No. 1 hits on the Top Billboard Hot 100 list.

INKS ‘performance felt like a community backyard event, with her band moving together in a combination of smooth footwork, callback responses, and big smiles.

“The Rain Can’t Stop Us.” Ink said before turning around and having a moment to dance with her band, the swelling soulful guitar and keys bringing a beautiful harmony.

In light of the newest single “Boots In Da Club” released on Saturday, INK sits down with Chicago Music Guide to reflect on her path as a diverse artist and the honest conversations of self that shooting for the stars brings.

CMG: Thank you for sitting down and talking with Chicago Music Guide.

You just released your new song “Boots In Da Club,” which feels like a nod to your album Big Buskin from 2025 and a development of the genre-bending country pop and R&B sound you have created. What do you want listeners to know regarding your new release and what’s next for you and your music?

INK: I want listeners to know that expect the unexpected with me. You never know what you’re gonna get. Just know it’s gonna be a good quality, a good sound, and it’s gonna be something that you can relate to in different situations.

Like “Boots In Da Club”. I was just like boots in Vegas, cooking up in the front yard at the homie’s house, and just having a good time, and [ the song ] came organically.

For the next release, they could definitely expect similar vibes of just somewhere in the ecosystem. Another sound, and it’s gonna guide you to a more grounded place. But before we did that, I just wanted to have fun right quick with “Boots In Da Club”, have a good time and let loose; and then go into the battle. That’s what it’s about.

CMG: I feel like your music is just all about community, like a nod to the past, a nod to what music is about. I want to reflect on “Big Buskin” for a second and the importance in the details. There is a lot of atmospheric building in this album; from your intro, voice-overs, and ambient street sound setting from “Tony Machine on 42nd,” I felt like I was in the street with you, and the stage of the story you are building with this album speaks of community and reflection of the past from your days in Atlanta. What were the biggest pulls of inspiration for Big Buskin?

INK: Wow, that was incredible how you just worded that. My biggest pulse and inspiration was first just letting the music come out naturally. I didn’t want to box anything in, or I just wanted to make music. Without thinking about the album, I just created. And then once I dialed in on the concept that I wanted to show the world, Big Buskin, the details about my love for music and the story of how music was the core of that.

Just the confidence and the faith to go out when you don’t know what’s gonna happen or how to make something happen; but you just go with your faith and your gut, and it pans out.

That was the inspiration of how I did it from my perspective, to where I was coming from and the struggles that I was facing in that time, and I just didn’t let that stop me. And so it’s funny that you brought up Tony Machine on the 42nd interlude, because he was the same one that introduced my Lollapalooza set to today at the BMI stage. I wanted Tony to be here, so he was here.

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CMG: Something I like to say is “Closed mouths don’t get fed,” And I believe that you are a prime example of that.

Reflecting on your work with Beyoncé, your first meeting when you approached her and being on the other side as a multi-Grammy award artist, what do you think of the importance of putting yourself in the room rather than asking for permission?

INK: That’s how I grew up! My family says that “closed mouths don’t get fed, and the trash can ain’t got no teeth.”

Knock, and you shall receive. You know what I mean. And if you don’t receive it, it’s just not meant for you at that time. We speak in our life what we want. We say it, and it happens. And I just believe that that mantra is what it’s about. So you had to put yourself out there in a position so that other people can see what you are about, and they could join the movement, and they could be a community.

But if I don’t know your talents, how are we going to amplify each other’s gifts? That’s what it’s about. There’s people that’s waiting to serve you. There’s people that have what you are looking for. Sometimes you just gotta say, this is what I want. This is what I need, and it’s gonna appear. And a person is gonna appear right there.

Put yourself in the room, and it’s gonna make room for you. If you’re asking for permission, then you’re asking. You need to be telling, because we’re storytellers. We’re not story askers.

So put yourself in the room. I say, ‘this how I feel like I can add value because I’m a fan and I just love the music that you make and I watch the journey. This is how I feel like I can help, and I would love to be a part of your legacy to continue on.’​

CMG: What would you say to up-and-coming bands and creatives alike who are finding themselves fatigued and perhaps intimidated by the music, arts and performance industries and the vast saturation and expectations that come with it? How do you maintain authenticity and true to yourself and your sound?

INK: Don’t overthink it. Just ink it. The art is already in you, so you don’t have to do anything. You just have to live and experience things. Gotta experience it, and it’s gonna come out of you. And ask yourself questions and prompts that’ll lead to the thing pouring out of you, but don’t overlook wherever you are right now. That’s where you’re meant to be, and I promise you, when you look back on it, you can’t remember a time where it didn’t work out. You don’t remember what happened. You just remember the next experience that you got excited about.

So find things to be excited about. You book one show. Wow, we’re excited about that. Enjoy that, and the way that it’s gonna keep happening if you keep enjoying it every time it happens. So the journey is the best part, bro. Don’t worry about when; the journey makes everything better. When you enjoy this shit, enjoy it! Even all the hard days. You know what I mean?

The broke days, the down days, the fight days, the days that struggle. That’s what makes the art lived in. That’s what makes the art wearable, shareable. That’s what makes somebody else cry because we’ve been through that. So embrace that.

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Links:

INK:

Official: https://www.spillmyink.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spillmyink/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inkontiktok

Lollapalooza:

Official: http://www.lollapalooza.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lollapalooza
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lollapalooza/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lollapalooza