BANKS on bold new album Off With Her Head: "No one's seen what I can do yet"

You may think you know BANKS, but you don't. 

You may think that you know what kind of artist she is; that her debut album, 2014's Goddess, was the kind of sleek, fashionable alt-R&B record that set her up as a peer to The Weeknd, with a mysterious, luxurious soundscape that would later prove a fruitful inspiration to pure pop acts like Halsey and Selena Gomez.

But what you may not know is that BANKS' music has always existed with a sense of play. The music of her earlier may have existed in a darker state than most of her contemporaries, but her tales of loves lost and revenge taken always ran along with a distinct sense of irony, that BANKS knew how she was being perceived, and was happy to play along, and subvert expectations while doing so.

On her latest and fifth record, Off With Her Head, Jillian Banks is bolder and more brilliant than ever. The LP serves as a re-introduction of sorts to BANKS, the artist. The record as a whole chugs along with a pop and verve that's never been so readily present in her music before; which is ironic, considering this is a woman who once compared herself to the devil in growing beyond a breakup, and likened the process of healing from a bad relationship as akin to pulling thread over the gaping wounds inflicted in her mind.

But now? Those negative feelings are gone, replaced by a new sense of urgency and intent. Below, read our wide-ranging conversation, from the influence of Goddess still being felt 10 years on, and in the latest case of BANKS always being ahead of the curve, linking up with superstar in the making Doechii.

Hi BANKS! Off With Her Head is your first album in three years - it's such a great title, how did you come up with it?

Off With Her Head means multiple things to me. It could mean any of those negative voices that most everybody can struggle with, you say off with their head! Cut them out! Also for me, it can mean being more present, getting out of your head and letting go of the past. You have to be at peace with where you are [in your life], which is funny because 'off with her head' does sound like a dark, heavy, thing. But for me it's positive!

Your artistry has evolved a lot over the last ten years of your career, I think that's really reflected in the new music

I think a lot has changed in my life [since 2022's Serpentina], and I think this new album has a lot of joy in it. There's a lightness to it that I feel, as a person, that's reflected in the music [for the first time]. I'm excited for people to dive into it.

It also sounds like a return of sorts to the sounds and ideas you were playing with in Goddess all those years ago...

I love that! Yeah, a lot of the people who worked on Goddess [returned to work on Off With Her Head]. It's the OG crew, back in my life. You're right, it did feel like a coming home of sorts. But at the same time, we've all grown up so much since then. There were different dynamics than there were 10 years ago, people work on music in different ways. So it was really fun trying to bring all these puzzle pieces together. 

If felt like everything that happened on this album, all the people involved, it was very intentioned. Look at Make It Up with Sampha, we first met all the way back in 2013, and it's been really incredible to rediscover some of those old sounds and create new ones too. It was just absolutely very inspiring. 

I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend, the lead single, sounded very much like a new space for you. BANKS is rapping now!

Honestly, I think it's cool! I really like playing with rhythm, and finding different pockets in that is really fun for me. It's like my own version of rap, I've done that on previous songs, but this feels like something new to explore again. I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend is a really fun song too. I've obviously written a lot of heavy songs that can be quite painful [to perform and listen to] in the past, but this is fun! It's sassy. It's actually savage.

One thing about BANKS is she's always going to be ahead of the curve - and Doechii is a feature on the track, obviously, she's on the way to being a superstar now...but you got in early!

Working with Doechii was really incredible, honestly. She was a joy to work with, super inspiring. We definitely make music in a similar way; I'm the middle link in my music, it's not just in my head, it's channelled through me, and I know Doechii works like that too. 

It's really not a 'in my head' process, and then once it's out you realise 'oh, I needed to say this.' It's so great that when you have other artists that think you're awesome, and then they're awesome and you create something together and it's so much fun. 

Doechii has also been very vocal about being influenced by Goddess when she was younger, how did it feel to link up with someone like that who is now an artist in their own right?

I mean, it's the biggest compliment! I'm so humbled by how much Goddess has touched people. That was actually one of the first things Doechii said to me [when we met], and it feels incredible. It's the biggest compliment when another artist is inspired by what you do. 

Speaking of Goddess, last year marked a decade since its release - it's influenced, I think, a lot of people and a lot of music since then. How has it been seeing the record'sn stature only grow with time?

It incredible. You just have to believe in yourself. A lot of people will try and tear you down and say what you're doing isn't what you should be doing. And I'm just really happy I stuck to it, you know?

Doing the 10 year anniversary shows felt like such a celebration. Everyone was just screaming every lyric. The music I write is me, it's my heart, and so whoever connects to it, I just feel like we have some sort of kinship. Because obviously you've gone through something similar than I have, and I'm sure we've all gone through similar experiences. It's just like so human.

What do you remember about that time? There was a lot of mystery around you for a while  - no-one really knew who you were or what you looked like

It's so funny because a lot of people at the time, in interviews, would be like 'you're so mysterious!' And I was like...I'm not! I'm just anxious! I would cover my face a lot, and then it became kind of my brand. But I think people can sense when something's real. I would give my number out instead of doing socials, that was crazy. 

But since then, I've grown up a lot. Looking back, I was such a little  bird back then. I feel like I would mother myself now, mother that person. 

Now, it really does seem like you're having the most fun doing this

I am! No-one's really seen what I can do yet, I think. I used to care so much about what people used to think about me. Now? I'm like, if you don't like it, you just have bad taste!

Off With Her Head by BANKS is out February 28 via AWAL.