Los Angeles-based violinist, singer, songwriter, and producer Sudan Archives has firmly established herself as an R&B changemaker, pushing the genre outside its traditional boundaries. The self-taught violinist approaches her definition of music in an avant-garde manner, combining R&B, hip-hop, experimental electronic, and West African fiddling styles. The result is a catchy, lush, joyful sound that transports you to a place where you can let go of the day-to-day.
Born Brittney Denise Parks in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sudan Archives grew up attending a small church three times a week, and it was there that she was first exposed to performing onstage. While Parks was a kid, the Celtic-influenced Canadian band Barrage visited her elementary school, and their violin-centric performance convinced her to learn to play the violin. She had little professional instruction and mostly learned to play by ear.
When she was 17, Parks decided to change her name, and her mother suggested Sudan. Her research into the music of Sudan led her to add "Archives." At 19, Parks moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical career and study ethnomusicology at Pasadena City College.
In 2015, Parks' home recordings caught the attention of the record label Stones Throw, known for their affinity for far-out funk. She released her eponymous debut EP in 2017, and her second EP, Sink, followed in 2018.
Sudan Archives released her debut album Athena in 2019, and it was met with critical acclaim from media outlets including The New York Times. The Guardian also called it "some of the most viscerally gorgeous music put to record." Her second studio album, Natural Brown Prom Queen, was released in September of 2022, again to widespread acclaim.
Sudan Archives will continue to head out on tour in 2023, performing concerts and festival sets throughout the United States, Europe and Australia.
