Banks Had to ‘Dig in the Mud’ to Make Her New Album III

Singer-songwriter Jillian Banks, known as Banks, helped popularize the brooding R&B sound that’s dominated pop this decade. Now, after a two-year self-imposed hiatus, she returns with her third album, III. In it, she explores pain, desire and personal growth, mixing vulnerable songwriting with experimental and genre-blending production.
TIME: What did you do differently with this album?
Banks: First of all, I rap.

Singer-songwriter Jillian Banks, known as Banks, helped popularize the brooding R&B sound that’s dominated pop this decade. Now, after a two-year self-imposed hiatus, she returns with her third album, III. In it, she explores pain, desire and personal growth, mixing vulnerable songwriting with experimental and genre-blending production. TIME: What did you do differently with this album? Banks: First of all, I rap.