We sat down with Raphael Saadiq at his home studio in Los Angeles, three days after his album announcement.

You have been largely silent for six years. Was that a deliberate creative decision, or did life get in the way?

It was both, honestly. My brother passed and after that, I could not make music. Not real music. I knew that if I released something just to stay relevant, it would be dishonest. And dishonest music is the worst thing there is. So I waited.

The new album was recorded live in New Orleans with a 22-piece ensemble. That is an unusual choice in 2026.

Why? That is how all the records I love were made. You go into a room with great musicians and you make something together, in real time, with real air moving through real instruments. The computer cannot do that.

You have produced records for Solange, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige. Does the production mindset change when you are making your own music?

Completely. When I am producing for someone else, my job is to disappear — to serve their vision. When I am making my own record, I have to be willing to be naked. There is nowhere to hide. Every choice I make is a confession.

What do you want people to feel when they hear Bloodlines?

I want them to feel like they called their mother. Or their father. Or someone they loved who is not here anymore. I want them to feel like they are sitting in a kitchen somewhere that smells like something good. That is the whole record.