Pitchfork: Who are the girls you want to reach with your art?

Vagabon: Weird girls. Girls that are not celebrated, both in their communities and in the world. Obviously women of color, but specifically black women, because that’s who I represent. There are all these barriers in front of what you think you should do, and some of it involves not feeling like you have that knowledge: if you didn’t go to art school, or just feel like no one within your reach also identifies with what you’re doing. So for me, it’s more about—I don’t always feel comfortable being out here. If I hide, like I am naturally inclined to do, then I don’t further my desire to see more black girls making this kind of music, or just not being afraid to be here, because we’re outnumbered. If I can be one more number and have them see that, then they’ll be like, “I can do that” or, “I identify with this person, my skin color is dark, I’m not an ambiguous black girl.” This is for black women and this is for black men. This is for women of color and this is for girls. I want to be here and present, even if it’s uncomfortable, just so that I can get to the people that I would’ve loved to see when I was doubting in myself.

Can you ever not think about identity with Vagabon?

I can’t not think about it.

When is that good and when is that a burden?

It’s almost always good. It becomes a burden when it locks you into something. It’s especially important for me to reach beyond the community that I started playing music in. I love that community, but a lot of people who look like me aren’t in that community. I can’t reach them if they can’t see me, and that’s what I want to do. I almost don’t care about what a specific community thinks about me because I know what I want to reach, and I know that my being and my music and my shows can’t not be political. I can’t dilute it, and I don’t want to.

I just also don’t want to be put into a box: “Look at this black musician.” It’s like: I’m black. It is so clear. I do not deny it. I am doing this for all the black people like me who didn’t know that they could be in spaces like I am in. I have no crazy entry point. I had no friend who brought me in. I had no music school connection, and I want other people to feel like it’s OK to penetrate that scene. It’s cool.