Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer PJ Morton has dropped a single ahead of his new album.
“Smoke & Mirrors,” is a funky tune that encapsulates the spirit of New Orleans. He said in an interview with the Associated Press, thar the uptempo song is about “defying preconceptions” and has a “message that connects back to self.”
The video for the tune, produced and directed by Nathan Corrona, is equally as funky. Filmed at a mechanic’s tire and brake shop, we see a man with grease-covered hands working on a truck before the camera captures another man in a suit draping a Ghanaian flag over his whip.
The song serves as a teaser for Morton’s next album Cape Town To Cairo, slated to release June 14. The album was recorded during his month-long trip in Africa, where he visited South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt. The nine-track offering, which includes the lead single “Please Be Good,” features Fireboy DML, Mádé Kuti, Asa & Ndabo Zulu, and Soweto Spiritual Singers.
“I was asked so many questions before I went to Africa,” he said of the days leading up to his life-altering trip to the Motherland. “I’ve been told so many things about Africa. Seeing for myself broke many of those narratives that I was told. I realized that perceptions usually depend on who is telling the story. This song is also inspired by my journey through the music industry,” he continued via press release.
In 2019, Morton took home a Best R&B Grammy for “Say So” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “How Deep Is Your Love.” Since then, he’s won three more Grammys for Best Gospel Album, Album of the Year and, this year, for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Good Morning.”