For artists, so much has changed. Back then musicians only toured when their albums were at an all-time high, or released material that suited a genre reflective to their sound. With the state of music now, however, anything is possible. Case in point, eclectic soul and electronic duo Lion Babe.

Creating a buzz strictly off their lead single “Treat Me Like Fire” and their recently released, self-titled debut EP, Jillian Hervey and right-hand producer Lucas Goodman have spread past their New York base for a world-wide channel. Since collaborating with Disclosure, Childish Gambino and becoming staples on the international festival circuit, the funk outfit is now ready to share their debut studio album Begin.

“When we started working together, we just started on the album,” Jillian told REVOLT. “So from ‘Treat Me Like Fire,’ we just started building this whole world of what our sound is.”

Channeling icons Josephine Baker, Naomi Campbell and Chaka Khan on stage, the funky frontwoman advocates a conscious medium of music, which sonically can resonate with anyone.

“Message wise, we always felt there was a lack of confident, positive and optimistic messages in mainstream music,” she added. “If you look at the world right now, I think people need those messages and a form of escape. It’s the messages we want to tell ourselves as well.”

Begin is anticipated to drop at the top of next year, following their recent tour trek. Check out our full interview with them below.

Reporting by Danielle Cheesman