Sudan Archives

Based in Los Angeles, American violinist, singer and producer Sudan Archives builds a project where experimental R&B blends with electronics, soul and violin patterns drawn from East and North African traditions. Born Brittney Parks in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sudan Archives is largely self-taught on the violin and developed a distinct voice by combining vocals, strings and rhythms in formats that sit between song and instrumental beat. Discovered by Stones Throw Records, she released a self-titled EP in 2017 followed by Sink in 2018; these established an aesthetic of violin loops, minimalist bass lines and sung melodies that inhabit a space between spoken word, gospel and alternative pop. The album Athena (2019) broadened her palette with more open vocal arrangements and longer song structures, while Natural Brown Prom Queen (2022) pushed the hybrid quality further—moving between club sounds, R&B balladry and quasi-folk fragments. Performing across venues and festivals in North America and Europe, Sudan Archives alternates solo shows and larger ensemble formats, situating her work in an ongoing dialogue between electronic music, Afro-diasporic inheritances and intimate songwriting.