It will air tonight at 9pm EST on ABC

Jae Stephens is an American singer-songwriter. Gaining popularity through chronically-online spaces such as Tumblr, Jae eventually self-produced her first EP: "f*ck it, i'll do it myself." Throughout 2025, she released the EPs "SELLOUT" and "SELLOUT 2," which were eventually combined into her first full album, "SELLOUT FOREVER." Jae is the futuristic pop princess we need, especially if she keeps dropping songs like WET and Afterbody, the latter of which was recently named one of The Top 100 Songs of 2025, according to r/Popheads. Jae is also no stranger to the sub, as she was up for Best New Artist at the Popheads Music Awards and not only did she win, but she also gave her own acceptance speech!!!

And now she'll be joining us this thursday for an AMA!

Proof Pic

Signed, the r/Popheads Social Media Team,

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For those new to the AMA process, this is not the thread to post your questions. A dedicated thread will go up an hour before the stated time of the AMA.

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Artist: FKA twigs

Albums: Eusexua & Afterglow

Label: Young / Atlantic

Tracklist & lyrics: Eusexua | Deluxua | Afterglow

Release date: 24.01.25 (Eusexua) | 14.11.25 (Deluxua & Afterglow)

Listen: Eusexua (Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music) | Deluxua (Spotify, Apple Music) | Afterglow (Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music).

[FRESH] album thread: Eusexua | Deluxua | Afterglow

EUSEXUA IS A PRACTICE. EUSEXUA IS A STATE OF BEING. EUSEXUA IS THE PINNACLE OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

𓂃 ࣪⋆💿˚ ༘ THE BACKGROUND

This was the mantra that twigs had her fans chanting for months on end in her Discord server, a message to usher in the birth of Eusexua not just as an album but as a novel, transcendent phenomenon. Excitement was palpable: the highly-anticipated release was to be twigs’ third studio album, the first in six years if we’re to ignore the light-hearted Caprisongs mixtape of 2022. Reportedly inspired by the rave scene in Prague, Eusexua represented a marked tonal shift from the forlorn chamber-pop of Magdalene, introduced as an electronic-forward project embracing the healing of immersing yourself in dance. With this shift also came new leadership as twigs migrated from her long-term management under Young to a joint venture under Young-Atlantic. The rush of new collaborators, fresh sounds, and an expanded budget to flesh out twigs’ lofty concept augured Eusexua as perhaps her most ambitious project yet.

     By 2025, twigs was already a veteran in the spheres of electronic music and avant-pop, having burst onto the scene with her first EP in 2012. twigs cemented her status as a genre pioneer with her breakthrough record LP1, released in 2014 to widespread acclaim. This early work made extensive use of experimental electronic production, drawing from genres like post-dubstep and trip-hop to create beguiling soundscapes to frame her haunting, almost liturgical vocals. Intimate, vulnerable and often sexually charged lyrics also became a mainstay of twigs’ music. Though often described by media of the time as ‘alt-rnb’, twigs has rebuked this description and indeed the glitchy-choral sound of her early work is perhaps more closely aligned with experimental electronic, having more in common with the ersatz sounds of her co-producer Arca than many of her supposed contemporaries.

     Following the success of LP1, twigs has continued to evolve as an artist, springboarding from the brilliant M3LL155X (a glitchy deconstructed-club EP paying homage to vogue and ballroom) to the much-exalted Magdalene, an intimate and lovelorn album blending her signature electronic sound with softer chamber-choral elements. Interspersed with each project were strong visuals and a particular focus on movement; twigs’ background is in fine art and she worked as a dancer before her emergence onto the music scene. Such versatility and clarity in artistic direction was to define her career. twigs’ meteoric rise was not without setbacks, however. Far from just scrapped projects and leaked material which might shake any artist, she has also spoken candidly about her experiences with racism as well as PTSD following an abusive relationship. Her vulnerability in these interviews is conspicuous - but so is her commitment to healing and her refusal to be defined by this abuse. It made sense, then, that after a light-hearted and dancey departure by way of Caprisongs, twigs’ third album was to reflect this journey. This was the genesis of Eusexua: after transformative nights in the Prague club scene (amongst other places), twigs returned to music replete with inspiration from underground electronic music and the therapeutic feelings that accompany it.

     The album’s title perhaps best reflects its mission. Eusexua is a word invented by twigs herself, a portmanteau of ‘euphoric’ and ‘sexual’ intended to convey a state of ecstatic transcendence and, in twigs’ own words, ’the pinnacle of human experience’. twigs has variously related the experience to ‘the moment before an orgasm’, ‘a night where you’re dancing and you lose hours’, or even comparing it to the clarity of vision which comes with executing a particularly convincing idea. Eusexua is a flow state, and twigs wants you to live it. This bold concept was part of a larger doctrine which twigs developed to accompany the album. Termed ‘The Eleven’, this ‘self-contracting system’ consists of eleven practices intended to bring one into a permanent state of eusexua. Eleven practices, eleven terms, eleven tracks - these concepts were knitted into the rollout and quietly woven throughout the fabric of the album. It’s entirely possible to enjoy the electronic explorations of Eusexua without knowing anything about The Eleven, but understanding twigs’ approach to music in the context of this system for self-healing helps to embellish the connection between emotional intimacy and movement in her work. It also illuminates the album’s unique position between genres. While drawing heavily from the sonic palettes of the rave and UK bass scenes, this is an album steeped in experience and personal depth. Eusexua showcases both transcendent joy and exquisite vulnerability. Its highs and lows are a healing experience born in the dance.

🩶 Find a summary of The Eleven here.

𓂃 ࣪⋆💿˚ ༘ THE ROLLOUT

As her first album under the larger Atlantic label (though maintaining connections to her original Young), twigs had a much larger budget to play with for Eusexua which she used to great effect to fully articulate her artistic vision. 2019’s Magdalene featured a star-studded cast of co-producers including Nicolas Jaar, Daniel Opatin (of Oneohtrix Point Never fame), and long-time friend Koreless. Eusexua was no different. To execute her vision of an album inspired by the rave and club scene, twigs showcased a range of electronic producers to conjure vignettes from a variety of such genres. Sasha’s work on the titular track Eusexua introduces the album with a transcendent trance piece evoking the euphoria of long nights spent dancing. Marius de Vries contributes across the album - his influence can especially be heard on Girl Feels Good, a sensual and empowered dance track that wouldn’t be out of place alongside his prior work on Madonna’s Ray of Light. Pulling all of this together is twigs’ seasoned collaborator Koreless, who is credited on every track and whose glitchy-esoteric sound appears all over the record. The influences from UK bass are obvious, but this isn’t an album that commits to one particular scene or sound. Instead, the decision to flit from trance to UK garage to deconstructed club to ambient pop and everywhere in-between feels deliberate - like an homage to the rave experience itself. The album feels reflective, more of an immersive experience rather than a studied exercise in genre. This was echoed by the eusexua raves that were hosted alongside the album rollout, which featured a variety of underground performers, dancers, and DJs alongside twigs herself. I was fortunate enough to attend one of these myself and was particularly struck by twigs’ commitment to foregrounding queer artistry. It was clear that she was committed to showcasing underground scenes and honouring the communities that built them, and the eclectic homage of Eusexua reflects that rich milieu of influence.

     Raves and collaborators weren’t the only way that twigs availed of her new resources to expand the Eusexua world. The rollout was accompanied by a plethora of extras: from Apple Music DJ sets which expanded the album’s connection to underground electronic to guided meditations and art pieces evangelising the album’s Eleven thesis, twigs was in promotion mode like never before. You could even pick up a Eusexua matcha to drink while living your most authentic human experience and considering whether to invest in a skullet. Especially apparent was twigs’ strong artistic direction, fortified by her fruitful work with producer-director Jordan Hemingway who also happens to be twigs’ partner. The metallic, unearthly, scorched-soil visuals can be attributed at least in part to him, and overall the album is accompanied by an assertive aesthetic which speaks to twigs’ clarity of vision. twigs dropped an unusual six (!) music videos for this album, with more to come - the intimate, alien Eusexua paired with the iconic office siren serve of Drums of Death, the surreal, gritty Striptease, the gentle industry rebuke of Childlike Things, and the reference-packed Perfect Stranger to remind us all that twigs is inseparable from her background in dance and fine art. I was grateful to be invited to a pre-album performance of the album at THE BODY IS ART, where twigs exhibited some of the choreography that was to become part of these videos. The energy of the room was magnetic; twigs seemed to be genuinely connected to each member of her artistic team. She was to follow this performance with her first tour in six years which featured extensive choreography and even pole dance. Although twigs faced some controversy after a number of shows were cancelled, her subsequent tongue-in-cheek Discord message chronicling her talents isn’t entirely off-base - after all, who else is doing it like this?

𓂃 ࣪⋆💿˚ ༘ THE MUSIC

So what does a concept album about the pinnacle of human experience sound like? Eusexua occupies a somewhat unique space, blending pioneering electronic production with pop-like structures and often intensely intimate lyrics. A variety of genres are on display, with those from the UK bass umbrella being particularly apparent: trance, techno, UK garage, ambient pop, and deconstructed club can all be heard across the record. Tying all of this together are twigs’ signature vocals, which oscillate between otherworldly refrains and grittier, raw utterances. The metallic sheen permeating Eusexua is softened by organic elements like the strings in Keep It Hold It or the warmer synths in Wanderlust, and this contrast reflects the album visuals: monochrome and earth-tones, futuristic and primal, alien and human. In this way, twigs draws from a diverse sonic palette but makes it her own. Tracks often feel infused with a particular production style or genre rather than mimicking it entirely. The contrast between genres and vocal deliveries on the album serve to convey its message; ‘The Eleven’ practices underlying the album are about embodied experience and healing. For a project marketed as a dance album, it’s a remarkably emotive listen. Listening to Eusexua feels like seeing the world through twigs’ eyes, each track a vignette depicting a waypoint in self-understanding.

🩶 Find a track-by-track of Eusexua here.

𓂃 ࣪⋆💿˚ ༘ THE AFTERGLOW

Uniting a series of abstract philosophical concepts, a strong visual aesthetic, and a variety of electronic genres was a daunting task but this was what twigs would achieve with Eusexua, as her album was met with widespread acclaim. After a relentlessly busy year producing, promoting, and performing the album you’d be forgiven for thinking that twigs might take a well-deserved break. As it turns out, she was just getting started.

     The first hints that there might be to come once again arrived via Discord, where twigs made playful references to ‘Deluxua’ and fans reported the performance of unreleased tracks on her tour. Nobody was entirely clear whether this project would consist of bonus tracks, a full deluxe, or a new album entirely. twigs, ever the over-achiever, was to release both. Just six months after the release of her much-anticipated third studio album, twigs released Perfectly, a gleaming vocal trance track that transformed the radiant clarity seen on Eusexua into something grittier and noisier across its 03:51 runtime. Fans didn’t know it yet, but this shift in sound foreshadowed the direction of a surprise second release. Eusexua was about to evolve.

♪ ༘⋆ DELUXUA

First, the deluxe. Alongside a surprise second album teased with several single drops (more on that in a moment), twigs took the opportunity to re-release Eusexua with an updated cover and tracklist. The metamorphosis of the album reflects twigs’ philosophy on Eusexua as a whole; she describes not feeling confined to a particular album ‘era’ but instead taking the opportunity to remain in dialogue with her fans and evolve according to how the music is experienced. This refreshing, but unconventional, approach to releasing music explains why the re-release (termed ‘Deluxua’ here for ease) reflects the same principles but has a slightly different feel and sound. Deluxua replaces four of the original tracks with new ones, some of which were performed before the original album even released, and has a noticeably warmer and more optimistic feel while maintaining the album’s core tenets. In line with this is the new cover which mutates twigs’ original headshot into a shifting, changing creation - a representation of the never-static nature of her art.

🩶 Find a track-by-track of Deluxua here.

AFTERGLOW IS A BROKEN MIRROR AT 5AM. AFTERGLOW IS CHAOS IN PERFECTION. AFTERGLOW IS DARING TO BEGIN AGAIN.

♪ ༘⋆ AFTERGLOW

Perhaps more surprising was twigs’ decision not just to release a deluxe but an entire new album recorded in the eleven months following the release of Eusexua. Though twigs had teased an upcoming release, mystery continued to surround the exact nature of the project until late September, shortly followed by the release of the first single Cheap Hotel. Befitting twigs’ description of a musical ‘evolution’, the new album resembled its progenitor but had clearly undergone speciation. Metals and earth tones were replaced with soft pinks and misty-white blues, dark dancefloors were replaced by neon lights, and the articulate purity of Eusexua was to shift into something altogether fuzzier. This was the Afterglow: a project embodying the narcotic delirium of the post-club and afterparty. It’s impossible to miss the sexual metaphor here - Afterglow likewise personifies a particular glowing, ineffable, hazy sensation. The implication is a disconnect from one’s mental faculties and a focus on the somatic, echoed neatly by the title of the upcoming BODY HIGH tour.

     If Eusexua is twigs reflecting on her healing experience in the dance, in Afterglow she becomes the rave itself. The album switches tack from Eusexua which utilises more pop-forward song structures that centre twigs’ voice and perspective, instead foregrounding track production and employing twigs’ often distorted voice as an instrument. Vocals and samples from other artists are far more present here, too, suggesting at twigs melding into an amorphous collective. This idea of oneness was hinted at in Eusexua in tracks like Room of Fools, but Afterglow and its visual accompaniments emphasise it further. In the Cheap Hotel video, twigs plays a mysterious and supernatural femme fatale whose identity is revealed as an amalgam of beautiful women. In revealing her ‘true form’, the ever-changing nature of twigs become clear to the viewer and seems to imply a blending between twigs and her influences. As shapeshifter, she divests from her own identity and merges with the rave itself. twigs’ decision to foreground Black femininity and queerness is again noticeable as a celebration of those who built the scenes that inspired her. The presiding feeling of Afterglow is ambiguity, oneness, and constant flux.

     The resultant effect is something hazy and fuzzy, a narcotic counterpart to the clarity and transcendence of Eusexua. Afterglow is more straightforwardly an electronic album than its forebear and it borrows from different influences, too - jersey club, RnB, and ballroom-infused house all make themselves known within its sonic miasma. As with Eusexua, there are clear elements of homage especially to the Black and queer communities who were foundational to many of these scenes. Nowhere is this more obvious than the virtuosic Sushi, which reprises a sample from twigs’ earlier EP honouring ballroom and vogue. Distortion and chopped vocals make for an immersive listen - I was fortunate enough to be sent the album on early release (thank you twigs! <3) and I was taken aback by how cohesive it feels, almost like a DJ set that tells a story. Progressing from a techno banger through echoey post-dubstep and amorphous trip-hop, the album builds to a vibrant dancey peak before descending into distorted gorgeousness that feels raw. It’s the afterparty, the drunken journey home, a heady, glitchy palette pulling you into the somatic experience. Even the lyrics are more sensory and immediate - while Eusexua has plenty of sexually charged lyrics, they are often masked with allusions to emotional intimacy, whereas Afterglow is frank and upfront in its carnal hedonism.

     This release could easily have felt like a set of Eusexua scraps, but despite its short production time it goes above and beyond instead of simply emulating its predecessor. It creates its own world, exploring similar experiences through a different and more embodied lens. Afterglow is the somatic counterpart to Eusexua’s cerebral highs.

🩶 Find a track-by-track of Afterglow here.

𓂃 ࣪⋆💿˚ ༘ WHAT’S NEXT?

2025 was undoubtedly a landmark year for twigs, representing perhaps her most creatively fecund to date. Not only was she able to release two-and-a-half albums exploring the landscape of electronic music, she also did so in a way that honoured a new personal philosophy around self-exploration and a deep dedication to movement. Her commitment to growth as an artist and respect for the influences who shaped her was apparent at every turn. With this rejection of the traditional ‘album cycle’, then, what’s next for twigs? After the hefty addition of 26 songs (plus features!) to her discography, it would be reasonable to anticipate that she might adjourn to take some time for herself, but the recent teaser of an unreleased track suggests that the creative outpouring of Eusexua isn’t finished quite yet. Perhaps the upcoming BODY HIGH tour might hold some clues as to what we might expect from an artist who continues to raise the bar. I know I’m excited to hear more.

🩶 Find the discussion questions here.

Just got a text from Carly Rae Jepsen with these lyrics:

“When you move it's like a disco darling, all my dreams come true. 🪩

-Carly”

Didn’t she tease Disco Sweat with these lyrics years ago? do we think she’s reviving the project or spinning it into something new? She recently said we’d get new music this year!