Moses Sumney has released a new version of his song “In Bloom.” The delicate, stripped-down track, titled “In Bloom (In the Woods),” is from the musician’s upcoming album and film Live From Blacklachia.
The film, due out Dec. 10, captures a one-take performance Sumney did in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Sumney directed the film, which features performances of 14 songs, himself.
The original version of “In Bloom” comes off Sumney’s 2020 album Græ. Græ marked Sumney’s second studio album and was released in two parts last year, the first in February and the second in May. It followed his debut LP Aromanticism and the subsequent EP Black in Deep Red, 2014.
Sumney told Rolling Stone he always seeks to create music outside genre limitation. “To some people, I will always be an R&B artist, and that is the nature of my work,” he said. “It is the nature of me being a black singer who sings the way I do, regardless of what I dress it up in.”
“I love to laugh, and I’m always laughing,” he said of the album’s sometimes humorous tone. “I view sadness and joy as intrinsically linked. Melancholy is such a bittersweet emotion, but the sweetness is there. I wanted to make that clearer. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not dark and brooding all the time.”
The world leader, who has repeatedly faced criticism for featuring songs from artists who do not want their music connected to his political views, shared a viral clip of We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) that focused on the lyric: “Me and my truth we sit in silence.”
The footage shows Trump at a rally while the statement “Men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports” appears on screen.
The Team Trump TikTok account posted the video with the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.”
Ariana responded in a comment that was later removed, saying: “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.”
Trump has a well known record of opposing transgender rights, and the US Supreme Court recently ruled that states can prohibit transgender women from taking part in women’s sports. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices determined that such laws do not breach Title IX or the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The decision in June came after several other actions by the Trump administration involving transgender policies. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court also permitted the administration to continue with its “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order, which would prevent transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
Ariana’s statement arrived soon after Taylor Swift also took steps to stop Trump from using her music on TikTok. Trump had featured a number of her songs in his social media posts, including a video of him and his wife Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks accompanied by August.
The song was later taken off the post and replaced by a notice that read: “This sound isn’t available.”
Trump appeared to deliberately select Taylor’s track, adding the message: “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!”
He also responded to the Team Trump video with: “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
Other Taylor Swift songs that were removed from Trump’s TikTok content included The Fate of Ophelia and Father Figure.
Trump previously made headlines when he wrote “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social after the singer publicly announced that she planned to support Kamala Harris in the previous presidential election.
