Erykah Badu & The Alchemist Deliver Intimate NTS Session in London
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have brought their collaborative world to London for an intimate NTS Session, performing three tracks from their recently released album Before The World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment.
The session, released by NTS on 9 September 2026, features live performances of “Echos,” “I Just Play A Part” featuring DJ Creole Princess, and “Witch Doctor.”
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist Take Over NTS
Filmed in an intimate London setting, the NTS performance gives the duo a stripped-back space to bring their new material to life.
Directed by Yasser Abubeker, the session was shot by director of photography Diara Sow, with spatial and lighting design by Bianca Peruzzi.
The visual approach leans into the atmosphere surrounding Before The World Blows, with the performance presented less like a conventional music-video shoot and more like an immersive live experience.
Promonews reports that the session was filmed in the courtyard of artist Alvaro Barrington’s East London studio, with smoke effects, extended camera movements and an otherworldly visual treatment shaping the performance.
Watch Erykah Badu & The Alchemist Perform “Echos,” “I Just Play A Part” & “Witch Doctor”
The NTS Session features three tracks from the duo’s album:
- “Echos”
- “I Just Play A Part” featuring DJ Creole Princess
- “Witch Doctor”
The three songs capture different sides of the collaboration, from the atmospheric opening of “Echos” to the hypnotic energy of “Witch Doctor.”
“I Just Play A Part” also brings DJ Creole Princess into the performance. NTS officially lists all three songs as part of the London session.
The Album Behind the Session: Before The World Blows
Released on 28 August 2026, Before The World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment is the long-awaited collaborative album from Badu and The Alchemist.
The 16-track project was developed over approximately 18 months, with recording sessions taking place between Dallas and Los Angeles.
The album brings together Badu’s distinctive vocal and songwriting approach with The Alchemist’s sample-driven production, creating a meeting point between neo-soul, hip-hop, jazz and more experimental textures.
The project also features artists including Westside Gunn, DRAM, Steve Lacy, Thundercat, Earl Sweatshirt and Kamasi Washington.
A Major Return for Erykah Badu
Before The World Blows represents a significant return for Badu.
The project is her first full-length album in 11 years, following her 2015 mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone. Her previous studio album was New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), released in 2010.
That extended gap makes the collaboration with The Alchemist particularly significant. Rather than attempting to recreate Badu’s earlier work, Before The World Blows places her voice inside a darker and more atmospheric production world.
The Alchemist’s sample-heavy approach gives the album a distinctly hip-hop-rooted framework, while Badu’s vocals and writing maintain the spiritual, soulful quality that has defined her work for decades.
From “Witch Doctor” to the NTS Session
“Witch Doctor” was one of the key tracks used to introduce the album before its release.
The song arrived as part of the project’s renewed 2026 rollout after the album had previously been delayed. Badu also directed and starred in the track’s music video.
The NTS performance now gives fans another way to experience the track, alongside “Echos” and “I Just Play A Part.”
Watch the Full NTS Session
The Erykah Badu & The Alchemist NTS Session is available through NTS, featuring the trio of performances from Before The World Blows.
Watch Erykah Badu & The Alchemist’s NTS Session
The session adds another visual chapter to one of 2026’s most anticipated musical collaborations, bringing Badu and The Alchemist’s Before The World Blows into an intimate London setting.
