Using art and creativity as therapy is a tried and tested elixir — and certainly one to be encouraged — and for Bristol rapper Taurri it was literally a life-saver. His new album XIII was written in the wake of severe mental health issues that culminated in a night of excess that almost took his life.
Thankfully, he poured all of that into his music and was able to effectively exorcise his demons, putting pen to paper and dreaming up the new album in the process. The first taste of what will no doubt be a visceral album arrives today in the form of lead single "Curtains". The track itself puts his harrowing experience into crystal clear detail and its ambient textures and breathy vocal delivery even sound like the foggy-headed state he found himself in. In fact, everything about the album is tied to that moment; even the album's release date (May 13) marks the second anniversary of the fateful night that made him change his life forever.
Speaking with Complex via email, Taurri explained: "Of course, moments like this come as a shock when you're in a perpetual state of denial, but despite the fairly graphic nature of that weekend I now look back on the experience with a sense of gratitude. May 13, 2018 I was 72 hours into sleep deprivation, searching for a reason to wake up. May 13, 2020 I'm lucky enough to be putting out this album and closing the door on all that. I feel blessed.
"XIII is a representation of my journey through adolescence. I wrote the project throughout my most troubled years and each track is implicit of the inner dialogues that accompanied those experiences. The number XIII has many meanings, but in this context it's the mark of Death & Rebirth. For those who take the time to listen and find out why, I'm eternally grateful."
