French-Senegalese artist anaiis shares her mini-album anaiis & Grupo Cosmo out now in digital format, with vinyl scheduled for December. Alongside the mini-album, anaiis debuts the video for B.P.E co-directed with Ronan McKenzie and Tayo Rapport. Created in collaboration with Brazilian artists Sessa and Grammy-nominated Luedji Luna, the project captures a profound fusion of global influences that explores themes of Black identity, motherhood, and the natural world. anaiis describes the album as “a sonic emergence of the person I was becoming,” reflecting her journey of self-discovery and artistic evolution.On the video for B.P.E, anaiis adds: “I wanted the film to explore the ways in which tradition and culture are passed down in this very universal and iconic way but also to invigorate the viewer with joy. The song is a celebration of Blackness, and it was important for me that the film captured the power of our spirit as a collective.” The album, born from an immersive, transformative experience, features Grupo Cosmo’s vibrant blend of Brazilian musical traditions—rock, bossa nova, and ’70s psychedelia—adding depth and dimension to anaiis’s sound. “We spent days on the beach, sharing meals, stories, and creating together,” anaiis recalls of the recording retreat. “Every track was recorded live to tape—no computers. By the end of the week, we had an album that truly captured the spirit of that moment.” The recording process, documented on 16mm film, lends an intimate, raw visual layer to the album, encapsulating the beauty of spontaneity and shared experience.

Director and photographer Ronan McKenzie notes: "When dreaming what the B.P.E film could be, I kept being drawn to a place of nostalgia, and collective memory as well as a place of longing. I wanted the film to explore the ways in which tradition and culture are passed down in this very universal and iconic way but also to invigorate the viewer with joy. The song is a celebration of Blackness, and it was important for me that the film captured the power of our spirit as a collective."