Blood Orange is Devonté Hynes. Born in Ilford, East London, to a Guyanese mother and a Sierra Leonean Creole father, New York-based since 2007, and a veteran of Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion. Soft-edged avant-pop drawing on '80s R&B, quiet storm and gospel. Freetown Sound (2016) is named for his father's birthplace, the capital of Sierra Leone. Much of his résumé is other people's records (Solange, FKA twigs, Carly Rae Jepsen), plus film scores. Guest Empress Of is Lorely Rodriguez, an LA-born first-generation Honduran American. Hynes put out Essex Honey in 2025, and Empress Of's Dream House followed in 2026.
From the notes for Episode 02 · fact-checked Oct 4, 2026.
