Dawn Richard’s “chuuuuurch” Finds Affirmation in New Orleans Rhythm

Dawn Richard has been circling her New Orleans roots for years, but on “chuuuuurch” that connection becomes something more immediate. The third single from her upcoming album Creole Culture, due October 9 via Merge, pairs her with New Orleans singer Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph over a bassline that echoes early-’90s house music.

The track moves through gospel, bounce, and dance without settling neatly into any of them. Richard describes the song as “a conversation with myself” about surviving a volatile stretch of the music business, with “church” operating as an affirmation rather than a location. That idea holds the arrangement together: the production keeps building, layering influences associated with Crystal Waters and La Bouche until they occupy the same groove.

Recorded with drummer/producer Greg Paul and his Katalyst collective, Creole Culture follows earlier singles “enough” and the Durand Bernarr duet “baby, can we?.” Zebretta Johnson directed the video for “chuuuuurch,” with animation contributed by Richard herself. The result is less nostalgia than a functional reminder—sometimes, as Richard puts it, you have to amen yourself.