Forthcoming album, 1783, from Halifax, Nova Scotia singer/rapper/composer Aquakultre will draw from souyl, gospel, R&B and folk traditions to explore lineage, legacy and belonging within a community descended from the first black settlers in Nova Scotia. Lead single, What Are You Sayin’ provides a taster of what’s to come.

Release Date: 15th October 2025

Label: Next Door Records

Format: Digital

AN EXPLORATION OF LINEAGE, LEGACY AND BELONGING

Scheduled for release in February, 2026, 1783 – the forthcoming album from Halifax, Nova Scotia singer, rapper and composer Aquakultre – aka Lance Sampson – will use the media of soul, gospel, R&B and folk to explore lineage, legacy and belonging within a community descended from the first black settlers in Nova Scotia, including aspects of Lance’s own rich family history. Lead single, What Are You Sayin’ provides us with an enticing foretaste of what’s in the pipeline.

Speaking of the new single, Lance says: “Through this song, I am giving people exactly who I am. I struggled with not knowing who I was for a long time. The cultural identity of being Black Nova Scotian wasn’t in me at a young age. as I got older, I began to understand – and this song is me answering that question in many different ways.”

SMOOTH, RICH AND THOROUGHLY TASTY

What Are You Sayin’ is a smooth, rich and thoroughly tasty affair. Erin Costelo’s production is exquisite, as are Lance’s soothing, soaring vocals. there’s a whole lotta stuff happening here – saxes, strings and velvety backing vocals, but Lance never loses control, even for a single second. He asks the titular question over and over – and the listener is drawn to respond.

Lance provides a piece of useful background: “Growing up in Overtown (what we call Uniake Square, a large public housing complex in Halifax) everybody would use the phrase ‘What are you sayin,’ and it meant so much – what are you doing? How are you doing? Where are you going? Are you doing OK? Through this song, I am giving people exactly who I am. On the bridge, I sing ‘We avoid who we are.’ “

BRING IT ON!

All I can add to that is to remark – if What You Sayin’ is a taster, then bring on the main course.

You can hear What Are You Sayin’ below:

Aquakultre online: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp

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