Anjimile: Q&A

Throughout Black History Month 2026, WFUV is focusing on artists — both emerging and established — whose music we admire, both on-air with FUV Live alums and online with Q&As.

The cerebral and emotional intensity of Anjimile's iridescent (and sometimes irate) 2023 album, The King, was a testament to the North Carolina-based folk rocker's muscular songwriting. While he was grappling with his identity and fresh sobriety on 2020's Giver Taker, with The King, Anjimile Chithambo's anger and agony, awash with Biblical tempests of sadness, also lay the groundwork for some of the most powerful songs of his career up to that time.

Anjimile's craft of revelation and repair goes one step further on his forthcoming album, You're Free to Go, released on March 13. It's his second for the 4AD label and his first full album working with producer Brad Cook (Mavis Staples, Snocaps, Iron & Wine),  a colleague who deeply understands Anjimile's perceptive grace and grit, as well as his innate spirituality and sense of wonder.

In fact, Cook's prior work with Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, who Anjimile describes as a songwriting hero, led to a fortuitous collaboration on the song "Destroying You" on the new album.  There's a blossoming here, a real feeling of freedom and release, and as if to drive home the beauty and truth of his lyrics, Anjimile has drawn herbs and wildflowers to match every track on the album. Those signed prints are available with the album via 4AD's shop while supplies last. 

In this FUV Q&A, Anjimile speaks with candor about his album, how he's getting through these challenging times, and what Black History Month means to him in 2026:

There's an overflow of love and tenderness (and kisses) on "Like You Really Mean It," from your forthcoming new album, You're Free to Go. You also speak of "love and empathy" on "Turning Away." There's love for others — and especially love for yourself on You're Free to Go. Was it hard to get to that place?

Of loving myself? I mean, yes. That’s a place that I actively have to bring myself every day. It’s hard times out here, man. I was weeping last night for at least an hour. I know that’s a ridiculous thing for an emotional folk singer to say but it’s true. I have to bring myself to that place every to get there. Journaling, nature, meditation, friends, music, dancing. Celebration and joy to balance the grief.

You have some remarkable collaborations on this album, starting with your producer, Brad Cook. How did Brad focus or uplift you, especially given the acoustic warmth – and very personal nature — of this new album?

Brad Cook is a person that I love more than I can explain. I’m kind of obsessed with Brad. Outside of the synergy and fluid open creative energy that we have in the studio together, he’s just a dope person. A chiller. And his partner is awesome and his dogs are awesome and his garage-studio-homiecave is awesome.

Where did you make a connection with Sam Beam? There's definitely a symmetry between you and Iron & Wine — and it makes sense that he's on this album with you.

Iron & Wine taught me how to play acoustic guitar. I spun Our Endless Numbered Days ad infinitum in high school. And I learned to fingerpick from those records, and that’s my style now basically. I stole it. Brad Cook is buddies with Sam Beam and when I mentioned that I was a fan, he almost immediately connected us and got Sam in the studio while we were finishing up You’re Free to Go. Definitely a huge moment for me.

This has been both an auspicious — and extremely difficult — era for trans and nonbinary artists, but looking back on some remarkable albums of the last year from Kae Tempest, jasmine 4.t., Hand Habits and others — what makes you most proud of the LGBTQ+ music community and allies during this dark time?

The thing that makes me the most is proud is that we’re still here, still making music, still performing, and still sharing our truths. I’m not going to stop making music because the government hates my identity, you know? I don’t have healthcare right now, again. I can’t afford testosterone anymore. Again. That sucks and I’m figuring it out and in the meantime, I’m going to keep living my life. And that includes making music and, right now, making records and playing shows and pursuing my creative interests. And hanging out with my friends and making new friends and hiking and cooking yummy food.

This is an album of astonishing songs and lyrics that dig deep into familial and personal strife — "Ready or Not," "Point of View" and "Exquisite Skeleton" come quickly to mind, but was there any song that really became the heart of You're Free to Go — and cathartic to record?

That’s a really good question. “Ready or Not” was, I think, the most cathartic to write. But it was written before we even had an album. The first time Brad and I hung out, he invited me to his studio for a jam. I feel like "Ready or Not" was one of the first things, if not the first thing, we started jamming on. It was just really simple. And it was easy, And, lyrically and melodically, that song wrote itself. What started out as me mumbling a melody and Brad singing out cool harmonies quickly became a very lyrically-focused song. I knew exactly what the song was about when I wrote the chord progression. It just felt heavy and I knew. While I wouldn’t describe You’re Free to Go as a “heavy” album, it’s definitely emotional and plainspoken and direct. And “Ready Or Not” embodies all of those qualities and, I think, set the emotional depth for the album.

As an artist, how do you keep yourself grounded right now?

I’ve gotten really into dendrology in the past few months. I love trees. I’ve been doing this hippie meditation called Hemi-Sync. I’m not going to explain it at all but it’s really relaxing and freeing and it’s been helping me tremendously with all of this grief and world anxiety.

What meaning does Black History Month, as a designation or celebration, have for you, either in the past or present? What does it mean to you right now, especially in 2026?

The older I get, the more Black History Month means to me. Because the older I get, the more I learn about Black history. The more I learn about things — I feel like I should’ve been taught in school decades ago — it’s mind-blowing.

This year, for example, I learned that Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech was rewritten by a white woman to mimic the language of and stereotype Southern slaves. That’s bullshit. So Black history is more important than ever.

Black people in the US have a history of resistance, rebellion, agitation, and revolutionary conspirator-ship as old as the nation itself. And we need to know that, remember that, draw from that to face the evils today that they faced: oppression, capitalism, racism,  imperialism. We have always fought. We will always fight.

Is there a particular North Carolina (or national) charity or organization that is especially important to you?

SiembraNC is doing amazing work, and has been doing amazing work since 2017. They run, among other things, community trainings for ICE watch, and they created the Ojo Obrero app, essentially an ICE watch app. You can report potential instances of ICE in your area and SiembraNC has an entire volunteer hotline for reporting potential ICE sightings! In addition to immigrant rights, they also fight for labor rights. Dope as hell.

- Anjimile
February 2026