Arca has recently announced the release date for her fifth studio album, KiCk ii, following her well-acclaimed 2020 album, KiCk i. Following a series of four albums, KiCk ii, set to release on December 3rd, has already released one single off the tracklist: “Born Yesterday”.

Arca applied her traditional glitchy and unusual production to salvage “Born Yesterday” featuring Sia, which began as a once rejected demo into an abstract, symphonic anthem (fun fact: Sia initially wrote this song for Katy Perry)!

Arca herself has stated in an interview with Zane Lowe just how personal this song is to her, as the piano melody circling throughout was one that she played as just a little kid. “I always loved that melody, but I never had the right opportunity to invoke it; it seemed almost too personal, too emotional. When I heard the lyrics, I was going through a situation in Sia’s lyrics that resonated with me. It seemed like the first time that I could allow myself to do that.”

With all the support from fans comes critical backlash as to why Arca would collaborate with Sia, whose questionable 2021 film “Music” sparked much controversy over beliefs that its attempt to portray struggles within the neurodivergent community translated over as harmful and even mocking.

Though some fans were disappointed to see her name present on the album, they were not surprised; this partnership wouldn’t be the first time Arca has invited a “problematic” figure onto her discography.

Earlier this year, Arca announced a collaboration with artist Azealia Banks on “All The Boys.” With Banks’ notorious history of transphobia in the media, many are dismayed — why would Arca, a nonbinary trans woman, collaborate with Azealia Banks, whose beliefs contrast with her utter existence?

Regardless of Arca’s reasoning, her fanbase, whom she calls her “Mutants,” grows daily. Working with artists like Sia and Azealia, despite their controversial views, is a clever approach to attracting more viewers and listeners. 

She’s produced for a wide variety of mainstream artists, such as Kanye West’s “Yeezus,” Frank Ocean’s “Endless,” Björk’s “Utopia,” and most prominently, Lady Gaga’s “Dawn of Chromatica” album, which has allowed Arca to span her fanbase amongst various genres. Her remix of “Rain on Me” reached her monthly Spotify listeners to a whopping million (and then some) and gained her much traction as an artist. Nonetheless, fans are eager to hear her upcoming era of music in the next album of the KiCk series.