Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri is still surprised Wu-Tang Clan “took a chance” by collaborating with the group.
The hip-hop outfit teamed up with the group on their 1998 track Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day), marking the beginning of a blossoming friendship between the acts.
Speaking to Metro’s Sixty Seconds column, Sharleen – who once again collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan on 2020 single Hi – opened up on their relationship.
“We’re all geeks together,” she said. “I’m in a band because I didn’t fit into normal life and a nine-to-five job.
“I rebelled against the norm and that’s what the friendship is based on.
“RZA said we took a big chance on doing the collaboration and I burst out laughing. They were the ones taking the chance!”
Hi is the title track of Texas’ latest album, which debuted in the UK Top 5, and the reunion came about while the band was working on a documentary for their anniversary.
“It was great,” added Sharleen. “We were making a documentary for Texas’ anniversary and decided to focus on a moment that was really pivotal in our career.
“We chose the collaboration with Wu-Tang on Say What You Want, and while RZA and I were having a chat, we were like, ‘We should make another record!'”[Bandmate] Johnny McElhone and I had already written Hi and thought it was the perfect song.”
‘Hi’ features two versions of the title track – the Wu-Tang Clan collaboration plus a solo recording – and Texas recently released an epic nine-minute ‘UNKLE Reconstruction’ remix of the tune.
In a review of ‘Hi‘, Retro Pop called the album a collection of “vignettes of Texas looking back down the years,” making the LP “one of their strongest, most enjoyable albums” to date.
