Travis Scott teases new album ‘Utopia’ with series of cryptic billboards
The signs appeared at the roadside in Indio, California
By Tom Skinner
Travis Scott is teasing his upcoming album ‘Utopia’ with a series of billboards that have recently appeared in Indio, California.
The Texas-born rapper/singer released his latest studio effort, ‘Astroworld’, back in 2018 before sharing two new tracks – ‘Escape Plan’ and ‘Mafia’ – last November, shortly before the Astroworld Festival tragedy.
Yesterday (April 10) images emerged of four cryptic billboards that are located on the Interstate 10 (I-10) highway in Indio. Three of the advertisements each contain a different phrase, with the fourth displaying the logo of Scott‘s label, Cactus Jack.
Written in yellow font on a black background, the messages read “PSST…….“, “Looking for UTOPIA?” and “WRONG WAY!” Check out the images in the tweet below (via SAINT).
Variety notes that the billboards could also serve as a comment on Coachella, which is due to begin in Indio this weekend. Scott was initially booked to headline the festival, but was removed from the bill after 10 people died due to a crowd surge during his Astroworld Festival set. According to the outlet, the adverts appear in the direction headed away from the Coachella site.
Scott confirmed his new album would be titled ‘Utopia’ in February during an interview with i-D Magazine. “I’m evolving, collaborating with new people, delivering a whole new sound, a whole new range,” he explained.
Asked how he goes about approaching a follow-up to an album as big as ‘Astroworld’, Scott responded: “It’s never about repeating myself, I’m just trying to make the next saga… each album is like a saga.”
He continued: “I don’t feel no pressure, except to keep the fans alive. There’s so much more ground I can cover, and I want to cover it, and I love the challenge of it.
“I want to make a f*cking new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, it’s like ultimate ecstasy.”
Last December saw the families of the victims of the Astroworld festival disaster hit out at Travis Scott following his first interview on the tragedy. The rapper had already been widely condemned for his handling of the incident.