Sudan Archives

occupation = instruments = years_active = label = Stones Throw website =

Brittney Denise Parks, better known by her stage name Sudan Archives, is an American violinist, singer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Parks learned to play the violin by ear as a young child in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Signed to Stones Throw Records, Parks has released three studio albums to date: Athena (2019), Natural Brown Prom Queen (2022), and The BPM (2025). She won two Libera Awards in 2023, for Best Breakthrough Artist/Release and Best R&B Record.

Early life Sudan Archives was born Brittney Denise Parks in Cincinnati, Ohio. She began playing violin in fourth grade, learning by ear. while attending the experimental club night Low End Theory and working on her own musical material on her iPad. Embarking on a journey "to show the Blackness of the violin," and followed it with the Sink EP in 2018. The EP's lead single, "Nont for Sale", ranked as one of Stereogums favorite songs in May 2018. Parks released her debut studio album, Athena, the following year. The album received widespread critical acclaim from publications such as The Guardian, which said it contained "some of the most viscerally gorgeous music put to record", The Quietus, which commended Parks for her "knack for writing massive hooks that will dig straight into your brain", Variety, which described Athena as "innovative, unusual and inviting", and many more.

2022–2024: Natural Brown Prom Queen On March 16, 2022, Parks returned with "Home Maker", her first new track in three years and the first single from her second studio album, Natural Brown Prom Queen. Pitchfork made it one of their Best New Tracks and described it as Parks' "most approachable yet, a swaggering statement of intent with all the idiosyncratic charm that makes her music so memorable". Parks headlined the Stones Throw showcase at South by Southwest the following day.

On September 9, 2022, Natural Brown Prom Queen was released to widespread critical acclaim, with Parks noting of the album's variety: "It felt like time to let people know who I am. My stage name is kind of academic and on Athena, I created this thoughtful persona centred on divine Black femininity. Now I want to show my looseness, too. I'm a deep, insightful person, but I'm also fucking silly."

2024–present: The BPM In June 2025, Parks released the single "Dead", the first from her new album, titled The BPM, which came out in October. The record was inspired by her parents' roots in Michigan and Illinois and incorporates club sounds from both cities as well as exploring various styles of dance music. Pitchfork described it as a "tense and virtuosic new album", which "documents a life in motion, blending breakups and rebounds, dancefloor euphoria and everyday anxiety".

Musical style and influences Sudan Archives has taken inspiration from a variety of African musicians, including Cameroonian electronic musician Francis Bebey and Sudanese violinist Asim Gorashi. She is also inspired by Irish music. When performing, Sudan Archives sometimes uses electronic effects pedals and electronic beats and has also performed in a string quartet.

Personal life Parks has a twin sister named Cat, with whom she was briefly part of a pop duo called N2.

Discography Studio albums Athena (2019) Natural Brown Prom Queen (2022) The BPM (2025)

EPs Sudan Archives (2017) Sink (2018)

Singles "Water" (2017) "Nont for Sale" (2018) "Confessions" (2019) "Glorious" (2019) "Confessions (Velvet Negroni Remix)" (2020) "Glorious (Nídia Remix)" (2020) "Home Maker" (2022) "Selfish Soul" (2022) "DEAD" (2025)