After Beyoncé and Kendrick rocked their collabs in stadiums, Ink giddies up to SXSW with BIG BUSKIN’
Written by: Ian Saint
Ink published her first music video on YouTube on December 3, 2018. The song’s title of “So Much More” was prescient — just two months later, Ink would meet Beyoncé during Grammys Week and tell her “I’m finna write your whole next album.”
That was a bold proclamation from somebody who busked outside the Carters’ On The Run Tour show at Georgia Dome… but sure enough, Ink (legal name: Atia Boggs) attained key co-writes on Beyoncé’s next two albums, Renaissance and Cowboy Carter, including the latter’s singles “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES” — plus “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” which Ink witnessed open the Cowboy Carter Tour as Beyoncé’s guest. A few weeks after Boggs’ co-writes sizzled the “Beyonce Bowl” halftime show for the NFL’s Christmas Day game, Kendrick Lamar live premiered Ink’s co-write “luther” in the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Today, Ink is ready to take the reins of headlining her own tours. Her Big Loud debut, BIG BUSKIN’, pays homage to the years of struggle and grit that eventually yielded the music industry’s biggest players calling her for collaborations.
At SXSW 2026, Ink is playing two showcases:
- Saturday, March 14 @ 9:35 PM: Rolling Stone’s “Future of Music” showcase @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theatre (310 West Willie Nelson Blvd.)
- Sunday, March 15 @ 4:10 PM: Mohawk Outdoor (912 Red River St.)
Ahead of South By Southwest, Ink spoke to Buddy’s Ian Saint. A transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows.
IAN SAINT: I interviewed Rhiannon Giddens at Your Roots Are Showing music conference in Ireland last year. Of course, Rhiannon played banjo on “Texas Hold ‘Em.” My friend Joe Johnson is a Black banjo player and PhD student at Indiana University, and he just published an article in Southern Cultures magazine titled “This Ain’t Texas No More! Beyoncé and the Black Banjo Renaissance.” Do you remember where you were when “Texas Hold ‘Em” became the first #1 country song by a Black female? And what do you make of that phenomenon that Mr. Johnson wrote about, centering on the song you co-wrote, for academia?
INK: That’s incredible. Man, I want to say I was in either Nashville or Georgia — I don’t remember, but wherever I was, I was over the moon. The fact that it’s getting [assessed] by academia, that’s incredible. It’s always exciting to be part of the conversations on music history and influence — stories that’ll live on forever, passed down generations for people to celebrate.
IAN SAINT: Congratulations on the release of BIG BUSKIN’. I did a deep dive on your whole discography, and I was struck by the variety in aesthetics and sounds across those four releases. BIG BUSKIN’ is certainly fire for the honky-tonk dance floor. 2021’s Imagine Not Knowing, I was struck by how rich it was with keyboards — I love the water on the cover, because it’s like an ocean of synthesizers. 2019’s Backstreets has more guitar, like the new record; but I’d say it feels more solitary in comparison, and it’s more anchored by ballads. 2018’s Highlight Real has a lot of keyboard, but it’s really anchored by beats. So I love that rainbow across the four releases… How would you portray those releases, back to 2018 and culminating in BIG BUSKIN’?
INK: I love that you said “rainbow,” because that’s literally what it is. I always tell people I create music for a spectrum, and each project is a different angle of light in the spectrum. My sound is genreless, but it is embodied across the board.
The first project was Highlight Real, because it was the highlight reel for demos — as a songwriter, I was singing demos. I just put together highlights of music I already made with my DJ homeboy Hype from Virginia. We were going for that Missy and Timbaland, futuristic but nostalgic sound; that’s why the beats sound like that.
Then we switched with Backstreets. That is the beginning of the core for guitar. I locked myself in a studio room in Atlanta; and I recorded, engineered, mixed, and mastered it — just me with the guitar, and I added violin. It was just me surrounded in my creativity, wanting to get that story out — because that’s the core of me, that guitar and a song. For my soul to breathe, I have to have that canvas out there. You hear the hip hop and rap elements in it, [but it’s also] got the ballads. It’s a spectrum for me and the guitar.
Which brings us to BIG BUSKIN’ — the musicality of that represents when I was in Nashville. The storytelling, the come-up from being behind “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em,” that opened doors for myself and others. It was a full circle of return for me. I was super excited, because I feel like the world finally really gets to see [me] and now we’re getting started. The other [releases] were canvases to show you the feelings that are there; but BIG BUSKIN’ is me creating a project with intention.
“All I Got” is the last song I created for that project, [addressing] the dedication to music. It tells the story of how I survived on music, being a street performer in New York, Atlanta, and all around these different places — just surviving on music and the gift, putting yourself out there in uncomfortable environments so that you could surrender to the music. I knew that one day I was going to be in this exact spot, where I was living my dreams out through music. So I knew that I have to surrender to that, paying dues so that I could live the life I want to live through music. That brings us to BIG BUSKIN’, I’m unapologetically setting the tone and setting the foundation of there’s no limits — all sounds are welcome.
IAN SAINT: “All I Got” is preceded by the “Tony Machine on 42nd Street” interlude. Tell us what happened there.
INK: I was at a phone booth in New York, busking. I was tired and trying to go to sleep, standing up. Then I heard a voice say, “Yo, play that guitar!” Then I played him a song, and he let me crash with him; and we’ve been best friends ever since. Every time I go to New York, it gets a little more lit. We just came back from New York; we had a billboard in Times Square, so Tony came out. That’s my friend for life. He started the Ink Forever Friends Fam Club.
IAN SAINT: Aww. I love how the record opens with harkening back to your busking days. My interpretation of the first song, “Blink of an Eye,” is that a very long slog that feels like an eternal grind can suddenly pay off in the blink of an eye. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like BIG BUSKIN’s running theme is grappling with time. Even “Comin’ Back” speaks to how your mom and dad spent their time, and the impression that made on you.
INK: It’s funny you say that; because when I’m making music, I don’t really think about the themes and stuff like that — it just kind of lands itself in place. But yeah, that’s funny because I was doing a lot of reflection through the time. I always like to think of [this music] as a time machine; I want the sounds to take you back with the stories to take you forward, and the stories to take you back with the sounds that take you forward. So [the album] is a time capsule for me.
Growing up with a single mother, my mom was everything to me. I was an army brat, so I was born in Germany. She was stationed in all these different places, so I got this melting pot of experiences and cultures I gravitated to — it comes out in different pockets of the music. In [album closing song] “Sweet Tea,” you get the sense that we’re from the south and this is how the family was.
IAN SAINT: “Sweet Tea” and referencing your grandma’s decline in her last days got to me. My grandma, who’s from Scotland, just died on Valentine’s Day… I spent her last couple of days with her, and I’ve been stewing on her last conversations.
INK: Aw, I’m sorry. Wow, I just put “Scotland” in a lyric today.
IAN SAINT: Really? This is my first interview since Nana died.
INK: Yeah. It said “Scotland” today, in the song that I was finishing writing. It’s a really good song I made a while ago — I just woke up and wanted to finish it today, randomly, and “Scotland” fit in there. Shout out to your grandma.
IAN SAINT: That’s crazy! I still have family of hers in Scotland, too.
INK: Grandmas are the best thing ever invented.
IAN SAINT: Yeah. So can you talk more about the themes of “Sweet Tea,” and why you chose this song that looks back on dearly departed family as the closer?
INK: Putting family in there, that’s everything. It’s just how we grew up. My family loves music, that’s what instilled in me to just be my authentic self since I was a child. Growing up, we’d always have family dinners; and all the holidays, everybody would be there. As time goes on, it’s different; everybody has their own lives as adults. I wanted listeners to get transported back to those days of their childhood — sometimes you have accomplishments, and those family members are no longer here to witness that. [“Sweet Tea”] was a way for me to dedicate that, and put their memories in the songs. Family one of the cornerstones of music, [especially] singer-songwriters. I wanted people to get to know me and know my family [influence].
IAN SAINT: Aw, I love it. This is your first release with Big Loud. How did that come about? I noticed your first and third records were self-releases; I think the second one was with another company. How did the Big Loud selection come about?
INK: Yeah, I usually just drop projects on my own. But I teamed up with Big Loud, and they had some ideas they wanted to see come to light. I was just getting back into full artistry mode, because I’d been balancing the songwriting [with Beyoncé, Kendrick, etc.]. It was really good momentum to crank the engine up even more, to actually market — because I’d never really marketed a project of music before. So we did a partnership for an album project, it did some great things and I’m really excited about the future.
IAN SAINT: Speaking of teaming up, we have to talk about SXSW. You’ll be showcasing at Rolling Stone’s Future of Music with BigXthaPlug — who is a Texas native — and of course, you and he teamed up for “24/7.” How did that come about?
INK: It came about from my A&R, Ari [Gelaw], over at Sony. She was like, “Yo, I really want you to connect with BigXthaPlug.” We created this song in Nashville, sent it to him and he loved it; he went crazy. And then once I heard it back, I was like, “Oh, okay. Yeah, this one of the ones.” Because he brought that grit and pain to it; we had that Jimi Hendrix type of yearning soul.We’ve been kicking it ever since. Shout out to Texas. That’s why I feel like Texas has always been a part of me; Trae tha Truth was the first rapper to put me on — Houston native right there, that’s my big brother. So I already had a good Texas base, now I come with BigXthaPlug and Beyoncé. I feel like I’m honorary Texan.
IAN SAINT: Have you met Paul Wall yet? I interviewed him.
INK: No, I’ve never met Wall. I did a song with Bun B. BigX, we’ve got some super surprises we’re looking forward to. We’re both doing Stagecoach and South by Southwest. It’s definitely finna be bigger and larger.
IAN SAINT: “All I Got” references you listening to CCR. It’s so funny, you’d think CCR is from the bayou — based on John Fogerty’s lyrics, singing dialect, and style of dress — but they’re actually from the San Francisco Bay Area.
INK: That’s crazy, right?
IAN SAINT: Similar to Creedence Clearwater Revival hailing from such a different background, do you have any influences people might find surprising?
INK: I love CCR; they inspire me on a different level. I like Black Sabbath. I love Tina Turner. I love classic stuff — of course James Brown, that’s my uncle right there. Parliament, I love George Clinton; Funkadelic, Maggot Brain. Fleetwood Mac, that’s one of my favorites. Kings of Leon, that’s a good inspiration of mine. Jimi Hendrix and Big Mama Thornton. The White Stripes, Black Keys.
IAN SAINT: Oh, I just had a Buddy cover story with Jack White.
INK: Bro! Jack White, that’s what I’m saying. Of course, I got Outkast in there. I’ve got a lot of rap and hip hop. I love listening to classical music when I’m riding in my car on the highways — classical violin, cello, conciertos, and those types of arrangements. All types of music really inspire me. Whitney Houston is one of my favorite vocalists, of course. Michael Jackson, that’s my daddy; Whitney, my mama.
IAN SAINT: You know, I interviewed Whitney’s cousin Dionne Warwick.
INK: Man, I was just with Dionne. I live for Dionne. Let me tell you something, that’s Auntie right there. We’re cooking some special things, too, coming up.
IAN SAINT: Okay! You know, my intro to BigX was a fella named RoMellow Williams; he played me “The Largest.” I got tickets for us to see the Cowboy Carter Tour in Atlanta, but RoMellow sadly passed away before we could make it. I loved Beyoncé’s video interlude with “The Largest”; I was wearing RoMellow’s memorial shirt and thought of him.
INK: I was there in Atlanta! What was your favorite part?
IAN SAINT: Far out! Well, my favorite track on Cowboy Carter is “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” for several reasons, and that was the opener for both the album and tour. What was it like for you to see that song open the show, since you co-wrote it?
INK: Everything. I tell you, that was an iconic freeze frame — I couldn’t get over it. I’m still not over it. The fact that we really created music and it both opens and closes the show, it just blows me away, because that means it’s complete. [Ink also co-wrote the show’s main set closer, “ALIEN SUPERSTAR,” as well as the “16 CARRIAGES” encore.] To be in the beginning, as any storyteller will tell you, that’s the setup — and it has to be in a certain emotion to tell you the intention. We make music with that intention, that sets the tone automatically and it’s just so rowdy — it takes ahold of your soul, shakes it up, and you’ll be like “Wow, I’m really living.” Then to have her vocals with this story, with that “For What It’s Worth” interpolation, amid what’s going on in the world today… it [affirms that] what you’re saying matters. We jumped out of the gate strong [with that opening song]. That was incredible for me. I love it; I still pinch myself every day.
IAN SAINT: “For What It’s Worth,” you reminded me that Stephen Stills is from Texas. A lot of people don’t realize that, because he’s seen as a big hippie, but he’s from Texas like Willie Nelson.
INK: Texas! Y’all got that “long hair, don’t care vibe.”
IAN SAINT: I have to ask about one other collab. Kendrick Lamar’s debut of “Luther” was the freakin’ Super Bowl Halftime Show. Where were you when you saw that? How did it feel to have the world’s largest television event be the premiere for that song?
INK: I was at the Super Bowl! He had me up there, and we had a good time. My mom came, my girl came; we had a whole family vibe. So I was in the suite, watching it with everybody. Honestly, I was just taking it all in; because at the Super Bowl, it’s so much to take in — I didn’t even realize Samuel L. Jackson was there until I watched it back. But just watching Kendrick perform, and they go back and forth, it was incredible. I was like, “Yeah, I’m living my dream,” watching the whole crowd singing the song — then [it went on tour and] going stadium to stadium.
That’s another record that my vocals are on, as well — just like “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” at the end, that’s me singing that very ethereal dissipating vocals with hers. To have my vocals in those stadiums and halftime shows is a testament to the music that comes from within will always find its home. The Super Bowl was turnt.
IAN SAINT: You just reminded me of Tiera Kennedy, who was one of the “BLACKBIIRD” singers. I interviewed her right before her record label dropped her, and she was so excited for this completed album to come out. Obviously, she was crushed when they dropped her and it didn’t get released. But then she got the Beyoncé call, and that elevated her to a place the record company maybe couldn’t have.
INK: That’s right. That’s how it happens. That’s why you’ve got to stay in the current. Some people can’t see the greatness and timing; they’ve been in [the business] for so long, they don’t [recognize] special anymore — they just look at numbers. Artists are always going to rise above.
IAN SAINT: Who are your dream collaborators? It’s fun when artists share who their dream collaborators are, and revisiting the interview when it happens. I know you mentioned Dionne Warwick…
INK: She’s definitely one of them. Dionne, Chaka Khan, Sade, Buddy Guy — we’ve met, but I’d like to cook up with him on a track. Frank Ocean, he’s fire; I’d like to do stuff with Frank. I would love to cook up with Lauryn Hill in the studio. Bon Jovi, I love all of them. RIP to D’Angelo; man, that would’ve been epic — that’s some soul right there. Even artists that have went on, having the estates reach out to do things is always fire. We worked on some B.B. King stuff that’s coming up soon. I did a record that Bob Marley did some talking on. All dimensions, all paths, all creatives, we tap in.
IAN SAINT: What’s your favorite Black Sabbath song? I’m a huge fan, so…
INK: Damn, that’s too hard. I was just jamming to “Wicked World” yesterday.
IAN SAINT: Oh, yeah, off the first album!
INK: When I tell you Ozzy went crazy on that! We got to meet Sharon at the Grammys, so we took a photo with her. Um, “Children of the Sea”…
IAN SAINT: Oh, with Ronnie James Dio. So you like both those eras of Black Sabbath?
INK: Oh, yeah, I like all their shit. “God is Dead?” with the question mark, asking a question that most people wouldn’t. [That song is from the final Sabbath album with Ozzy.] That reminds me of “God’s Been Drinkin’” [off BIG BUSKIN’]. I be jammin’ “Into the Void.”
IAN SAINT: Man, that’s a classic riff. I don’t want to impose dream collaborators on you, but I would love if you collaborated with Tony Iommi.
INK: Come on! Now you’re speaking my language. We’re going to put that out there in the universe, and we’re manifesting that.
IAN SAINT: Done. Well, apologies for going a couple minutes over schedule; but this has been so much fun.
INK: Yeah, I could talk all day about music — especially these shows, because I can’t wait for people to come see and feel the music. In a world full of AI, I’m going to give you nothing artificial. You’re going to get the real deal, so hopefully I’ll see you at SXSW — I can’t wait to vibe out in person.
