Blood Orange Performs Sultry ‘Charcoal Baby’ on ‘Fallon’

Dev Hynes’ Blood Orange project performs “Charcoal Baby” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday. Backed by a nine-piece ensemble that included a man with swan wings mirroring Blood Orange’s Negro Swan cover, Hynes and the crew performed the sultry tune backlit in blue and pink hues.

“No one wants to be the odd one out at times/ No one wants to be the negro swan/ Can you break sometimes?” Hynes sang on the chorus. “Charcoal make it start and make me liked at times/ Lick me ’til it cleans all of the world.” Meanwhile, backup singers and a soaring saxophone line buoyed his satin vocal and shimmering guitar leads.

Last month, Hynes unveiled the video for Negro Swan song “Chewing Gum” featuring A$AP Rocky. He also recently released a remix for LP track “Smoke,” a collaboration with Yves Tumor featuring Ian Isiah.