Pouring her undeniable spirit into her introspective sound, London’s muva of Earth chats about her latest release ‘AFFIRMATION’, directing her first visual alongside an all-female crew and her love for live performance.

Your second single ‘AFFIRMATION’ dropped at the end of last year, how did your collaboration with Nikhil Beats come along and how was creating that track?

I believe I met him through my manager, she set me up with Nikhil. I was meant to go to a session to see him but I wasn’t able to, so he sent me this beat he had made and I remember I was actually going through quite a depressed stage and mindset. He sent it over the day I was emerging from my sadness [laughs] and wrote to it and recorded it straight away. I was in my bedroom and it was a 4am type of thing and I just wrote ‘I’m grateful to be alive’.

I went to go and meet him at his studio and he’s so cool, he taught me a lot about Buddhism and his culture, he’s such a beautiful soul. He’s been there for me when I’ve been going through some stuff!

Do you find that it’s being able to work with people who you can trust like that on a personal level?

That’s the only way you can work with people, you can’t work with people the other way who aren’t there for each other! 

How was working on the visuals for ‘AFFIRMATION’ as your first time directing?

It was my first big project, I think. It was so fun, my inspirations were these seven locations that had really contributed to my growth. Places that mean a lot to me and then also each look is an affirmation, everytime we dress ourselves it’s an affirmation. Like ‘I’m going to be this today and look the part’ that’s an affirmation, so each scene, each look contributes to this manifestation, this human that you see in front of you today, so that’s it really.

How important was it for you to work with an all-female crew for the visual?

Yes! All female gaze - that was an honour. It’s so important for me and my art that I capture it through a woman's gaze. Of course, I love collaborating with male artists too because there are some incredible guys out there but we’ve seen the male gaze for time and I want to show the Afrikana woman’s gaze, that’s what I focus my work on. I never want my work to be tainted; I’d like for another African woman to capture it and then we’re all on the same page, you know, they know what it’s like to be me and look like me - I just like that.

How important are visuals and creating a story within your music?

Definitely, the story element is important. I love having different textures to add to it but I just love doing both. My true love is art, I love creating … I’m addicted, it feeds me and stimulates me. So, that’s why I do it, art just gives me a mad adrenaline rush. The visuals are just as important for the art, it just collides and it’s beautiful the way we mix them together, it’s powerful - the power is heightened by a million.

Going back to your debut release ‘FEED MY MIND’, which dropped back in 2019, what did you want to capture within that track?

I remember writing that on the train on the way to a session. One thing that inspired me with that song and I was trying to express was just being tired of being in relationships … like, all of my exes weren’t all that - if i’m honest. 

One person who I really admire, she’s called Bliss, she’s an amazing role model for the younger generation. I really love everything she believes in from veganism to self love ... It's stuff young women should be having posters of in their room and that should be on their timeline. What she preaches was inspiring, a lot of women haven’t been taught to be confident in the way that the man has been taught to be confident. They’ve been indoctrinated to believe their power is not as strong as men and they haven’t got as much power to choose what is acceptable for them.

A lot of the time, women just fall into it and it’s written that men take and seek women. In this song, I just wanted to break that barrier because I know my worth as a powerful human being even beyond my gender and I don’t deserve to not be stimulated, if I demand that I have every right to keep on manifesting that and being frank with that truth. I only want to attract people who do deserve me and that’s what that song is an affirmation for. I know I deserve better.

How do you feel that your sound has evolved since your first SoundCloud releases?

Obviously, I’m growing all of the time but it’s crazy the evolution that I’ve been through. For me, my journey into music was through live music. I took a year to focus on recording, before I was singing all of the time on stage - that was my main focus and the main way I gave my music out. 

So then, when ‘Green Tea’ came, which was a live recording with my old band from college, that was super nice. I didn’t have much experience in studios, so I took a whole year learning how to be a recording artist, because it’s really different, live stage is all about the present moment and giving your all to that moment. This was all relevant to my journey and I’ve really found what my purpose is and I’m enjoying the ride. My next project is going to be live recording and also going back to my roots, I’m also hoping to hold a live music exhibition. 

As someone that loves performing, what does it give you that maybe recording doesn’t?

The thing is, I love it all but performing is definitely different. When you’re recording it’s a lot of stages and ladder steps. For example, you're doing one take and then the vocal line, guitar line and harmonies, you have to be patient and then when you hear it all together it’s sick but with live music the vibrations are just up there. The dancing, the energy - it’s the best. 

Although live music can’t go ahead currently, how has lockdown been for you, creatively?

Honestly, the idea of lockdown I kind of love it - I love just being able to do my thing. This is how life should be, we should all have the opportunity to do our thing but we get forced to work for capitalist governments but we’re meant to be growing, learning, eating, socialising because that’s what life is supposed to be about - so, I like that I get to live my life. 

It makes me sad that not everyone gets a lockdown because I value this experience of being able to breath but not everyone gets that. Those three months we had earlier in the year, I loved that, my guitar playing improved and it just really was crucial to my growth. So, not everyone getting that, it’s not fair.

During the lockdown you held a community arts protest ‘Babylon Chant Down’, how did that event come to fruition and what influenced you to organise it?

That came into fruition from attending the [BLM] protests. Even though there was a fusion of souls, passionate about this one thing - the safety of African people, there were so many energies, it was so scattered and I wanted to focus this anger into something good because it’s easy to be stagnant. I wanted to create an opportunity for people to listen, I wish at the protests there was more space for people who had truths and things that could help the community to speak and people can focus and listen to them. 

Just spending the day out isn’t helping the future, so the intention was to have a space where we listen and learn. I think it was just about having time to chill, as I think the protests brought about a lot of traumatic stuff because it’s hard to accept. Another thing that I want people to understand is that - yes, we fight, but we have to rest too. Relax with intention, at Babylon Chant Down you can relax with the intention to help our community and be there for them.

How was the process of organising the event?

I definitely didn’t do it on my own, I had the thought and shared it and then lots of people wanted to help manifest it. The thought began in my mind but I couldn’t do this alone, I took it to the people and then we all created it.

Moving into your musical influences, which artists first inspired you to get into music and who are you listening to today?

I loved Erykah Badu and Beyonce as a kid, just such shining divas! I loved Adele as well as a child - I really loved the belters. Then as I did my grades, I started to get into Jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan - I always admired what they would wear too and the intention in everything. 

Then today, I’m very inspired by Fela Kuti and lots of Nigerian artists, I like the rawness. My music always has process and intention, you know. I like a lot of Root music from Jamaica and Nigeria. Another person that really inspires me is Sade, I love her presence on stage and her voice, the way she controls the band - I would love to make timeless music like that. Visually, I like FKA Twigs, she’s super involved and intentional with her sound and her art, I love the intensity of it, that’s how I feel. Visually, I like Jean-Micheal Basiquat. Also, Amy Winehouse - I love her soulfulness and her songwriting, Hiatus Kaiyote - Nai Palm is a really talented writer. I love lots of writers, I read a lot of books that end up inspiring what I want to write.

Being from London, do you feel that the scene here encourages artists to be experimental?

Yeah, of course - we should always be stimulated. It’s important that we’re always challenged and loved. For me, I love being around all of these talented people, for example, Nikhil. Working with him and learning about the Indian culture and Buddhism and just music and vibing - that was healing for me. It’s just so important to be around people who stimulate you and contribute to the manifestation of reaching your best and highest self.

Who are some local artists you would recommend?

There’s so many! My friend Angel Seka - she’ll be releasing some music and visuals soon. I love CIL, she’s a cool electronic-artist and poet, JKarri he’s a producer/artist, Osquello, as well - he’s really cool. Bel Cobain, Akin Soul has a music video coming out which I’m in one of the scenes of. RADA, as well. I really like visual artists too, there’s someone called Beverley, she makes collages and I’m collaborating with her. I just did a shoot with Malaika, she’s cool. Izzy Zowski, who I do Babylon Chant Down with she’s a filmmaker as well. 

If you had to recommend some artists to your listeners, who would they be?

Ok, I don’t want to do the bait ones so … I’m loving Lous and The Yakuza, she’s a French artist - she’s so cool. Another person that I’m loving at the moment is Sun Ra - he inspired my Halloween costume last year! I love Bonnie Banane, she’s another French artist, I’m really loving the French scene. Dochi, he’s from South London - he’s cool. Toshio Matsuura Group, also I want to shout out Romy Nova, she’s sick - she’s French/British she’s amazing, a dancer, producer, instrumentalist, singer - she blows my mind, she makes jewellery too, so sick! Another one is Zara McFarlane, she’s a jazz singer from London - I’m trying to become as timeless as her.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on my debut EP at the moment which should be coming out in June, we’re recording with a live band. I’m trying to make it a visual EP as well, I want to have visuals for all of the singles. I want to go down that route, that’s just who I am as an artist. I’m hosting an exhibition, it’s called ‘Stillness Roots within’ which will be a live music experience with me and some other acts and I’ve directed the visuals that will play at the event whilst the acts are performing. Also, just resting! I’m doing some sessions and collaborations, too!