baby (her dad is British- Nigerian), before settling in Lagos
after her parents’ divorce. She studied economics at univer-
sity in South Africa — she says she still follows what’s going
on in the markets — but her passion was always music.
“I would literally be in class and burst out singing. People
would tell me to shut up all the time: ‘Why are you always
singing, your voice is not nice blah-blah-blah,’ ” she laughs.
Her music has been praised for blurring the lines
between soul, reggae, R&B and contemporary Afrobeats,
and also for her confessional style of lyrics that talk
about new love, heartbreak and depression. “Music is
replenishing for me, it’s how I put my thoughts down. It’s
like my diary.” Her influences span from emo bands such
as Green Day and Paramore to Aaliyah, Lil Wayne and
Frank Ocean.
She will be back in the UK for more gigs in May and June
next year, and has just been announced on the line up for
Somerset House’s Summer Series in July. But now some
rest is on the cards. “I’m going to get a break — not stop-
ping or pausing but resting, like a period where I can just
chill. I’m only human,” she says. “But it doesn’t mean in
that rest that I won’t make music ...” ■This page Top,
£345, the Attico;
matchesfashion.
com. Trousers,
£285, Karoline
Vitto. Sunglasses,
£295, Balenciaga.
White gold earrings
with onyx and
diamonds, POA,
Stephen WebsterHair Shamara
Roper at Future Rep
using Moroccanoil.
Make-up Mata
Marielle at CLM
using Too Faced.
Nails Kione
Grandison.
Set design Tobias
Blackmore.
Local production
The CuratedGetty ImagesStyle
Ones to
watch
Tems p er forming
at the Mobo
awards earlier
this month8 • The Sunday Times Style