It is freeing. Making music is probably one of a few healthy coping mechanisms I have when it comes to dealing with my feelings. And the healing I get from that process is something I want to share with everybody.

Yes! A lot of it is to do with what I grew up listening to: my mother played Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse and Kenny G religiously when I was younger. So this music was the foundation of my childhood, there’s nostalgia there, but I also love how experimental these genres can be – especially jazz.

Thank you! Yes, I’ve always been attracted to the idea of making music. My dad used to record music at home so I think he inspired me. I recorded my whole EP in my bedroom (except for one song) so I suppose it’s come full circle. My parents initially wanted me to do medicine – for African parents, that’s quite a common aspiration (laughs). But once they saw that I was serious about doing this music thing properly – once they saw what music meant to me – they began to support me fully.

I’ve been releasing music for just over two and a half years. It’s been a learning experience for me: a process of trusting that everything will make sense when it’s supposed to. Of learning to trust and to be ok with not knowing much as long as it comes with the intention to learn more about the world I’m stepping further into. It’s been an amazing ride thus far.

The music scene in South London is incredibly diverse! There are so many great artists from South London – Enny, Greentea Peng, Ego, Ella May (just to name a few) – and to be part of a community that supports each other so much is beautiful. The area is so quiet as far as creative spaces and opportunities are concerned, us South people often find ourselves trekking to the other side of London for gigs, studio, meetings and so on but it’s part of the process and I enjoy it. In my experience, South London musicians are very supportive of each other, but we branch out too!

I think going from living with my six siblings to being the only child in my foster home made me a lot more introspective than I was before. I think I’ve always enjoyed my own company, but actually being the only child for a long period of time gave me time and space to be creative and also think a lot more. I also lived primarily with Caribbean families and, coming from an African family, this obviously expanded my experience of different Black cultures. My upbringing has definitely shaped me, it’s something to be grateful for.

(Laughs) I have always wanted to learn guitar and, of course, I’m still learning. Big up to Joel though, he's a real G who's been very patient when teaching me. Anyway, I love the versatility guitar brings to my songwriting – it inspires a wider range of different melodies and concepts, compared to when I’m writing to beats. I also like the way guitar blends with my tone of voice, if that makes sense?

All of my songs bookmark a significant feeling or chapter in my life. I think making and listening to music is soothing and journalistic to me. I sing or put my headphones on whenever I’m in my feelings or I feel anxious. Sometimes, listening to/making music takes me deeper into whatever I’m feeling so I can work my way through it. That helps me get over the fear of my feelings. Other times, I listen to music to escape my feelings if I’m not ready to tackle them. I do think your mind really is your sharpest tool if you can get to a place where you stop fighting it and instead embrace its random detours and nose dives.

I love modelling and painting – on top of the music. I like to work with photographers who capture melanin well – I’m a dark-skinned young woman, so that’s important! I love photography which tells a story, that’s where my obsession with photography stems from. Something about film makes the shots look more cinematic, like some sort of time capsule. Photographers with whom I can collaborate on concepts, or who come up with concepts to which I can connect, always excite me.

Now that This Is Not A Film is out, I’m really excited to collaborate with more artists and continue to grow creatively. I would like to do more modelling gigs and continue to blend my visual art with my music. I’m interested to see where my emotions and life experiences will take me next. Everybody should definitely stay tuned!