Jamila drops Black and Blue, targets collabo with Asa, Simi

After years of refining her music craft with a soothing, evocative voice, US-based Nigerian singer cum songwriter, Jamila, is ready to introduce herself to the global audience with her latest single, Black and Blue.

Jamila, who kicked off her music career at the age of 17 in Abuja, with a blend of Afro-soul and R’n’B, confidently addresses the human experience; from romance to personal identity, which she largely reflected in her 2018 debut single, Kai Ne Nawa, and recent work Black and Blue.

Produced by San Francisco-based Rob Wright, who has worked with major artistes like Roots and Eryka Badu, Black and Blue has already hit the market on Makeda Music label in collaboration with Black Wall Street.

Speaking about her sojourn into music, Jamila, who holds a Master’s Degree in International Business, said she grew up listening to the music of great artistes such as Sade Adu, Miriam Makeba and Mary J. Blige.

“One day, I discovered my parents’ collection of Lauryn Hill and Whitney Houston’s CDs. After listening to those albums, I knew I wanted to be a musician. So, I started writing songs at a very early age, and that developed my passion for music,” she recalled.

Shedding more lights on her latest work, she said it’s a song she wrote about a failing relationship.

“I have been in a few relationships and I know someone really close to me that is going through something similar. I decided to write the song to talk about it from both our perspectives,” she stated.

Jamila explained that music business is a hard cookie to crack, adding, “as an artiste, you need a great team to succeed. For now, my main challenge is finding a great team to help me manage the business side of music.”

On her inspirations, she said, “I usually think of a topic that I feel strongly about, like empowerment, love, hurt etc. And I try to channel what I am feeling into words. It’s usually a very cathartic process for me, but I usually write about things that those close to me or even me have been through. I also listen to an eclectic array of music, anything from Sade to Burna Boy, to get inspiration and learn from their sounds.”