Keyah/Blu

^{Photograph by Alexandra Waespi}

Name, where are you from?
Keyah or Blu. I'm from South London.

Describe your style in three words?
For my mood.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
I saw Moses Sumney perform in a chapel in North London a few years ago. I went on my own and was really sad that whole week. I remember leaving the church feeling whole.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
The Streets because that's the sound I grew up on and Pharrell because - iconic. And also because I met him on a plane when I was 9 and I'd honestly just wanna see if he remembers.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Honestly, probably my great great great great great great great grandmother or something. Would be cool to compare things then and now, and for her to see where her lineage led to. I'd definitely ask her what music she liked, which melodies struck her, etc.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
When I performed at Latitude in 2018, I performed on The Waterfront Stage. It was only for one song but It was just so beautiful and different from anywhere I'd ever performed before (or since) - the fact that it was outdoor and just before sunset made it feel like something out of a movie.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Honestly, my mum. If it wasn't for seeing her make music when I was really young, I don't know if I would have had it in me. She gave me the environment I needed to grow into the artist I am becoming, without even knowing it at the time, just by doing it herself. But constantly having her hand in several musical ventures, I was surrounded by musicians and in studios/venues all the time because I was more or less her purse, she took me everywhere. Love her.

Keyah/Blu is a South London singer and rapper with a proclivity towards sparse bedroom-style production who maintains a disparate range of influences, from Lauryn Hill to Bon Iver. Listen, purchase or stream her new EP 'Sorry, I Forgot You Were Coming' at lnkfi.re/sorryiforgotyouwerecoming.