Why Wafia Has Decided Not To Hold Back Anymore

One of the first things you notice about Wafia Al-Rikabi is just how confident she is in herself. It's not arrogant or self-aggrandising; it's a refreshing maturity that is almost unheard of in artists her age. At just 24, the singer is about to release her second EP, VIII, which sees Al-Rikabi experimenting with thematic elements in an incredibly sophisticated and interesting way.

"I have to think about my work in terms of conceptual bodies of work," she explains. "I don't really know how to make standalone songs or singles - I really like things being packaged in a particular way. Not for any other reason but that it satisfies me." Speaking on capturing ideas in her music, Al-Rikabi continues, "With my very first EP I was dealing with themes of transition and copper and I really wanted to extend that. I was really drawn to the concept of oxygen for this record. That's why it's called VIII: because that's the atomic number for oxygen. I really wanted to play with themes of intangibility, necessity and transparency. That's what really weaves the EP together, and every song may sound different to the last, but they are bound together by this concept."

Al-Rikabi, who goes by the mononymous stage name Wafia, says that her peers have played a massive part in this remarkable approach to composition. "Initially what drew me to it is that I have a lot of friends who are visual artists," she says, "and I came to realise that what I make is intangible. I can't hold it. I can never grasp it. Even my voice isn't really there, do you know what I mean? It was this whole fascination with music: you can reprint it and you can duplicate it, and all that stuff, but you can't actually hold it. That was what started everything there, and I feel like the characteristics of oxygen really tie my thoughts together."

It is perhaps this way of thinking that has led to Al-Rikabi heading into the studio with more hands at the ready than ever before. One such addition, fellow labelmate Ta-Ku, has been on the Wafia train for a while now, but still sings her praises at every opportunity.

"She pushes me outside of my comfort zone," he reflects on their time together. "I trust her a lot and really respect her vision and advice. She's never afraid to tell you exactly how she feels. It's so refreshing."

After first collaborating on their track Meet In The Middle, Ta-Ku (real name Regan Matthews), is excited to see where the new EP takes his musician friend. "I'm not sure how audiences will react to the new stuff, but I know they will see many sides to her - musically and lyrically. She's not afraid to tell her story even if it means surfacing hurt and buried feelings. I feel many people love her honesty and have similar stories they would like to tell. She's a brave woman of colour who is passionate about her music and the message that it sends."

Al-Rikabi is just as grateful for her time working with her VIII collaborators, stating, "They're looking at it objectively, which I really like. The reason why I adore working with so many people is because I love collaboration, and I just feel like I wouldn't be working with these people if their opinion didn't matter to me. Especially in the beginning, I really like to see what a producer does on their first go. After just hearing about what the song is about or whatever, and not influencing their direction too much - because there's a reason I'm going to them. I trust their taste, so sometimes I need to just let them be so my ideas don't cloud theirs."

It's not just her fellow artists that Al-Rikabi has excited; A&R rep Dan Zilber sees just why the singer stands out from the crowd.

"She's so much more than a beautiful voice," he says. "She has a confidence that is always so impressive, especially because she also has a vulnerability that she finds difficult to hide. For me, that's Wafia's project... A story with depth, told with both confidence and vulnerability. And yes, a beautiful voice," he laughs.

"She has this incredible balance between being accessible and having something genuine to say. I think we need more artists who want to say something meaningful, both in the music industry and society more broadly - especially strong, female artists who have a diverse view of the world."

Zilber, who has followed Al-Rikabi's rise from its early stages, says that her commitment to her own ideas is an invigorating approach to making music. "So much of my job is creative and coming up with ideas that could work for an artist. This is the case with Wafia, but she always gives a very strong steer on where she wants to end up with an idea. My role becomes about helping her achieve the thing she can hear or see in her head, not about manufacturing an outcome. There's never any cynicism about working with her. Her commitment to creating her own narrative, her desire to connect with her audience and her interest in being a pop artist with depth - that's what makes her stand out."

There's little wonder as to how Al-Rikabi has amassed the attention of some very high-profile industry names. And though she admits it was intimidating at first, the artist has come to disassociate the people she's working with from their accolades. "I was working with some people that have won Grammys, and at first I thought 'oh, I can't say this, they'll have a go at me', but then I went, 'Wait a minute, that actually doesn't matter. There's no ego in this room right now, we're on an equal playing field. We all chose to be here today, Grammy or not.'

"I was going into these rooms with people who were my idols or had worked with my idols, and I was only disappointed because I was putting so much emphasis on them or their body of work prior. When you put that much expectation on a person or a collaborator, it's inevitably going to fail. Then my manager said these really important words to me. He said 'everyone is one song away'. That changed my perspective on music essentially. Suddenly I didn't care who I was working with, what they had won, who they've worked with in the past, it suddenly didn't matter. If we can work together, to deliver a really great song, that's all that matters at the end of the day."

Al-Rikabi may be a new relatively new face on the scene, but the Bodies singer has quickly acquired a professional standard towards the craft. She's been writing songs for only four years and yet she already knows when she feels the need to take her hand off the tiller. "At some point," she declares, "you've got to know when to stop adding stuff. I think in the midst of when I'm creating and stuff I can never tell what's good - objectively, or even what I like. I just get really consumed in it, so sometimes I need, like, a week away from it and then I can come back and say 'no, this is good'. Otherwise, I tend to overthink. And if I overthink every song or every project I'm never going to put anything out, you know? So sometimes I just have to sit back and just go 'this is the best I can do'.

"I feel like it's never quite straightforward. I feel like I'm always learning, and every process with every EP has been vastly different than the last. I never go into it thinking I know what to expect, I definitely try to keep an open mind and just trust the process... I think the rule now is just to not hold back anymore, and I feel like this EP has opened the floodgates for me to continue to do that."