Introducing Interview: Aisha Badru

New York artist Aisha Badru has been charming our ears for the last few months with the sweeping emotion of her unique folk-tinged electronica. Previous single ‘Bridges’ blew us away with its heartbreaking beauty, whilst latest track ‘Fossil Fuels’ is another captivating offering.

With her debut album out this week, we caught up with Aisha to find out more…

Hi Aisha, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Yonkers, New York, but deep down I’m really just a poet masquerading as a musician.

How did you initially get into creating music?
I was in college and depressed because, like many of my peers, I wasn’t doing something that truly gave my life purpose and meaning. During my third year of school I decided to withdraw from my classes, buy a guitar, and teach myself how to play as a way to express what I had been keeping inside. I’ve been creating music ever since.

We’re loving your new single ‘Fossil Fuels’ – what’s the meaning behind the track?
‘Fossil Fuels’ is a personal recount of a one-sided relationship, but it’s also symbolic of how we treat the earth in a unsustainable way. If you observe closely, reciprocation is a natural law of the universe. When you don’t give back, whatever you are taking from eventually becomes depleted.

Who would you say are your main musical influences?
There is no one specific that I can say has influenced by style, but I have definitely been influenced the most by folk music, particularly folk music from the UK.

Your debut album Pendulum is out next week, which is super exciting! Can you tell us a bit about what went into making it? And are there any themes running throughout it?
I worked with a producer that I’ve never met in person. His name is Chris Hutchison and he lives in the UK. I would send him a very stripped demo of my song and he would send back a fully produced masterpiece. As for the lyrical content, Pendulum explores the swing between the light and dark aspects of life. This swing is an inevitable and under-appreciated part of existence. Eastern philosophical themes can be found in songs like ‘Splintered’ and ‘Dreamer’.

How do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment? Would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s an exciting time for new artists because the internet has become a platform where you can do everything yourself and you can target and engage your fans directly without a middleman. With that being said, there is also a dense saturation of music online, so you really have to try to set yourself apart in order to be noticed. It can be difficult, but I believe there is a market for everyone, you just have to be persistent and creative enough to find ways to tap into it.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming artists at the moment that you’d recommend we check out?
Check out ‘Legends‘ by Lannds. You won’t be disappointed.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for you?
I’m looking forward to traveling more. I want to create short documentary films to remind people that we’re all connected, even though it’s easy to disconnect from the issues that exist all over the world. In addition to that, I’m writing again and working on a new EP!!

Huge thanks to Aisha for answering our questions! 

Pendulum, the debut album from Aisha Badru, is out 27th April.

Photo Credit: Neda Bridgeman