Formed of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, genre-defying duo ALT BLK ERA create tenacious alternative tunes designed to showcase their vivid personalities. Inspired by the likes of Ashnikko, Hacktivist, The Prodigy and Billie Eilish, they blur the boundaries of pop punk, nu-metal, rap and electronic music to form their riotous sounds.
By combining jagged electronics, heavy riffs and racing beats with raging lyrics, the pair have created an alternative statement of self autonomy on their debut EP, Freak Show, which perfectly showcases their antagonistic, youthful spirit. We caught up with Nyrobi and Chaya to talk about their new release (out on 1st September), their recent performances at Reading & Leeds and Glastonbury, and the love they’ve received from fans who have discovered their music…
For anyone who doesn’t already know, can you explain how you came to be ALT BLK ERA?
We’re sisters from Nottingham and we have been singing together for as long as I (Nyrobi) can remember. It became a regular daily feature when we would do our chores, washing up, with music blasting from our Apple iPod. This is where we learnt how to harmonise so easily with one another.
I’m the chief song-writer (Nyrobi) however, I work best with my sister Chaya by my side. She’ll add key parts, change things or say a straight no – so it’s a dual process. We sound so different, and we have such different personalities that we have to work closely together throughout the creative process.
Your own music is a blend of lots of different genres (nu-metal, rap, pop punk, electronic/rave) – talk us through your process of combining these styles and merging them into your songs…
We grew up on Reggae, Soul and R&B – so these elements are at our core. However, we stumbled upon the world of Metal and DnB when we were trying to express something harder and edgier than what we knew.
We haven’t got a step-by-step process. We sit with a beat. We have a song title and theme and then we ride the creativity wave. If we hit a wall – we write something else and then come back to it later down the line. There’s no pressure. We have fun making our music and if we want to throw in a bit of opera – we do exactly that. If we want to throw in a few bars of rap, we do that. There are no rules. This works for and against us because the industry wants to give a title to what we do. At one point we felt pressured to label our music genre – but it isn’t one thing so we generally call it ‘Alternative’.
You’re gearing up to release your debut EP, Freak Show, on the 1st September. What are you most proud of about this release?
We love that the EP is a story of where we started from. Our feelings of sitting outside of the mainstream. It feels like we’re getting a lot off our chest and we’ve found that so many others relate to what we’re singing about. We’re still really young, so the school experience has been a major area of our lives. What’s amazing is how many older listeners share with us that they wish they had us around when they were growing up. This is what we are most proud of – being able to connect with a range of people who identify themselves in our music. All the songs have a slightly different twist on them, and there are a range of energies that we share – from defiance to empowerment, to encouragement and love of yourself and others.
Do you have a favourite track on the EP? If so, why?
We of course love every track on the EP, but Chaya holds a special place in her heart for the title track, ‘Freak Show’ and I am loving ‘I’m Normally Like This’ – but this could change. It depends where we’re at emotionally as each track can speak strongly to you at different times.
Your music and your aesthetic both make a strong statement about individuality and not being afraid to express yourself. How has this message impacted your listeners? Have people reached out to talk to you about these things?
It’s been so wonderful to see the reaction. Our music is about celebrating who we all are which we especially see when we perform live. We’re tired of the pressures to conform. There have been a few haters that can’t help but share their thoughts about us and what we stand for – but we forgive them because they maybe haven’t heard our lyrics where we say “We don’t give a damn if you like it!”
People are always reaching out to us. We talk about some deep issues in our music, including violence against women. We get so many comments and private messages from people who have or who are struggling with their mental health and self-love – who say our music is helping them. Parents and grandparents introduce our music to their children and grandchildren. People from marginalised communities reach out to us and thank us for making them feel safe and heard.
Older true Metal Heads tell us how much they love our music. Rap artists tell us that they love the music we are making. What’s also beautiful is how many people from the Black community reach out to us too. Either they’ve never liked Rock/Metal music before or they have not seen enough representation. This is clear in our live shows when there are so many people from different walks of life join us in one room.
You performed at Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds Festival this year! Talk to us about these sets…
OMGosh! Glastonbury was a dream. We have so much love for Earache Records for taking a risk on two teenage girls and putting us on their Takeover of the Truth Stage at Shangri-la. The highlight was when we looked over at each other in the middle of our set and we both knew what the other was thinking… “It’s really happening!” We were so happy.
We headlined the BBC Introducing stages at Reading & Leeds Festival. Again, another dream come true. We just wanted the audience to enjoy themselves and feel part of something new. We had people screaming back at us and joining in the chants it was spectacular. We’re still processing the experience.
You played live for Get In Her Ears supporting STRAIGHT GIRL in July and we loved your set. What do you enjoy most about playing live?
We love seeing the energy of the crowd. We love how we take them through different mood states and how we all experience it together. From soft, weird, to full out moshing. Live is the most wonderful thing! Thank you for having us! (see pics of the night here)
What does the rest of 2023 hold for ALT BLK ERA?
We have a few things lined up. We will be supporting Lord Of The Lost at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – this is another massive step for us and we’re so excited for this. On the 3rd November we have our headline show in Nottingham, where we will also be sharing music that we plan to release in 2024. It’s going to be a full on party!
Finally, as we’re a new music blog, we always ask for new music recommendations. Is there a band or artist who you’ve been listening to lately that you’d like to give a shout out to?
We have three we’d like to mention: PleasePretty Lea, Gender Crisis and Ruena. Do not sleep on these artists!!!
Follow ALT BLK ERA on bandcamp, Spotify, Tik Tok, Twitter (X), Instagram & Facebook
Photo Credit: Fabrice Gagos
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