all i ever wanted
Presenting her debut project, South London-based artist/vocalist Naima Adams returns with ‘When We Let Go EP’, a collection of spirited soul/contemporary R&B cuts & personal storytelling connected by kindred tussles with acceptance, closure, endurance and freeing one’s past; it’s a flag in the sand, not only personally but artistically.
The EP’s first single, ‘All I Ever Wanted’, is a layered indie/R&B love letter to a past self, confronting the storms of old friendships and negligent mentors, Adams sings, “I’m taking my time to see the strength I know I have in me / but you gotta know by now, the scars will show” — its nurturing resilience and lyrical phrasing, reminiscent of early Ashanti, Floetry or 702, Adams adds, “I was really let down by people in my personal and professional life that I looked up to and trusted. I had to do a lot of rebuilding after this time in my life.“
stay
A low fuzz, a restless hum drifting closer/louder: South London-based artist/vocalist, Naima Adams returns with second single ‘Stay’, a dub-fused percussive soul collision and glimpse into the tussle of pursuing peace & connection whilst navigating the realities of city existence: a decades-long ‘holler’, a fading in slow motion.
Written in collaboration with composer & producer Melo-Zed (Yazmin Lacey, CARI & ‘iwoyi: within the echo’, score/film commissioned for The British Library’s ‘Beyond The Bassline’ exhibition), Adams’ ‘Stay’ wrestles with place & roots, answering calls from the unknown, set against the backdrop of a hostile environment, pervasive burnout and increasing insecurities, asking “how am I supposed to live when all I do is give?”.
fragile
An open introspection of loss and hope in the modern age, ‘Fragile’ is backed by a layered contemporary indie/R&B foundation, co-produced by pianist/composer, Lorenz Okello-Osengor (And Is Phi, Sofia Grant).
Originally written as a lament on the nature loss and climate destruction a distance away from her grandfather’s hometown in Sicily during the summer of 2023’s wildfire ruins, and growing heartbreak for the enduring violence in occupied Palestine, Congo and Sudan, ‘Fragile’ follows Adams contemplative and faithless in those profiting from our collective grief, yet determined and energised by those discerning and disrupting, reminding us of care and compassion as architects of resistance.