Katrina Rees
If you like your music with soul in abundance and a jazzy edge, then we’re about to introduce you to an artist that you need to have firmly on your radar.
Malaika is a soul-pop jazz artist originally hailing from Belfast. Her journey began last year when she was handpicked by Jamie Cullum to perform at The Montreal International Jazz Festival. This led to slots supporting Mica Paris and Luke Friend, as well as support from BBC Introducing, PRS Music Foundation and funding from The Arts Council.
Her previous releases include ‘Beat Out Of Time’ and ‘Call Me Honey’, both of which have been championed by BBC Introducing, Huw Stephens at Radio 1, Jamie Cullum at Radio 2, and BBC Radio Leeds. She has also received support from influential YouTube channel Ont’ Sofa, who shot live versions of the tracks.
Malaika is now blessing us again with a new track called ‘I Don’t Feel The Same’. Produced and co-written by Grammy nominated songwriting team John Beck and Steve Chisanthou (Corrine Bailey Rae – ‘Put Your Records On’), ‘I Don’t Feel The Same’ marks a new chapter for Malaika. The singer-songwriter has delivered a stripped back track, which is still rich in jazz and soul-pop influences. Her smooth vocal shines on the track, whilst her honesty highlights a maturity which is not often found in young artists.
The music video for ‘I Don’t Feel The Same’ has also been released, which stars Emmerdale actor Ethan Kai. The video perfectly captures the essence of Malaika’s track – check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GLeo2FSEyc
Last month, Malaika won ‘Best Jazz/Blues Act’ at the Unsigned Music Awards. Additionally, she supported JONES on some of her Autumn tour dates. It’s no wonder that she is being tipped as one to watch for 2017, and we’re expecting the forthcoming year to be extremely promising for her.
‘I Don’t Feel The Same’ is out now all digital outlets and streaming platforms.
