ilham has recently released her newest R&B and soul EP, ilham.
Rising Aritst ilham
ilham is an up-and-coming R&B, soul, and hip hop artist. According to Seth Barmash at Hip Hop 87, ilham is a young singer-songwriter from NYC’s Queensbridge. Barmash points out that people praise her for “her sultry lyrics that express experiences both good and bad.”
In an interview with Sunayah Arshad at AZEEMA Magazine, ilham speaks about her life in Queensbridge. She was born in the U.S. and grew up in a Moroccan household. Her community was predominantly Hispanic and Black. ilham loved her community and the people she grew up with. However, she missed the kinship found with people of Middle Eastern and African descent.“I’m like, ‘You’re my people,’” she says in the interview. “I feel like nothing beats that level of comfortability.”
After being accepted to Cornell University, graduating early, and getting an internship at Capitol Records, the singer found herself recording her first EP. She worked on the project with her internship manager. After this, she received offers from several labels, but eventually signed with rapper French Montana. She’s now managed by SALXCO and Def Jam Recordings.
ilham’s first EP, 41-10, came out in 2018. She has since released music every year, from her 2019 EP, with time, to her 2020 singles, to last year’s single “gang signs.” “gang signs” happened to make it onto this year’s ilham.
The Repeatable, R&B EP
ilham’s six-track EP is full of R&B and soul, with hip hop influences. As soon as the first song, “monday,” begins to play, anyone can tell that ilham is very musically strong within her genres.
“corazón, (with French Montana)”, shows ilham singing in different languages. Aside from the use of “corazón,” the song also has a line in Spanish, as well as a line in Arabic. Before the first chorus of the song, ilham sings, “Te quiero para mí / Ntah, habibi.” This translates to I want you for myself, you are my love in English.
On “hype (with Vory)”, ilham and Vory sing about a good relationship that turned bad. Following that, is a single from 2021, “gang signs.” Barmash reports that ilham thinks of the song as “loving someone, wanting to ride or die for someone, wanting to fully be immersed in someone’s world, but then also having a protective wall that doesn’t allow the both of you to fully give in.” The music video for “gang signs” was actually filmed in and near the Queensbridge Houses.
Check out the music videos for “corazón” and “gang signs”
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