South Londoner KEYAH/BLU is carving her own way in this world. Her cutting edge production and distinct sultry narration characterises Keyah as a standout UK talent. As well as being a solo artist, she’s also collaborated on some underground projects with fellow Londoners like gothic rapper Denzel Himself and beat pioneer/ DJ Joy Orbison. Her new single ‘If You Know’ has truly blown us away. It’s her first release since the moreish single ‘til bliss’ which dropped in September. ‘If You Know’ elevates Keyah to new sonic ground. The beat is self-produced, with an additional helping hand from Joy Orbison, resulting in an ominous and dancey sound which is characterised by a thick and heavy bass drum, stumbling percussion, a wide off-beat bass line and pulsing synths. Keyah juxtaposes sweetly sung melodies with bold, breathy and rhythmic verses. In relation to the single, Keyah explains: “‘If You Know’ is dealing with your shit in a dark room and saying ‘this is me and I’m okay with that’. I wanted to play around with textures that felt new to me. It’s not easy being vocal about doing certain things you, yourself, are super comfortable with in a world that wants you to think you’re wrong or undesirable for doing so. I wanted the lyrics to reflect that. If you know, you know.” Both singles ‘til bliss’ and ‘If You Know’ will appear on KEYAH/BLU's debut EP Sorry, I Forgot You Were Coming, which is out on March 16th. -Ellie Rose-Davies