“It’s having that confidence to be like, ‘I don’t care if this isn’t excellent’,” says Aziya with a shrug and a smile. The London-based artist and producer adjusts her giant cat-eye sun shades as she chats to Guitar.com among the many buzz of cicadas in Athens, Greece. “If Gary from Surrey who’s 68 desires to say the intonation’s not proper, I don’t care!”

Perfectionism doesn’t serve Aziya. Predominantly self-taught, her journey started to blossom as she shared covers and unique songs from her bed room on Instagram and TikTok throughout the early 2020s. She’s but to launch a debut document, however over a flurry of EPs – from 2021’s We Communicate In Tides to 2023’s Lonely Castles, and a 2024 mixtape titled BAMBI – Aziya has set her stall out as a novel and fascinating guitar artist borne of very up to date circumstances.

Her artistry will not be going unnoticed. Aziya can rely Yungblud and Olivia Rodrigo as admirers (she performed each the inaugural Bludfest and shared the invoice for Rodrigo’s BST gig final 12 months), landed a spot on Fender’s Subsequent programme – whose alumni embody everybody from Phoebe Bridgers and Sam Fender to Orville Peck and Omar Apollo – and signed a significant label take care of Atlantic.

Now freshly unbiased and embarking on a brand new section pushed purely by an instinctive pleasure for music, Aziya’s craft as a participant blends completely together with her confessional lyrics of what it means to be flawed, advanced and the self-sabotaging sort.

“I borrowed my first electrical from college, it was a Squier. I haven’t given it again but”

One thing Borrowed

Aziya obtained her first nylon-string acoustic at 10 years outdated – and whereas she knew the guitar would grow to be her further limb, she didn’t essentially know she was on the trail to changing into an artist.

“I didn’t know that what I used to be making an attempt to do was be an artist. It’s at all times been one thing that’s a ardour of mine and has developed with me. Once I obtained to 16, I knew that I needed to find who I used to be as an artist. That’s after I lastly took it critically,” she shares.

On the state college she attended in Hackney, music assets had been restricted and unfold thinly to accommodate all kids. Aziya was tasked with singing, however knew she was destined to play guitar too. Participating in her first present in school, she obtained to sing Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, which modified the trajectory of her future.

“That simply relit this love I had of rock music, so I used to be like, I can’t not play the guitar, guys! I managed to borrow one from college, my first electrical, it was a Squier. I haven’t given it again but,” she admits, “however I’ll after I make it huge…”

“I’ve gone again to why I first began doing this, and numerous that purpose is the guitar”

Locked In

Aziya attended the BRIT Faculty of performing arts for the final two years of her training, following within the footsteps of Adele and Amy Winehouse. The status of the BRIT Faculty signifies that you don’t get in with out passing an audition. However as Aziya recollects, that’s just about the simplest half. It’s no machine churning out manufactured pop-stars, she assures us.

“You might have the studios, you’ve the guitars, you’ve different nice musicians, but it surely’s as much as you to go and converse to these musicians, to make use of the studio, to hone your craft. There’s nobody there saying to you, ‘That is what Adele did, so we’re all going to do that.’”

Because it occurs, Aziya’s second to chop by way of occurred in a really early 2020s kinda manner. When the COVID-19 lockdown hit, she took benefit of her dwelling set-up to start sharing bed room recordings on social media – a mixture of unique music and guitar-driven covers. One in every of them, which interpreted Grimes’ Oblivion with a wailing guitar solo and a punchy harmonic-laden riff, shortly racked up 1000’s of views and introduced her to the eye of some huge names.

Again in lockdown, Oscar- and Grammy-winning guitarist H.E.R. began a weekly livestream on Instagram referred to as Women With Guitars. The collection welcomed artists as various as Willow, Lianne La Havas, Orianthi and Melissa Etheridge to speak about their shared love of the instrument. And a kind of friends, being broadcast to the roughly 300,000 folks watching, was Aziya.

“That was one of many solidifying moments for me of, ‘Actually, it doesn’t matter that I’ve solely been shredding for like a 12 months,” she displays. “As a result of persons are acknowledging me and my work: nice folks.’”

“Each guitarist goes into it with the boldness to be like, ‘I’m going to be flawed and powerful, and I don’t care’”

Robust Roots

Rising up on a large catalogue of artists from My Chemical Romance to Patti Smith, in addition to a palette of early punk, Aziya’s sound displays all that she absorbed by way of osmosis in her youth; it’s a melting pot of pop, rock and romantic R&B. She additionally discovered braveness within the examples set by ladies with guitars and founding Black feminine artists, together with the Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

“It’s a disgrace that her flowers are solely coming now. She positively set the trail for me,” she declares. “All my favorite guitarists, from Jimmy Web page to Jimi Hendrix – even those who appear to be me, like Hendrix and Prince – they’re all males! I used to be like, the place are the ladies? They’re there, however they’re hidden, from Sister Rosetta Tharpe to June Millington from this band referred to as Fanny. There’s additionally Viv Albertine from The Slits. They’re on the market.”

Many of those ladies set the template that Aziya now continues to champion in her personal craft: the sensible defiance to be “flawed and powerful”, to provide issues a go with out worrying about being ok. Taking part in an electrical guitar will not be mind surgical procedure in any case, it’s artwork.

Aziya factors to one thing Albertine stated about electrical guitar in her memoir, Garments, Garments, Garments. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. “She preferred how obnoxiously loud it was and the truth that she didn’t know the right way to correctly play, however she was being amplified. I feel that’s how each guitarist goes into it, you go in with the boldness to be like, ‘I’m going to be flawed and powerful, and I don’t care.’”

“I can’t ever lose my inventive autonomy once more”

Altar-d State

The times of an artist needing the heft of a significant label and the assets of a large studio to make their mark are lengthy over, however Aziya embraces the bed room aesthetic greater than most. Her distinctive however distinctly DIY on-line backdrop has grow to be a magnetic side of her artwork. It’s a wink to different budding artists that they’ll do that too. You may argue that for contemporary musicians, the bed room is a inventive altar – a spot the place they’ll develop as artists in security and safety, whereas nonetheless sharing their music with the world.

“Describing it as an altar is basically fascinating,” Aziya replies. “As a result of like an altar, like going to God and wrestling with issues which are happening for you, it’s the identical as whenever you’re in your bed room [making music].

“There may be generally the inventive identification battle of doing it out of your bed room, particularly as a feminine producer. Generally it’s like, is that this official sufficient? Will folks take it critically? However [there’s] a peace that comes by way of for me, the consolation of it being my area. I wouldn’t have it every other manner. I feel there’s extra feminine producers due to it as nicely.”

As for her setup, she’s “fortunately moved away from the Squier” today, however nonetheless favours high quality over amount. Alongside her Novation Launchpad, you’ll largely discover her with a Fender Telecaster (affectionately named Dove by her followers), however she additionally makes use of a Mustang, a P-Bass, and one significantly particular treasure she bought on London’s iconic music retail district, Denmark Avenue.

“A guitar I at all times come again to is my 60s reissue Jag. It’s Japanese-made, and I take advantage of that rather a lot on fairly a number of of my songs. Wundagirl, that’s one the place you’ll be able to hear the Jag for certain,” she says. “I’ve additionally simply obtained myself a [Neural DSP] Quad Cortex, it’s obtained each pedal you may need and wish. My common setup with it’s numerous refrain, numerous delay, reverb. After which often my [Pro Co] RAT after I need to get slightly heavier.”

“There may be generally the inventive identification battle of doing it out of your bed room, however I wouldn’t have it every other manner”

Self Sabotage

Guitar is woven by way of the DNA of Aziya’s songs. Even in tracks the place it’s much less apparent, like He’s Mine, it’s there as a continuing backbone. Don’t count on that to alter any time quickly as she embarks on her new section as an unbiased artist. Particulars are restricted and her lips are sealed for now, however Aziya can affirm she is engaged on a brand new venture, with the primary style being newest single Sabotage!.

“This one units a precedent. A number of the writing stems from reflection on being this saboteur sort, however to not anybody else, simply to myself. That’s what I needed to do with this primary tune, lay that out and the path of the place we’re going when it comes to what I’ve skilled this final 12 months.

“That is in all probability the nicer, sweeter sounding of the songs. I like sitting in that world the place it’s like rock meets hip-hop virtually,” she displays. “Sitting in that bizarre various area is one thing I like to discover. I feel the deeper we are going to get into this venture, the extra stripped away issues will get. There’s numerous reference to Nirvana as nicely in there. There’s guitar in each tune.”

Her forthcoming ‘Saboteur’ venture is trying to be a big mark within the sand for her independence. Being dropped by a significant label is the kind of blow that will drive many artists to pack issues in – particularly so early on. However as a substitute it lit a fireplace below her to create on her personal phrases. No matter comes subsequent, it will likely be wholly and honestly Aziya.

“Once I obtained dropped, the very first thing I wrote down had been the non-negotiables for me as a inventive,” she explains. “The primary was me saying I can’t ever lose my inventive autonomy once more or people-please, and I feel that’s generally an unlucky byproduct of being an artist.”

Aziya has emerged by way of her early tumble by way of these weeds stronger and wiser. She’s obtained unapologetically huge goals, from scoring movies to soundtracking style exhibits, to not point out a spot on Glastonbury’s well-known Pyramid stage. She is wickedly sensible and switched on, and there’s undeniably a quiet genius about the best way she works.

Enjoyable in her seat on her resort balcony, there’s an assured power about Aziya in the present day. She’s actually performed her justifiable share of labor to chase her dream, and this subsequent period is all about attracting the success she’s duly earned.

“I really feel essentially the most ‘me’ at any time when I’m enjoying guitar,” she smiles. “I’ve actually gone again to my roots. Being unbiased now, the one voice that I’m listening to and that issues is my very own, and the collaborators I’m within the room with. I’ve gone again to why I first began doing this, and numerous that purpose is the guitar.”

Aziya’s Sabotage! is out now

Phrases: Rachel Roberts
Images: Danica Robinson
Location: The Shacklewell Arms