Raised by her mother between Lagos and London, and now based in Brooklyn, Halima draws from a tri-continental well. As an only child, she learned to blend introspective periods spent alone with the collaborative day camps and community programs she at-tended for theatre and music. As early as primary school, she remembers developing processes for bringing musicians together, continually from a place of creation.
“Halima’s honesty comes through in her music with subtle but unmistakable force, in soulful vocals that take their time, sprawling out and making themselves comfortable on her songs.” – Noisey
“Above anything else, she can write an unforgettable song. Her melodies and lyrics are of the variety you can’t get out of your head. It’s the type of music that feels good—that relays something real—regardless of listeners’ preconceived allegiances to genre.” – Document Journal
From early explorations of folk and piano to later studies of jazz and R&B, Halima’s career has evolved, making pit stops in pop-punk, neo-soul, and electronic along the way. Now, her sound pulls unapologetically from a broad musical spectrum, nodding sonically to those defining experiences and pushing forward toward a more pointed exploration of self.
Admired for her unique musicality and thoughtful approach to songwriting and producing, Halima’s 2022 singles, ‘Rent’ and ‘Talk’, mark a new era artistically in both songwriting and production style. Recent collaborations with acclaimed artist/producers include Gianluca Buccellati, Beshken, Hush Forte, and Grammy-winner Mikey Freedom Hart are to be released throughout 2023. Her newest single, ‘Vehicle’ is out today, March 3.
“VEHICLE” is a colorful & vibrant auditory gem. The song started as a collaboration between friends, artist/producer Halima Edozie-Akinlade, aka Halima (“Ford Cardinal,” “Holding Me,” “Talk”) & Harlem-based artist/producer Hush Forte. Halima then brought in frequent collaborator, producer Mikey Freedom Hart (Jon Batiste, Taylor Swift, Lana del Rey), to round out the psychedelic textures that mirror the sense of wonder, excitement, & newness of self-discovery.
The song is both the journey & the arrival, & Halima’s vocals bounce with ease through it all. Building a steady following over the last few years with standout self-released singles, Halima has garnered coverage that showcases her inimitable songwriting & art. Fashion photographer Callum Walker Hutchinson shot the gorgeous visualizer.
Halima’s work has been featured in Spotify’s Pollen and New Music Friday, Apple Music’s Feels, Pitchfork’s What’s Good playlists, and press / radio including The Fader, Noisey, Document Journal, i-d, BBC Radio 1Xtra, Worldwide FM, KCRW & BBC6.
Outside of her creative work, Halima is also a co-founder and active member of a Brooklyn women’s collective that meets weekly to navigate life in the music industry, practice community therapy, and celebrate chosen family, which she describes as a process of “adding structures to unstructured life”. Altogether, Halima’s work embodies the intersection of self-discovery, community, and the complexity of life’s connections, across mediums.
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