Dylema

Name, where are you from?
DYLEMA, Nigeria/East-London.

Describe your style in three words?
Free, edgy and sexy.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
A Beyoncé gig in 2009. It was electrifying and transformative. It helped me understand the impact of a great performance and it was instrumental in my career as a musician. After that Beyoncé gig, I decided to make the transition from theatre to music.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Any two? Living or dead? Ok, let’s go with living artists… Kendrick Lamar because lyricism and jazz is a thing and it’s our thing. It would be incredible to share a line up with someone who understands the fusion of poetry and jazz. The second person would be Aṣa, a Nigerian singer-songwriter because of how conscious yet melodic she is, and because hearing her made me realise I too could sing. It is a secret dream of mine to open for her one day.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
A subculture I have been really influenced by has been black women on a healing journey. The aesthetic of crystals, sage and Palo Santo, incense, Florida water and singing bowls just to name a few, are indicators of this subculture but they are not the definition of it. They are about healing black women/queer femmes. For people like me, whose creativity is born from a village. I attribute much of my art to this subculture as it edifies me so deeply.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I would want to spend an hour with my grandmother or great grandmother. Identity, heritage and the understanding of who we really are is so important to me. I wouldn’t waste an hour without discovering out more of where I come from and who I am and what existed before I came. I think it will be a huge help in firmly rooting me to the ground.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
The favourite venue I’ve ever played was actually at a church. St James The Great church for an event called Church of Sound. Over 800 people came to see me with my live band 'The Dylema Collective' and just the overall feeling of euphoria playing in that church. Even though the performance was not religious at all, some would argue the opposite actually after hearing us sing our song 'Freaky and Bad' haha. There was something quite holy about this performance.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
My greatest unsung hero in music is actually a lady I mentioned earlier. Her name is Aṣa and she is a Nigerian born singer-songwriter. Her first album changed me forever as a young girl with dreams of songwriting. I can still remember singing along to every single track in her album and feeling so held. I have followed her career since but nothing compares to my initial discovery of that first album.

Dylema recently released their new track 'Assimilation', a collaboration with The Brkn Record. Listen, purchase or stream it via bfan.link/assimilation.