anaiis

Born in Toulouse, raised between Dublin, Dakar and Oakland, and now rooted in London, anaiis’ footholds have shaped a perspective founded in movement and transformation. After her debut single “Nina” in 2018, she released this is no longer a dream in 2021. She shared the stage with Erykah Badu and Nick Hakim, and headlined a sold-out Barbican show.

From a young age, anaiis was drawn to voice as a vessel for feeling, inspired by artists like Ella Fitzgerald. This fascination grew into a lineage shaped by the work of Black thinkers and artists: bell hooks (whose influence anaiis acknowledges by styling her own name in lowercase) Nina Simone, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Alice Walker and Ousmane Sembène. These influences shaped anaiis’ conviction to create with freedom and curiosity.

anaiis latest album Devotion & The Black Divine is soothing and spine-chilling at once, imbued with key messages of self-love.