Meet Lewisham,London-born UK Open Mic performer Imanifa:

Hi Imanifa, thanks for joining us! Let’s get into it:

Do you play solo only, or also in a group?

Group

How old are you?

20

Where were you born?

Lewisham, London

Where did you grow up?

South east London.

How did that place influence your music? (if at all!)

London is a melting pot of culture and art, you meet people from all works of life and learn so much. I’ve been inspired by 99% of people I’ve met in London, London pushed and consistently has challenged the bounds of my artistry and what it means to be well cultured. My music is a mixture of RNB and neo-soul, Latin/afro-Cuban rhythms and Latin folk.

Where are you based now, and why?

I am currently based in London, considering it’s been my home all my life, and the greatest city for music in the UK at the moment- the ERES no place I’d rather be.

What got you into making music in the first place?

I would say I got into music informally from it being all I ever did as a child. Growing up we didn’t have phones and at some point no Disney or any of the cooler shows you had to pay a bit extra for so me and my brother spent a lot of our summers (besides playing outside etc.) watching Kiss, Capital Xtra , Vevo on repeat ALL DAY whilst my mum was at work. I learnt a lot of the radio tunes by heart and was inspired by the vibrancy and complexity of music videos, the beauty of song and lyricism. Me and my cousins would play pretend Xfactor and I always dreamt of the real thing so best believe I took it very seriously lol.

Eventually at 9 I got into my church choir until I was 14, was offered free singing lessons by my GCSE music teacher around the same age because she believed in me. Was constantly told music probably wasn’t the way for me so avoided it until I took the plunge to apply for conservatoire study and was successful. I know study popular music performance and industry at Trinity Laban – so I guess it worked out.

What instrument/s do you play?

Singing
Harp
Harp

Who would be in your top 10 musical influences, and why?

I would say my top ten influences are:
H.E.R
Jhene Aiko
Rihanna
Anderson Paak
Bruno mars
Tori Kelly
Lauryn Hill
Mercedes Sosa
Facundo Cabral
Celia Cruz
Chuwi
Marala
Rosalia

There are 12 there but I promise it’s crucial haha!
From H.E.R to Lauryn Hill I believe they are most influential to the RNB/souly/funky part of my music/artistry, I draw the most inspiration from them in these respects and also from their vocal tones, lyricism and overall energy!

From Mercedes Sosa to Rosalia reflect the Latin/spanish influences in my music from more folky sounds/storytelling to beautiful scales and harmonies, unique vocal techniques and Latin rhythms. Innovative fusions of genres (for example with the music by Chuwi) which subsequently inspires my own innovations.

Do you write your own songs?

Yes

How many years have you been writing songs for?

5

How long have you been playing open mic nights?

0

Why did you get into playing them in the first place?

–

If it’s not already, are you hoping to make music your full-time career?

Yes

Where is the main place should people go to find out more about you?

https://www.instagram.com/faithindichux/profilecard/?igsh=d2pncHVnMHVmYm55

What other sites/profiles should people go to to find out more about you?

@faithindichux

We’re done! Anything else you want to share before we go?

No thanks!