FEATURE:
Spotlight
DEELA has been on the scene for a little while. Though I think the past year or two have been her strongest and most important so far. Her latest album, Wicked, was released last year. I want to bring in a few interview with this British-Nigerian artist. In 2024, 1202 spoke with DEELA around the release of her then-latest E.P., Good Girl No Dey Pay. It is a remarkable E.P. Since then, she has put out so much interesting work. One of these artists who has been working tirelessly but has not quite got all the recognition that she deserves:
“So tell me about your latest EP. I love the sensual dance vibe of each song. What goals did you have when approaching this project?
I worked with this one producer. His name is Genio, and he has a very distinct type of drum pattern that he uses on his beats. So, going forward, I was trying to make something that was in a different space compared to the other stuff that I have because I feel like when I started making music, it was almost not duplicated to what I listen to. I listen to a lot of Young Nudy, Young Thug-type of music. I gravitate towards that sort of beat, those hip-hop-type beats. When I was coming back to Lagos, I was like, ‘It needs to be a different sort of production to kind of catch their energy.’ Rap is not a huge genre that people listen to in Nigeria. I was thinking of how I could switch it up. That's how I came into the whole Good Girls No Dey Pay EP.
With your music, I love how I can hear different elements from various genres of Afrobeats, hip-hop, and R&B. Which track on the EP do you feel best embodies the multi-genre influence?
I would say ‘Kryptonite’ because it's very dance-like, but then, at the same time, still very mellow. I don't know how to explain it. It just sits in different pockets. And ‘Final Boss’ as well because that's like hip-hop, but then the drums are very Afrobeats. It’s more like alté. That’s what they call it in Nigeria—alternative music—but they call it alté. Like Odunsi and Santi, that’s where you’ll hear it sometimes. That's kind of where it comes from.
I love how your outfits and the style of your cover art play into your visuals. Who are some of your fashion inspirations?
I love Bree Runway. She has the most amazing archives. Also, Leomie Anderson—those are the British girls when it comes to dressing—and obviously Rihanna. She's an icon. She changes her style with every album she drops, which I thought was really cool. But it was still very much authentic to her. It never seemed like it was a gimmick. And Aaliyah because she has that tomboy-like style as well, but in her own way. I like grunge things like spikes, leathers, blacks, and dark looks, but with a spin that doesn't make it too dark”.
There are a couple of interviews from this year that I want to come to. CASAWI chatted with DEELA in July. This is an artist that I have seen recommended by other music websites, and I was compelled to check her out. In a position where she is getting praise from some huge publications, here is someone primed for world domination. Though DEELA has her own plans for what comes next:
“Your musical foundation features a contrast between your mother playing Anita Baker and your father listening to Jay-Z. What is the process of blending emotive balladry with hard-edged rap to define your sound?
Every time I step into the studio, I am trying to create with no boundaries. I am protective of sharing my true emotions, but I have seen how doing so directly stunts my songwriting process. My process generally involves journaling and a lot of voice note recordings I refer to when I get to the studio.
You completed a Biomedical Science degree at the University of Manchester and dedicated your research to sickle cell disease. How does university research influence your independent approach to the music business today?
I am always researching. Watching performers I like and taking notes, studying the people before me and how they stayed relevant, new music globally, and what makes their production interesting. The research never stops, to learn something new every day is the goal.
You recorded your 2025 project Wicked in Lagos with producers like Genio Bambino and Black Culture. What was your daily routine during these writing camps and how did working in Nigeria affect your creative choices?
There is truly no place like home. Being in Lagos makes me feel more at ease because most of my immediate family lives there. Every day was a different vibe entirely. I knew the energy I wanted Wicked to have with reference tracks. The general rule every day was to have a hook and a verse for whatever beat we made from scratch. Some things get me in the zone, and this includes having loads of fruits and snacks as I am unable to make music hangry, lighting a scented candle to get me in the mood, and journaling before setting foot in the studio to let go of any bad chakra.
You built your career independently by learning the mechanics of the music industry. What advice do you have for other artists who want to build an audience without relying on record labels?
I would say study the game, have influences, but always make sure what you are giving is true to you. Also, do not focus on the numbers or other people, building takes time, especially on your own.
Dazed and Clash recognized you as an artist to watch in 2026. What are your next steps beyond your collaborations with Little Simz and DJ Vanco and what themes do you plan to address in your future releases?
I am going to be dropping more music. I love rapping over interesting beats combining genres together like electronic and rap or even afro-house and afro-electronic. Expect me to explore themes of love and vulnerability, fully stepping into my womanhood and what this means to me”.
I do want to finish with CLASH, who recently named DEELA as one of their artists to watch. Someone who is going to a massive name very soon. I am looking forward to seeing what she does in 2027. With this amazing body of work under her belt, DEELA has this incredible and loyal fanbase. I can see DEELA going on these huge international tours very soon. Playing U.S. festivals:
“From Lagos to London, DEELA is injecting the spirit and rhythms of Nigeria into UK trap. Finding inspiration everywhere she goes, the rapper is merging worlds to create a fresh, futuristic sound, dubbed ‘Wicked Babe Music’. Growing up in Lagos, her move to England for school at just 12 was a massive culture shock. Thankfully, she found solace in London’s burgeoning grime scene. “It just blew my mind,” she says. “It was such a different style of rapping. It gave me a whole new perspective.”
Despite feeling torn between two homes, music bridged her disparate worlds. It was a producer friend at university who first encouraged her to jump on a track. “I remembered when I was younger, I used to write poems and do all this creative stuff, but I kind of just lost myself. So making music was me finding myself again,” she reflects.
DEELA shared her debut mixtape ‘Wicked’ last year. Her rave-ready anthems – bassy, percussive, atmospheric backdrops layered with her signature slick bars – ushered in a new era of ‘Wicked Babe Music’. It embodied “the spirit of being confident and a go-getter; it’s also the attitude of being Nigerian.” To DEELA, it’s more than music: it’s an aura. “What’s so funny is I didn’t actually come up with the concept,” she explains. “I posted a video to my track ‘Patience Ozokwor’ and people on TikTok were like, ‘Wicked Babe Music is so back’. It made so much sense! It’s very Nollycore, very confident babe.”
The production DEELA spits over is never predictable. She pulls inspiration from rave, the Alté scene, and UK dance hybrids. “One thing about me, I love rapping over any style,” she shares. “I can give it some space but I always come back. I have so much to say.”
Trusting your gut and doing something different often requires taking the long road, but some recent major collaborations tell us she’s on the right track. DEELA featured on the highlight on Little Simz’ experimental-dance EP ‘Sugar Girl’, later performing with her at Cross The Tracks. She supported Amaarae in Paris and London, and linked up with South African producer Vanco on the infectious Afrohouse number ‘Repeat’”.
Go and follow DEELA and spent time with her work. Recent singles Dey Play! and Gbona are incredible. If you are not aware of this remarkable artist then do go and follow her on social media. She is an absolute sensation. I do think that she warrants more column inches and playlist inclusions. Only a matter of time for this…
MUSICAL supernova.
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