Introducing… Basheba

Here at Bearded we aim to shed light on acts who don't necessarily have giant labels or muscley budgets waving banners behind them. This Introducing series will focus on artists who we think are great, regardless of how much hype surrounds them or where their origin story lays.

Bio
Name: Basheba
Location: London, UK
Genre: R&D&B
Similar Artists: Ella Eyre, Katy B, Jessie Ware
Contact: Facebook, Twitter
Events: New single 'Dirty Love (Your Love)' due out June 22nd

North-West London's Basheba has proved herself a hot commodity in the first half of 2014 – Rudimental are rumoured to be lining her up for their next LP, she's got (or will very soon have) two immense singles under her belt, and alongside her debut EP – slated for release over the summer – she's set to unveil a clothing line. It's multi-pronged creative bombardment from the British/Bajan pop experimenteur. Welding together hallmarks from a breadth of sonic styles, including gospel, R&B, D'N'B, jungle, garage and soul, she's presenting us with a glimmering musical identity that's been in progress since she was 14.



Upcoming single 'Dirty Love (Your Love)', featuring Jordan Reece, will tap into the future-garage neophytes that have been following the pristine beats and majestic hooks of Disclosure. Basheba, accompanied by producer Dean Barratt, conjures brilliance. There's morose, maudlin keys pitter-pattering amongst lo-fi gramophone fuzz and a shock of violin reverence; underneath, a few levels down, maniacal percussion skitters and splutters at an enormous pace, aping the '90s craze for fast drums and fast bass. Alongside the cinematic soulful pop above, it forms something like the UK's answer to trap.

Basheba's demonstrating lofty ambition. She's not letting her fledgling status hold her back from greatness, and instead of waiting for success to bumble onto her doorstep, she's seizing the day and hoisting a wealth of projects into the limelight. Even Nicki Minaj has only just got her own clothing line. Given that she's already attracting major-league collaborations, it's unlikely she'll remain at the stage of her career for long. We're going to start seeing a whole lot more of Basheba, and very soon.