27-year-old Wafia Al-Rikabi is becoming in every sense of the word an international superstar. She prides herself on drawing from her global touch and experience to create an altogether unique sound. I mean, she has quite the cosmopolitan resume: born of Iraqi-Sryrian parents, grew up in the Netherlands, bounced around New Zealand and LA, and is now residing in Australia. Pretty cool.
She got her start back in 2015 with her EP “XXIX,” featuring her popular track “Heartburn” (there’s a suuuuper good remix hiding somewhere in one of my playlists). Since then, Wafia’s been collabing with no-namers such as Louis the Child, Whethan, Ta-ku, Ekali, and more. She’s incredibly versatile…throw her on a synth-based, EDM project and she makes the entire song. However, I think it’s even cooler to watch what she can make with her own lyrics and her own experiences. She really has found her own little pocket within pop and her new album “Good Things” is cementing it as we speak.
My favorite off the album is “Pick Me” because of how simple and honest the lyrics are. In a recent interview with Teeth Magazine, Wafia claimed she “tends to start with a feeling” when kicking off a project. She places an importance on “conveying that feeling, and [then] going from there.” I think this is very evident in this one. Take a spin through the entire album and see if you agree.
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