#Hot girl summer may be over, but Miraa May is one artist who will have you channelling the sass all through September.
The self-titled ‘Tottenham songbird’ is a brazen and brilliant new talent – the musical equivalent of that friend who is always on hand with no-nonsense advice and a dirty laugh.
Miraa first burst onto the scene in 2016 with her EP ‘N15’. A love-letter to her North London ends produced by Salaam Remi (Ms Dynamite, Amy Winehouse), ‘N15’ was a Lauryn Hill-esque melting-pot of reggae, R&B and rap. Miraa provided an inimitable voice throughout: “walking through Totty with my headphones on loud”, here was a young queen unafraid to put a cheeky spin on Craig David’s ‘7 Days’ or tell her ex to keep his ‘DiDi’.
Cue the arrival of ‘Care Package’ in 2018, a tropical-infused EP of afro-beats syncopation and melancholy harmonies in homage to Miraa’s Algerian homeland. “Tell them I’m sexy regardless” is Miraa’s motto against sexist industry expectations, whilst single ‘Make Room’ is a casual pro-consent message for bussing a whine without a man behind.
Miraa’s latest offering is the ‘Dark’ EP – an Anime inspired, trap-star incarnation for the singer-songwriter. ‘What I Smoke’ is Miraa in hard-woman mode, half-rapping “perpetrators gonna learn their lesson” & calling in her Algerian akhis (and a rather epic goat) for back-up.
Miraa May is unashamedly an artist who says it like it is, and her upfront attitude is gaining her a name in the grime world. JME recently collabed on her catchiest single to date, ‘Angles’, calling out the fakery of modern Insta-culture. Meanwhile, Kojey Radical and Chip have also sought ‘Mizzy’ for a feature.
Miraa may say she’s “bad like Miami Vice”, but dig deeper and you’ll find there’s a dichotomous side to this diva. ‘Nobody’ is a tribute to the singer’s Islamic faith, her delicate vocal echoing the call to prayer; ‘Sad’ a blue, guitar musing on inescapable melancholy.
It’s this blend of vulnerability and female power that makes Miraa May so compelling; she’s fun, takes no shit and knows how to feel all the feels. #Sassy September, incoming.
The Musical Foodie 