London-based Ethiopian-Egyptian artist Alewya has unveiled her debut project ‘Panther In Mode’, a 6-track odyssey distilling club rhythms and the spiritual essence of her ancestors; coming through in amped-up afro-percussion and sensuous spoken-word.
Accompanying the EP release is a visualizer for the single ‘Ethiopia’:
“Ethiopia is a song that represents what Ethiopia is as land and at its core. A quiet power that is extremely loud. Mixed with the dub element, the Jamaican connection is deeper than the surface usually portrayed. We bond on seeing each other, truly.”
The west London singer-songwriter, producer, and visual artist was born in Saudi Arabia to an Egyptian father raised in Sudan and an Ethiopian mother. Her family relocated to the UK as refugees when Alewya was a child, and it was here, growing up nestled in a community rich with diaspora from around the globe.
Drawing influence from her African roots and UK club culture, Alewya’s distinctive sonic output fuses the genres seamlessly making her one of the most compelling new artists to emerge from London. Translating to “warrior” or “fighter” in Amharic, Jagna is a call for those that come before her “to release and charge.”
