Lost and found: Aisha Badru maps her musical journey
- Text by Nial Flynn
Upon graduating high school, Aisha Badru turned down two music scholarships. Shackled by the assumption that she’d never make it as an artist, the New Yorker landed at a college in the Bronx, miserable and a little lost.
After sticking it out for three years, she finally made the decision – despite protests from her college professor father – to drop out and make the jump. Working in a book shop by day, Badru spent her evenings performing at open mics, using her own relationship with personal conflict to help shape a series of airy, ethereal folk songs.
It was one of these – aptly titled “Waiting Around” – that first announced the Yonkers-born musician on a major scale, propelling her into the limelight – and a Volkswagen commercial. Now, with a debut album scheduled for release in the coming months, it’s fair to say that it’s been quite the journey. For the latest instalment of The Monday Mix, Badru shares some of the music that shaped her along the way.
“Early on, a big music influence for me was Malaysian singer-songwriter, Yuna. Her voice was delicate, yet her lyrics always carried a lot of weight. Sarah Jaffe’s album Suburban Nature, was another big influence through her youth. Jaffe’s production was mostly simplistic, allowing her craft of story telling to stand out,” she tells Huck.
“This playlist is a compilations of songs from artists who have inspired me over the past few years – especially during the time when I was still gaining confidence to release my music.”
‘Fast Car’ – Tracy Chapman
‘Hallelujah’ – Jeff Buckley
‘Strawberry Swing’ – Frank Ocean
‘Clementine’ – Sarah Jaffe
‘Decorate’ – Yuna
‘Middle of The Bed’ – Lucy Rose
‘Girl On An Island’ – Alice Phoebe Lou
‘Self Help Tape’ – Moses Sumney
‘Aqueous Transmission’ – Incubus
‘Wash Away’ – Joe Purdy
Watch the video for Aisha Badru’s “Bridges”, out now via Nettwerk Music.
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