Have you ever experienced a full-circle moment? For us at Broke, reconnecting with South London’s musical powerhouse BINA was exactly that. Back in 2018, we spoke to her as she just started on her music journey, while we were just university students launching our magazine journey. Fast forward to today, and both of our paths have evolved in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
BINA’s artistry is rooted in the soulful sounds of Neo-Soul and Jazz, using her voice as a powerful emotional outlet. Her music reflects a deep commitment to self-care within the Black community and celebrates the beauty of being unapologetically yourself. With a unique blend of vulnerability and honesty, her work forges connections that resonate deeply with her listeners, softening even the hardest of hearts. Now an accomplished writer, composer, and actor she leans into a multitude of creative demonstrations to inform her growing presence as an artist.
First, when we got the latest press release about your music we were in awe! To watch one of the artists we began our magazine journey with achieving everything you have is crazy…
Ahh, thank you! And oh my God, it’s been so long since then. I feel like a completely different person, have grown so much since then but the seed of what today is was very much sown that year, in 2019 (I believe it was Summer 2019 when we met?). It’s so cool to be crossing paths again!
Let’s take it back to our conversation in Camden’s cereal cafe in 2018 (RIP) where you were just starting and breaking into the scene, what was it like back then as an emerging artist?
It was a very interesting time. I was a toddler in this making-and-releasing-art-publically thing. I felt like I was tryna prove myself right, and that the dreams I had for my art and career were more than a delusional fantasy. Everything I did back then felt like a brazen shot in the dark, whereas now, a lot more of what I’m doing feels like deliberate leaps of faith and curious expansion of my creativity and the possibilities of what I can do in this world! I would say I’m just as brazen, but I have more of a map in front of me and of course a team, and a very good one at that!
What are your proudest and most significant moments since then?
Whew, we’re talking about nearly 6 years of progress, so there have been many proud moments, each surpassing the one before it. But recent proud moments include: spending the autumn on two separate but overlapping tours with two of my favourite artists (BLK ODYSSY and IAMDDB) and finishing tour season with a sold-out headline show (my second sold-out headline in London, period!). I’m proud of how much better of a performer I’ve become over the years, and I’m proud of myself for doing it all without truly burning out – I think part of that has to do with the strictness of not going out every night on tour, making sure I rested and ate well. Of course, I’ve been tired at points, but not burnt out, thankfully!
I’m also really frickin proud of my latest project, Chaos Is Her Name! 7 tracks that I feel have really defined the new era of my sound. I think this project is so special and beautiful and important to me because it’s exactly what I envisioned and more. I’m also grateful for all my collaborators on this project – both sonic and visuals.
I’m also really proud of the woman I’m becoming! When we spoke, I was 19; now I’m newly 25, way more confident in myself, with a sharper eye, wiser mind and bigger heart that isn’t afraid of feeling (most of) my feelings!
Are you still inspired by the same artists, I remember you speaking about Erykah Badu among other icons. Who’s music do you resonate with the most at the moment?
Yes, they all still inspire me, but more peripherally. For example, Erykah Badu laid the foundations for why I love music and why I love expressing myself through it, so I’ll always love her. But the artists who inspire me the most now are a little different – over the years I’ve fallen in love with the art and sounds of Frank Ocean, Joni Mitchell, Radiohead, Tame Impala, Hiatus Kaiyote. The lead inspirers, if you like, change from project to project, life stage to life stage. I’m also blessed to say some of my earlier inspirations (like IAMDDB) are my peers in some ways, and I’m still a huge fan of them, but I’m inspired by them from a completely different perspective because I’ve been able to witness more aspects of their journeys and the mechanics of the artistry I’ve grown to love.
It’s said that you’ve been on a self-discovery journey over the past three years, can you talk us through how it has formed you today?
I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery since I could be aware of the world haha! I guess it comes up a lot around every release of a project, cos projects are kinda how I report on the ways I’ve grown and to what extent. I also find it interesting to witness in real-time (through my songwriting) what I find important now; what thoughts have plagued my mind over the years, and how heavy or light my heart has become at different times as I figure myself out.
So, after that roundabout response, I can definitely say that the life I allow myself to live in between projects, the thoughts, feelings and life experiences I log as formative ones definitely have…formed me into who I am today.
And how was that encapsulated in your latest EP release “Chaos Is Her Name”?
I love the beautiful, non-linear nature of growth. I love who I am right now, and who I’ll continue to become. Even though the growth isn’t always easy or pretty, I’m grateful for the growing pains. Cos I’ve turned out a pretty cool babe! And this isn’t even my final form! This is essentially what the new tape encapsulates. I also realised that I stay metamorphosed; I feel like I never really arrive at a final form, even though each new form feels final until I experience the next big shift. I’m kinda obsessed with rebirth and every rebirth has some uncomfortable moments that I can only liken to what I imagine it’s like to be physically born/given birth to. It’s chaotic, messy at times, painful at other times, a relief at others. Cyclical and chaotic always. And that’s so gorgeous to me.
I’ve also found catharsis in this ‘soft rage’ era I’ve been in – where I combine the tenderness of my singing voice with these intense moments like screaming and shouting (like on Dopamine), and borderline scoring horror-film, psych-thriller-score type of music (like Orange), and always writing from the most vulnerable place that my current stage of emotional intelligence and will allow. I feel like this music is so vulnerable, but I know I can dig even deeper, once I arrive at a new level of emotional depth. It keeps going, like a chemical reaction.
Last time we spoke, you were producing bars and beats from your bedroom in South London, how have things changed since then?
Ahh yeah, it’s changed a lot – I’m making music from studios outside of my home now most of the time in the past 2 or 3 years. Which feels fun; I like it when it feels like I’m going into the office; a really cool, laid-back office-turned-therapy-room. I still do record at home from time to time – a lot of the vocal production on Inside Out was done at home and in Pirate studios, so lots of mine and 9DAYS’ vocals were engineered by me, and other parts by Teo (who also produced the track). I wrote verse 2 of Dopamine at Home; I also recorded and arranged some of the vocals on Sleepless at Home – Essence actually came from the opposite end of town to mine to record her vocals! Most of the rest of my vocals were done at Subculture’s studio. A large bulk of the work on the project was recorded in the studio where I wrote the songs, but many special moments of the project took place at home. I’m happy that my home is still a part of my creative process. Although I do a lot more painting and learning of instruments at home than anything else nowadays!
You’re big into the power of community and collaboration, can you shout out some cool creatives you’ve been working with recently?
Yes, I’ve gotta shout out to all of them!! I’m so blessed that my community team of frequent collaborators are so strong – honourable mentions to NIYADRE, my creative director for all the Chaos Is Her Name visuals. We first worked together on the music video for Do Not Disturb in 2022, and his mind is so awesome; so are his visual references – we’ve been creatively inseparable since; §when we join forces, it’s always major, it always eats!! Shout out Udochukwu Jite and Boran Akin Demir, who have been responsible for the visuals for Blackjack, Do Not Disturb (cover art and visualiser), and Just Like Her Father.
I also wanna shout out the women who featured on the tracks on the project. It’s been beautiful to see the community of Indie/Alt Black babes in the UK gradually come together after I’ve dreamed and wished for its existence for so long. And this is just the beginning of that. So yeah – shout out Leonie Biney, Essence Martins, Tora-i, 9DAYS, and all the cool ass women who’ve been having conversations in the wider world, and showing up exactly as they want to, despite the obstacles that attempt to stop us – I’m talking about Rachel Chinouriri, Cat Burns, Flowerovlove, Doechii, DEELA! Some of these girlies I’ve met; the rest I’m yet to meet; the others I’ve already been blessed to have collaborated with. All of them inspire me.
Shout out to my producers – Subculture (who poured hours and genuine passion into the making of a lot of the music on this project), Jaye Locke (one serendipitous DM that I managed to see on time led to the making of Precious); shout outTeo (who I’ve been wanting to work with for ages, and he produced Inside Out and I’m in love with that song!).
Also shout out to my wavy creative friends in my close community – Maluki for making my dress for my first headline show, and making his studio a safe space when I had some whacky, outlandish ideas for my most recent headline show outfit. And whilst we’re on the topic of my fashion, shout out my stylist and her assistant, Damali Tyson and Francesca Thompson! Shout all the designers and jewellery makers I’ve been blessed to wear on stage, in shoots, and out and about. Having my love of fashion and design merge with my deep love of music and art has been so beautiful and affirming for me.
And shout out my beautiful, wavy girlies and femmefolk and generally cool humans who have featured in my visuals – if you haven’t seen them, watch them cos they all genuinely eat!! And if I continue the shout people, we’ll be here until next week reading it LOL. And this list is already so long, but hey, I’m not sorry because we’re catching up on over 5 years of creations.
What’s one major thing you’ve learned about yourself as a creative artist since we last caught up almost 5 years ago now?
That I can do absolutely anything I put my mind and heart to, fully. Sounds mad clichè, but my career so far has been literal proof of this. And even though we met 5, nearly 6 years ago now and I’ve come so far since then, I know I’m only just beginning. And as long as I continue to feel things and wanna make music about it, may the plot continue to thicken beautifully and divinely.
What’s something you know now that you wish someone would have told you back when you were first starting outas an artist?
That progress – creatively, artistically, personally – isn’t linear, black and white, nor the same from one person to the next. So enjoy the process, even when it’s confusing and frustrating. And to be patient, consistent and real in all I do. Also, remember to live life; life outside of making art: it’s important to me that I allow myself to love, and heal from the heartbreak of misplaced love or things wrongly identified as love. Be angry about things, be over the moon until I’m crying joyful tears about other things. Embrace and work through the confusion by talking to people I love and trust. Let me cry and panic about the things that make me wanna do that, but know it will be okay again. Then not okay, then okay again. Be serene, but never be numb or stoic if you can avoid that. All this is fuel for beautiful art.
Most importantly – stick at it, and believe in yourself even if you’re the only one who fully does for a while. Many things I’d tell myself – this is the shortened list lol.