Iyamah

The Story Of Sophie Bond - Better Known By The Moniker Of Iyamah - Begins In The Bustling Seaside City Of Brighton. Born To Interracial Parents A British Mother And Her Late Father Who Was A Nigerian-English Man. Like Most Bi-Racial Children She Found The Task Of Pin Pointing Her Individual Identity Quite Burdening Which Was Perpetuated By Being The Anomaly Within Her Predominantly White Surroundings During Her Formative Years. Leaning On The Creativity The Cultural-Appreciation And The Festival Traditions Woven Into Her Hometown’s Vibrant Spirit. She Started To Pick Up Trinkets Of Her Musical Identity Through The Sounds Of African Drumming The Reggae Nights Her Mother Would Take Her To And The Vibrations Emitting From The Emergence Of Dub And D’n’b. Speaking More In-Depth About Her Childhood She Told Us “My Mum Was An Artist A Lover Of Music And Of Culture So I Was Certainly A More Creative Kid. She Encouraged Me To Do Whatever I Wanted To Do. We Travelled A Lot And Went To A Lot Of Music Festivals So There Was Always Music Playing In The House From All Around The World. Also My Auntie Was A West African Dancer She Inspired Me Massively But I Think Brighton Is A Pretty Creative Place. Music Has Always Been There For Me Being An Only Child As Well As Being The Only Mixed-Race Kid Around. Music Was Like An Outlet To Sing And Dance A Safe Place To Channel All The Emotions Of A Highly Sensitive Girl Into Something More Meaningful.” Leaving The Sand Sea And Gulls Behind Her The Singer Moved To London With The The Intention Of Immersing Herself Further Into Her Father’s Heritage. Once She Had Arrived She Grew Accustomed To The Capital’s Overflowing Melting Pot Of Culture And Was Startled By Her Findings That She Wasn’t So Different After All. Sharing Her Experiences On Transitioning To City Living She Said “well It’s Funny Because At First I Thought I Wouldn’t Like It As There’s No Sea. I Miss The Sea So Bad... But Now I Love Parks! You Adjust To The Speed Of It And The Rush You Get When You’re Busy All The Time. Finding The Right People Feeling Stable And Happy At The Same Time. Now I Can’t Really Imagine Living Anywhere Else.. For A While Anyway. It Definitely Took Me A Couple Years To Really Feel Like I Was On The Right Path But I’m Certainly On It Now.“ I Think It’d Be Fair To Say The Path She’s Taking Right Now Was Somewhat Destined From The Start. Over The Years The Singer Would Transition From The Earthy Sonics Of World Music And Submerge Herself Into Into “a Combination Of Many Different Sounds And Genres” She’d Been “drawn To At Different Phases” Of Her Life. Specifically Citing Her Soulful Cadence To The Influence Of Legendary Names Like “Aretha Franklin Etta James And Whitney Houston.” She Explains “I’ve Always Been Drawn To Female Singers Since I Can Remember From Amy Winehouse Alicia Keys Jill Scott Erykah Badu Beyoncé And Of Course Lauryn Hill.” Now She Combines All Of The Influences Aforementioned With Her Affinity For Old School Hip-Hop From The Likes Of “The Roots Mos Def And A Tribe Called Quest”. Describing Herself As Always Being “very Driven” And A “massive Dreamer”. We Delved Deeper Into The Driving Factors Of Her Artistry And Her Purpose As A Musician. “I Just Like To Think Outside The Box And Create My Own Way Of Doing Things Because I’ve Always Found That Things Are Way Bigger Than Me. I’m Part Of Something Where I Need My Voice To Be Heard.. It's Hard To Explain! But Being An Artist Means You Have Your Own Platform And I’ve Always Had A Lot To Say About So Much... I Have A Busy Mind So I Have To Put It All Somewhere! But There Are So Many More Reasons Behind It I Think Singing Is A Huge Release For Me And Writing Songs Is My Therapy. When I First Started Sharing My Songs I Saw How People Needed Them It Gives Them That Same Feeling I Had When I Wrote It. It Brings People Together And That’s Exactly What The World Needs To Feel Like It’s Connected Like We’re All Sharing The Same Feeling And We Are All Part Of The Same Thing.” read less