If the stars are anything to go by, multi-instrumentalist and up-and-coming rock icon Aziya is set to have a big year in 2023.
‘I am a person of signs. With it being the Year of the Rabbit, when I was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and it being 2023 when I was born on the 23rd – I have a very positive outlook on what’s to come,’ she says.
Things are off to a strong start with recent single atomic. Buzzing along on a post-punk bassline, atomic has Aziya wondering if love is even possible in 2023. QUOTE FROM AZIYA ON ATOMIC HERE
Last year, she posted a clip of atomic on TikTok and noticed it was ‘having a small moment’. After a deluge of messages, Aziya decided to release the full song, and it went live in April. The response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive, with the track tallying up over 670,000 Spotify streams in just over a month.
TikTok, she says, has proven a useful tool for testing the waters in terms of what will resonate with fans and how things are being perceived. ‘I feel like TikTok is as close to punk DIY as we can get in the 21st century, in the sense of, if there’s something you’re really passionate about and the industry is unsure, your best play is to put it on an online space to find its audience and kind of prove people wrong.’
For independent artists in particular, social media platforms still present an exciting opportunity to connect with a dedicated audience. And from the other side, fans looking for ‘their’ artist, that band or social act who will go on to form part of their musical identity, have found allies in tools like TikTok, Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music. ‘Being an independent artist, it’s almost the best tool out there for creating a natural campaign. Nothing that’s kind of an industry plan or anything, it’s “I’m just going to throw this on here and see what happens,"' Aziya says.
The DIY approach is vital. Describing herself as ‘a bit of a control freak’, she says she loves ‘knowing how things work, whether that’s production-wise or playing the guitar. Having control of my art is really important to me.’
'Watching Prince’s performances, that kind of genre bending, when I was like 10 really sparked something in me.’
With experience across the whole production process and the ability to play seemingly any instrument under the sun, Aziya is able to control more aspects than most artists. Her influences are equally vast and eclectic, seemingly incongruous slices of rock history nestled comfortably side by side. ‘I grew up in quite a musical household where Patti Smith, Prince System of A Down and Blondie were all being played under the same roof,’ she says. ‘My parents were lovers of music and still are, and it ignited an interest for me where I wasn’t just listening to the top 10 or whatever, I could see true icons. Watching Prince’s performances, that kind of genre bending, when I was like 10 really sparked something in me.’
For a child who was already interested in writing and literature as well as singing, it must have seemed like a natural step for Aziya’s parents to put a guitar in her hands. ‘I think my Mum was like “okay cool, let’s give you an instrument to put down these wacky ideas and create little bops and little songs.” I think that was the start of a long-term passion of mine, which is now turning into a career,’ she says.
In almost every interview she does, Aziya takes a moment to shout-out her heroes. It’s not something she’s consciously implemented, but rather springs naturally from the sense that she needs to clarify. ‘I think it’s important for me to shout out these artists, because I think it’s very easy to not assume this is who I’m listening to,’ she says. ‘It’s also sharing my childhood and how I grew up. Most of these artists aren’t undercover, they’re well known, but I think it’s nice to share my interests and where I went, what my influences were and how I’ve got to this place where I’m on stage playing a guitar.’
With her plans for the rest of the year including a packed festival season, more music and a UK headline tour, that story is due a few more pages.
