Wafia may not be an everyday name in electronic music yet, but she’s gearing up to burst onto the international scene any second now.
Only 24 years old, Wafia al-Rikabi has already had her music featured in Pharrell Williams’ radio show Beats 1 and has more than 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her melodic, catchy songs include “Only Love,” which was called a “sparkling introduction” by Clash Music, and “Bodies,” a song she wrote about the Syrian refugee crisis after several of her own family members were unable to receive visas to join her family in Australia.
Her newest EP, VIII, was just released today. You can listen to her new music here and enter to win tickets to see Wafia in concert through Global Citizen Rewards here.
Australia’s Happy Mag called the newest EP “a love letter for anyone who has ever felt alienated,” and that’s exactly what Wafia’s music is about.
Born to Syrian and Iraqi parents in the Netherlands, she later moved to her current home of Australia. Her songs touch on some of the complications and complexities of the modern world, including displacement, identity, and acceptance.
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Global Citizen spoke with Wafia about her music, her personal background, and her upcoming North American tour, which kicks off Jan. 22, in Vancouver, Canada:
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? What’s your background and how would you describe your music?
I currently reside in Australia, but I was born in the Netherlands. My mom is from Syria and my dad is from Iraq. I kind of got into music just through school and stuff, but I started taking it more seriously a few years ago. I think my music is lyric-led and I'm all about telling stories most of all. Not to say everything else is secondary, but I start with that.
What sorts of stories are you telling and trying to highlight?
A lot of the time it can be personal. I also like to tell stories about my family, whether it be my parents or my extended family who still live in the Middle East. It hadn't been until recently that I felt comfortable telling their stories and their experiences through my music.
How did having immigrant parents shape your upbringing and your experience as a musician?
I think having immigrant parents isn't all that unique. There are a lot of kids with immigrant parents. I think for me sometimes it means I had to be an adult when my parents maybe had trouble understanding the language or the tone or social cues. It just meant that I had to step up and grow up maybe a little bit sooner than then a non-immigrant child might have to. But it also just meant that as a family unit we had to be really tight. In Australia we didn't have any other extended family so we were kind of like a self-sufficient unit, we would rely on each other for everything.
Given the political turn that’s been taken in a lot of countries, how do you think the music you’re making and the stories you’re telling fit into that context?
Seeing what's happening in the political climate and going to these places and playing shows there means that I'm meeting a lot of the kids that identify with my music. Sometimes a lot of them do I identify similarly to the way I do, and it's really nice after the shows to have a conversation and be joined by the shared experiences and be able to comfortably speak to somebody about it and know that they get it. I know there’s a lot of fear and stuff, but there’s also a lot of love. And actually now is really a time to find those similar people, find those kindred spirits, just to make sure they're not alone and that they feel like they have a voice.
What are some of the global issues that are important to you or speak to you?
Education, particularly education for women, healthcare. I studied pre-med and ... I wanted to go out in the field and work in other countries where they may not have access to transport to get them to health care centers, so that's really important to me. I think, especially in the Middle East, there's a lot of stigma toward mental health in some countries. Making sure those people have the right avenues to and access to the right people to speak about mental health and putting a priority on that is is critical.
[And] obviously, making sure people have access to clean water, which means access to clean food.
So you've been touring lately which has probably brought you to a lot of cool places. Are there any shows you played or places you visited recently that have stood out to you as being a really cool experience?
I think I've had most of the pretty typical markets. I'd really like to go off the beaten path and play shows in places where people might not normally get access to live music or international acts. I think I have been doing almost like the regular routing. Playing in the US, for my soul, is almost reassuring — that people can come into a state and listen to me, but also be really nice and kind toward everyone around them. I think that’s something that my audience does extremely well is making sure that everyone feels comfortable and safe. They bring that energy with them everywhere they go. When I play a show it's really interesting to see how different people interact with myself but also with each other, but it's always been safe and positive.
Why is it important for young people right now to get involved in these issues and get people to take action?
It’s been said a million times, but young people have so much power to change the world and [they] are the future. If you instill this drive to better things within people that might be younger or kids or whatever then they’re going to grow up with that and they’re going to be active members of society that are going to seek out other communities and make sure that they better them. I think that it’s always good to take initiative in the community that you live in, or the country, or the city, or whatever that might be. I don’t think you can be passive anymore.
What does it mean to be a global citizen?
I think it means respecting any place you walk into and every country you’re in. Especially as a touring artist, making sure that you always respect and understand the customs of where you’re going and knowing that you are a visitor in their country.
Wafia's VIII EP is out today everywhere.