Get to know ILham !

ILHAM ILHAM ILHAM ILHAM

To me, your music is in line with a trend of a few artists that have been gaining popularity recently such as Snoh Aalegra. You have a uniquely beautiful voice and you don’t shy away from sharing your raw feelings with listeners in your music. Does this authenticity come naturally to you, or is it more something you’ve had to stretch yourself to do and develop over time?

Thank you, that's very flattering, but I strongly don’t believe my music follows any trend. Its funny because a lot of producers that I’ve worked with constantly tell me to tap into the trends. Sometimes I feel like, if I actually tried to sound like what’s trendy, I might rise faster or get more playlisting/support. People love familiar sounds, but my sound is original and my tone is very unique. Some people will gravitate towards it, while others may need to settle in. Regardless, I’m fine with my journey moving as is because everything has been authentic and genuine.

As far as my sound and the feelings filled into my music, well, I’m a cancer. I feel deeply. I’m also an empath so I feel other people's emotions and energy intensely, as if they were my own. But, because I grew up in the projects, I’ve been through a lot of shit and seen a lot, so I’m abrasive too. These feelings and emotions that I feel and go through bleed out naturally through my music. Even the “genre” I fell into was organic. I never had the intention of making “R&B” music. I just made music that felt good, then the listeners labeled it.

We’re in a time where much of mainstream music is dominated by clicks and viral moments. Can you explain to me what your strategy is to differentiate yourself from the field and try to reach as many demographics as possible without sacrificing your artistic integrity?

My tone, my look, my writing, and my story are enough to differentiate myself from the rest. I’m not looking for a quick moment, my approach is longevity. Right now, the goal is to get my story out there, inspire, and continue to elevate my sound.

I’ve seen you speak to the influence your New York upbringing has had on you as a person and artist. Can you speak at all to the struggles, if any, that have resulted from trying to make it from such a talent-rich and important market as New York?

Being from New York made me abrasive, smart, and a hella loyal individual. But making music in New York has been really difficult. The music industry is very male dominated. It's difficult being a woman, because no matter how talented you are, boys will always try you. I’ve seen this since I was 14 years old, and it’s been hard to navigate. Unfortunately, this goes beyond NY.

-Can you talk to me a little about your process in creating music? For instance, do you follow any routines or simply let it come about organically? Are you more collaborative in the studio or do you primarily just trust your own ear? Do you go into the session with a plan? Etc.

Yes, for the most part, I go into every session with a plan. I have severe financial trauma from dealing with poverty my whole life. I grew up with nothing, so when my manager books me sessions, I am extremely aware that we are on the clock, and time is money. Although this seems crippling to creativity, as an independent artist, it doesn’t feel right to walk into a session without a plan. I’m only in sessions to cut vocals, or if I’m linking with a producer or writer. I never sit in a session and write alone, because I can do that at home.

Secondly, I could never afford my own studio time. I usually found myself in a broken down studio, deep in industrial parts of queens, or I made writing exchanges to use decent studios in the city. I used to write 6 songs for a studio owners’ artist in exchange for an hour free studio time. Now that I look at it, it wasn't an even exchange, but I was hungry to work. Even after writing all these songs, when it was time for me to take my hour, they would still make it difficult. It was a cycle of unnecessary obstacles. Maybe this explains my trust issues with people in the industry. It wasn’t until my manager found me, and set up my sessions, that I was able to finally create in New York. But I definitely earned my stripes.

I like to keep my sessions small. Just me and the producer. Usually the producer will play sounds, then I’ll guide him on what I like before we build the beat together. Then within the first few minutes, if I really vibe with the beat, I go in the booth and freestyle melodies and words. After that process, I comp and select which melodies I like, structure the song, and fill in the blanks. It's a therapeutic process.

I’ve also read that you’ve dreamed of doing music from a young age. With all of the work you’ve put in to get there yo keep growing and improving?

Honestly, it feels good because when you really think about it, I’ve only been making music professionally for a little over a team. As an INDEPENDENT ARTIST with absolutely no budget or support, I was able to chart #1 on the itunes R&B charts

But, though I’m mad grateful, I still don't feel accomplished. I feel like the hood Hannah Montana. I deadass live a double lif reality, I go to LA to make music �from 11am-3am�, for maybe a week, sleeping on my managers couch, because I’m there to walls, floods, leaks, etc… Yes, some people think I’m “successful,” but according to my definition of success, I haven’t even recently made a viral tweet that exposes the inhumane living conditions NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) has its

I will begin to acknowledge success when I’m able to live off of my income from music - and my parents and I are out the ho

-Your last project, “with time”, was a succinct but sonically rich collection of seven songs. Can you tell me more abou

“with time” is my second EP, but the first project I made where I was able to work with producers. I actually got to sit with p represents that no matter what you are going through, with time, things will align-because they always do. I take a “directors masked it so it's easy to digest. I’ve been through so much shit in my life to the point where “love” or “heartbreak” is the last

u’ve got to feel a great sense of accomplishment. How do you balance that feeling of achievement with your drive to

year. I’ve already achieved a few things like charting, a sync on my favorite show, etc. I’m very proud of myself and my alongside a sea of signed artists! I deserved this.

e. You look at my social media and numbers and your like “wow she’s in LA making music and living life.” When in work. Then when the week is over, I get sent back home to cold water, broken heaters, roaches everywhere, mold on my touched it. Even with millions of streams, my family and I still live in the projects and struggling off of food stamps. I residents living in. I openly share what we are going through.

od.

t this project (how it came about, what it means to you, concept, etc)?

roducers and be creatively free. My previous EP “41-10” consisted of almost all youtube beats that I had found. The EP title approach” when I write, so a lot of songs seem to be about an intimate relationship failing, but it’s deeper than that. I just thing on my mind.

You really began your rise with your incredible debut EP last year “41-10”. An artist’s debut is often filled with some of their best work from the years they’ve spent trying to get to the point where they can drop an album. What more can you tell me about the “41-10” album, and how you ended up with such a great body of work.

Thank you, I really do believe “41-10” is a beautiful body of work. It’s so vulnerable, honest, and real af. My manager says it’ll be considered a legendary EP that people will discover after I breakout. If I’m being completely honest, the project only took maybe 4 studio sessions that were 3-4 hours long (but of course I dedicated days of writing, outside of the studio). After writing in exchange for studio times, when my manager found me and gave me my FIRST session, I was excited! I had been craving and wanting this my entire life. So I went on YouTube, A&Red my project, and wrote a gang of songs. When I walked into that studio session, I cut vocals and completed 5 songs. When I sent them to my manager, he was shook. He knew I was talented but I guess most new artists need assistance with writing and such, so he was impressed. We uploaded my first song “say less” and the reaction was wild. Blogs were picking it up and a few labels began to reach out. After that we dropped a second song titled “stuck in the past.” This song changed everything because it was playlisted on top Spotify playlists, and nearly every label was calling me to take a meeting.

We never intended to create an EP, but by the end of my fourth session, my manager texted me a private Soundcloud link with the message “your EP is done!” He had it sequenced and everything. Of course I tweaked it, but “41-10” was born. I titled it my building number in QueensBridge because that's where all the songs started, where they were written.

On that first EP you had a collaboration with fellow New Yorker Dave East that got a lot of attention. Do you see yourself doing any more collabs with hiphop artists in the future?

Yes, I knew I wanted to collaborate with NYC artist, and Dave East was the first but won’t be the last. I just can’t say who I have lined up yet :)

-You’ve got a strong core fan base that is strengthened by the authenticity you display in your songs. What, if anything, would you want those that are maybe more unfamiliar with you to know about you or your music?

What I want people to know about me is that I am determined to defeat all the odds. Honestly, a lot of the people I grew up around, my friends, are either dead, locked up, dropped out of school, etc…and I understand this. Due to institutionalized racism and criminalization of poverty, I understand why those statistics exist. I mean, imagine wanting to change your life by taking an unpaid summer internship, but not being able to afford the commute. You have two options: 1.) you’re forced to jump the turnstile with the risk of being fined or arrested or 2.) you turn the offer down...at one point, that was me. In a system that is designed for us to lose, you have no other option but to bend the rules sometimes to survive.

That being said, I still went to the top performing arts high school while running home and helping my parents fill out medical paperwork, food stamp paperwork, etc…I still went to an Ivy League University, and even graduated a year early. I’ve had jobs since I was 14 and saved all my money knowing I would need it later. That same savings enabled me to afford going to LA after graduation to take an internship with a label, which put me on the path I’m on now.

You just need dedication, some sacrifice, and at least the outline of a plan. Don’t let people tell you or make you feel as if you are undeserving. You deserve the world and more babyyyy!!! I’m here to inspire others to be able to do the same, that’s what I want people to know about me.

Where do you envision the trajectory of your career to go from here? Obviously it’s very early in what I’m sure with be a career with longevity, but what do you ultimately want from music? Do you have any specific goals?

Right now, I’m on a mission to become the biggest alternative R&B/pop artist on the planet. I also want my music to help heal the world, including myself.