Mandy RogersIf you are anything like me and have been holding out for an intriguing new pop discovery to appear with a good dose of potential about them, enough to break the cycle of the hit replay grip of the Muna album. Chances are latching onto the spicy pop debut offering “Phenomenal” by newcomer Shaima is a good place to start.
What majorly sets Londoner Shaima apart from a slew of other young emerging hopefuls, is a good helping of authenticity which she brings onboard into the fabric of her music with a distinctive nod in influence to her multicultural background.
Since back in the day when Israeli actress and recording artist Ofra Haza “Im In’alu”’s opened the multicultural leaning floodgates with a dance bop deployed crossover, not only did it fire off a sensational mix of sound and ethnically worldly pop values, it also pushed pop out-of-the-box and really began to address universally inclusive appeal like never before.
Good on Shaima, for as much as pop peer in Ofra struck out, seems she isn’t the kind of artist who is about to bow to trends either. Which I might add is absolutely fine by me as I’m not swayed with another Katy Perry song that walks the tightrope of being passed off as alright. I want something that sparks a sound sensation, grabs my attention and reels me in. Shaima’s “Phenomenal” does this in a delightfully off-kilter, fashion.
In reference to her music Shaima has this to say: “It was important that I explored my ethnicity through my music… My music isn’t fusion as such. I like to think of it as pop with some chili powder on it”
Strangely enough I have a real craving on for chili all of a sudden, and so Shaima’s piquant pop appetiser “Phenomenal” is feeding it. Phe -NOM, NOM-enal.