Aziya: When I was kid, there weren’t many young women of colour making alternative music, but now there’s loads. We’re all trying to create a world where that’s the norm"

Forget wormholes and tears in the space-time continuum, if you want to step into a parallel universe check out the Mallorca Live Festival, which is heavy on acts that are superstars in the Hispanic world but would barely get a second glance if they walked into your local Supermac’s.

Taking place in a decommissioned water park in Magaluf’s hipster Calviá Beach enclave – for every Club 18-30 party kid there’s an impeccably groomed beard – the festival is a reminder that Barcelona, Lima and San Juan are just as hip and happening as Berlin, London and Seattle.

If you’re up for a bit of search engine-ing, type in Natalia Lacunza, Nicola Cruz, Rigoberta Bandini, Bad Gyal, Niños Bravos, Judaline and this issue’s Press Play star Bikôkô and thank us later!

Among those Spanish speaking treats, the generous sprinkling of international acts includes Iggy Pop, Massive Attack, Suede, Mercury Rev and Aziya, the London singer who like her pals Spider and Nova Twins has great fun blurring musical boundaries.

In her case, you’re talking pop shot through with indie, grime and R&B.

The 25-year-old is fresh from the stage – BTW, her set was awesome – when we sit down for a natter which starts with us asking whether she’s ever been on a mad one in Maga before?

“No, I’ve never been on a girls’ holiday in Magaluf,” she laughs, “but earlier today we went for a walk along the strip and it didn’t disappoint! You’d probably have to be air ambulance-d home after a week of partying here.”

It’s happened. A BRIT School graduate, Aziya funded her studies by modelling and, among other notable achievements, featured in Tatler.

“Music’s always been my number one and modelling is for paying for the bills,” she confirms. “I really loved my BRIT School experience. Kat Burns, Matilda Mann, Lola Young and Black Midi – I went out with one of their best friends! – were all there at the same time as me, so you were always having to make sure you had your shit together!”

Aziya’s big break came during lockdown when one of the cover songs she’d posted onto TikTok came to the attention of American R&B superstar Gabriella Wilson, AKA H.E.R.

“She put me on her Girls With Guitars livestream during COVID, which is when things really started to take off,” her protégé resumes. “Gabriella wants me to tour with her, so hopefully we’ll get something organised.”

Aziya also received lots of online love from Tame Impala when she gave ‘The Less I Know The Better’ a psychedelic makeover and Grimes when she did similarly wondrous things to ‘Oblivion’.

“When you post music online, you never know who it’s going to reach,” she reflects. “It was amazing as a young musician finding my way to have people like that say, ‘We love what you do.’”
Aziya Satchmo Masai Aldridge-Moore – I’m feeling severe name envy – was born in the London borough of Islington to musically-inclined parents who weaned their daughter on a healthy diet of Jimi Hendrix, System Of A Down, Outkast, J Dilla, Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith.

Aziya.

Searching in her early teens for a shit cool female guitarist to emulate she discovered Viv Albertine, one quarter of ‘70s punk upstarts The Slits whose Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys memoir became a holy script for her new disciple.

“Reading that is what got me into The Slits who were hanging out with the Sex Pistols and The Clash but 100% doing their own thing,” she reflects. “The reason I look up to Viv as a guitarist is that she had no formal training and works off of instinct: ‘Fuck virtuosity, let’s just play and see what happens.’”

Her penchant for punk icons extends to Aziya’s credo that when tough decisions need to be made you ask yourself, “What would Debbie Harry do in this situation?”

“I got to see Blondie last year and actually cried,” she enthuses. “Can you imagine her as your older sister? She’s been through it all and fucking survived.

“I was so sad when Clem Burke died – I don’t think anybody ever hit the drums as hard as he did. And he looked so sharp too.”

To complete a new wave triple-whammy, she’s got a stunning track called ‘crush (tom Verlaine)’ which sounds like Charli XCX hanging out with Joy Division and ponders what it’d be like to date someone who looks like the late Television mainman.

It went down a storm at Mallorca Live Festival, as did ‘atomic’ which is a nod to Blondie but not their song of the same name and ‘diamonds’, a track that stuns from stuttery vocodered start to blissed out finish.

The Slits were regular frequenters of Seditionaries, the King’s Road clothes shop where Vivienne Westwood sharpened her tailoring scissors. Is there that same music/fashion crossover in London at the moment?

“I met my Vivienne Westwood last year when I had a pop-up for my Bambi mixtape release at this vintage shop in Hackney called BROTHER_LDN,” she recalls. “I go to the woman there for advice and inspiration and to chill. It’s such a cool place and the clothes are amazing. So, yeah, those pockets of music and fashion interacting are still there.”

After telling me that she’d love to join Fontaines D.C, The Murder Capital and Gurriers in collaborating with Irish designer Simone Rocha, Aziya says: “You’re a Dublin-based magazine aren’t you?”

Guilty as charged.

“Well, shout out to a fan of mine from Dublin who DM-ed Griff saying, ‘You should have Aziya on your tour!’ and Griff was like, ‘Okay!’”

As we mentioned earlier, Aziya is bezzies with Tallaght riot grrrl in London town, Spider.

“She’s the Queen of Ireland! Spider supported me at one of my London shows and my Mum was like, ‘You two should be friends’. So we went and got a pint and immediately clicked. She’s a very good friend now. And musically, wow, her stuff in insane!

“It’s really refreshing to see how many women are out there killing it. One of the most inspiring things I’ve done is be on an all-woman bill with Nova Twins as the headliners. When I was kid, there weren’t many young women of colour making alternative music, but now there’s loads. We’re all trying to create a world where that’s the norm.”

Asked whether she’s come across MOBO 2025 Best Alternative Music Award-winners and Hot Press faves Alt. Blk Era, Aziya shakes her head and says, “No, what are they like?”

Two sisters from Nottingham who look amazing and sound like a cross between Lizzo and The Prodigy with a bit of Girls Aloud and Blink-182 thrown in for good measure.

“Sick!” she enthuses. “It’s amazing that they’ve finally got a rock category at the MOBOs and that it’s so competitive.”

If Aziya was planning a big night out in London, what would be the ports of call?

“I’d start in The Castle Cinema in Hackney for a film and/or drinks and food. It’s crowd-funded, dates back to 1913 and has massive big seats to sink into. Next would be the Shackwell Arms which has gigs most nights. But, if you go to the smoking area, be aware of all the beady eyes that will be on you! Make sure you’re dressed to impress. No, fuck that, just have a good time!”

We can feel the hangover already…

“If you need to recentre yourself the next day with some nature, head to Hackney Marshes for birds and shit. It’s really beautiful there.”

Thank you, David Attenborough. What’s the biggest crowd Aziya’s played to so far?

“Probably Florence and The Machine, who’s a massive inspiration of mine, at the O2 in London. We got to hang out a bit and I was in complete awe of her. As I will be next week if I get anywhere near Olivia Rodrigo who I’m playing with in Hyde Park.”

As much as she enjoys the celebrity hobnobbing, it’s connecting with her fans that satisfies Aziya the most.

“A special moment happened recently in Portsmouth when a ten-year-old girl came up to me with her mum and said, ‘This is my first show ever, so thank you so much.’ I remember being ten and having that same feeling going to watch My Chemical Romance. I had the emo hair, the wristbands, the black nails. It was life-changing.”

•  Aziya’s Bambi mixtape is available through Warner Music. Catch her radio show on Foundation.FM.