Tipped as “one to watch” by NME, Mixmag, Billboard, DJ Mag and BBC R1’s Pete Tong, TSHA is a London based producer who is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting young artists around. Her forthcoming EP “Flowers”, without doubt her most ambitious and accomplished body of work so far, will be released on Ninja Tune on Friday 16th October, featuring collaborations with Gabrielle Aplin and Malian griot music group Trio Da Kali.

Lead single ‘Sister’ is a vibrant piece of music packed with melody and emotion, initially tinged with melancholic beauty, its layers peel away to reveal a yearning optimism: “It feels like I’ve just woken up, I was always waiting for us.”

“I wrote ‘Sister’ during lockdown after finding out I had an older half sister from my estranged father that she is also estranged from,” explains TSHA. “We spoke on the phone and were texting each other in lockdown and we recently met for the first time. She’s lovely and we got on straight away, so I’m very happy to have a new member of my family as I’ve not had much of that in my life. The song is an expression of all of those feelings.”

Elsewhere, TSHA demonstrates the impressive depth and range across the EP with ‘Renegade’ and ‘Change’ which channel an ever-growing electronic pop sensibility in her music, the latter featuring British singer songwriter Gabrielle Aplin over hazy drums and acid-flecked synth-lines.

‘Demba’—another dancefloor sureshot recently previewed by Bonobo on his OUTLIER radio show on NTS—is a collaboration with Malian griot music group Trio Da Kali. “I was searching for Malian singers, as I had fallen in love with the tone and emotion in Malian music and a vocalist called Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté was recommended to me by Dr. Lucy Duran —a professor of music at SOAS University of London who specialises in West African music.”

Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté is one of the most revered musicians in the Malian griot tradition. Her vocals and beautiful balafon accompaniment by Lassana Diabaté were the foundations for ‘Demba’ (Godmother). At its heart it’s a woman's song advocating female solidarity. It refers to one of the most significant cultural events in southern Mali, the celebratory parties that mark life-cycle rites.

“Flowers” EP is TSHA’s first original music since 2019’s “Moonlight” EP which earned her props from peers (Maribou State, George FitzGerald and Bonobo); radio support from Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), BBC R1’s Pete Tong and Danny Howard, Triple J, KEXP; and critical acclaim from the likes of Billboard, FADER, NME, Mixmag, FACT, DJ Mag and many more. Towards the end of 2019 TSHA played at the iconic Printworks in London alongside Hunee & Antal (Rush Hour) and Motor City Drum Ensemble, having previously played multiple sets across The Warehouse Project’s 2019 season including showcases by Mura Masa and Annie Mac. TSHA has also been commissioned to remix the likes of Foals, Throwing Snow, Qrion (Anjunadeep), Prospa and most recently, Lianne La Havas.

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