Rising star Imani-J

Words by Hannah Powell. Photography by Javi Wilde.

Imani-J is one to watch. At seventeen, the R&B and Afrobeats artist is already at 36K streams on her first single from her upcoming EP, released last month. She may be young, but she’s a rising star, with big dreams and plenty of drive, confidence, and determination to boot. Yo Vocal sat down with Imani-J on the rocks at Breaker Bay to discuss her upcoming debut EP, ‘EXPECTATIONS’, and how she keeps up in the fast-paced and fickle music industry.

Who is Imani-J?

I am an Afrobeats and R&B artist from Whakatū/Nelson. What else is interesting about me? I've been making music my whole life, and this year, I'm actually releasing my debut EP. I'm also part Haitian and part Kiwi.

How did you get here?

I've been singing ever since I was very, very little, and making up songs. When I was 12, I started singing lessons, and I entered and won Smokefree Tangata Beats, which gave me the chance to record and release my first song. From there, I started releasing music and performing more and taking it more seriously.

What drew you towards R&B and Afrobeats?

I think that R&B is the most soulful and romantic genre, which is something that I've always really loved. A lot of the artists that I listen to are R&B artists, like Sasha Keable. I love SZA. I've also been listening to a lot of Khamari recently, and then more old school things like Erykah Badu and Ms. Lauryn Hill. 

I think in New Zealand it's not something that you see very often, especially the Afrobeat side of things. I haven't really seen this from a lot of Kiwi artists. I think it could just be a genre thing, but I think that's something that gives me a little bit of difference. 

Do you feel that being Haitian and Kiwi influences the music you make?

I would say definitely. I think as well as being multicultural, I'm also multilingual, so I write in English, French, and te reo Māori as well. I think that has a big part to play in my music.

What about Nelson’s music scene?

Growing up in Nelson, I've been surrounded by a lot of indie, pop, rock kind of music, and I wasn't really very immersed in many other genres, like R&B and Afrobeats, so growing up, that's what I wrote. It’s only been more recently, when I've been exploring my mixed heritage, that I've landed on a genre that I feel really suits me. I think it's been a really long time coming, and now that I've found my area, my niche genre, it's been cool to see that it's been getting a lot of traction. I've been more successful with this new genre than I ever was before with indie-pop, because I don't really think it was very authentic to me. That's been something that's been really cool to see, I've been able to find a genre and a style that feels really authentic, and it's paying off.

Tell us more about your debut EP, ‘EXPECTATIONS’?

This EP is a four track EP, and two of the songs are more R&B and Neo-soull, and the other two are Afrobeats, which is really cool. The name of the EP is ‘EXPECTATIONS’, and each song explores different expectations that you either put on yourself or that society puts on you. The first song, ‘See You In Jupiter’, is about being in a long-distance relationship and the expectations on that, which can be really difficult. And then another song, one of the Afrobeats songs, is about more of the societal expectations. For me personally, I decided to leave regular school and do my schoolwork online so that I could pursue music. It's been really interesting to see everybody's different opinions on that, because it's not the traditional thing to do. I wrote this song about how I knew what was right for me, but the society and the people around me were questioning it, which I thought was really interesting. 

What fuels you to run full speed ahead towards the music industry at seventeen? 

I've always loved music, and I've always known that that's what I wanted to do with my life. And it's only been more recently that it's felt like a real possibility, which has been really exciting. Since then, I've just been putting all of my energy and effort into it, and there's just so much to learn. As well as the writing and recording side of music, there's a whole industry side to it, which has been really cool to be able to get more involved in.

What do you think it is about your age that gives you an edge?

I think that I'm really lucky that I started music so young, because I've been able to have a lot of experience, which gives me an advantage over people who are newer to music. I would also say that I'm really, really determined and I work really hard, which I think is going to get me really far. I truly believe that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve it. 

Who’s your biggest cheerleader? Is it your mentor, your mum?

I've had a lot of amazing people support me, which has been incredible. My mum comes with me everywhere and supports me through everything. I would also say MC Tali. She's a drum and bass artist based in Auckland, and she's been really incredible, just a huge support. She has a lot of connections, so through her, I just landed an opening spot for Ladi6 when she comes to Nelson.

Where do you hope Imani-J will be in two years?

In the next two years I’d like to live in Auckland, and another really big goal of mine is to open for an international music artist who comes to New Zealand. I'd really like to play some of the biggest festivals, like Rhythm & Vines, Homegrown, that kind of thing. And then one of my biggest goals is to sell out Spark Arena. 

And as you emerge into it, what have you noticed about the NZ music scene for young up-and-coming artists?

I think it's really cool how all of the young emerging artists in New Zealand are really supportive of each other. Something really cool to see is a lot of collaboration, I've done things like the Big Fan rangatahi songwriting camp. It's just really cool to see everybody lifting each other up rather than it being a really competitive space.