Lagos-based artist Solis explores matters of the heart through her psychedelic sound-world and poetic song-writing. Her cosmic invention of bedroom-pop initially stole our attention in 2020 with the Soundcloud ‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’ EP, a constellation of her soul-consuming experiences with romance and solace told through a hue of nostalgia. She soon followed this up with ‘Stairway To Heaven’, which solidified her dreamy aesthetic with the addition of full-bodied, live instrumentation and percussion. And since then, it’s been a steady ascent as Solis intentionally moulds a space for her style to bloom away from the mainstream clamour. Along the way, she’s collaborated with alté stars Lady Donli, Odunsi The Engine, The Engine, Chi Vrigo, Cruel Santino and Native Sound System, each of them welcoming her angelic presence into their contrasting worlds.

Real name Kammal Zulu-Okafor, Solis continues to paint broad strokes with her sugar-coated vocals on her latest releases ‘Memory Of Us’, available via Marine Snow, and a remix of the ‘Stairway To Heaven’ jewel, ‘Abeg’ featuring Amindi and Karun. This song sees her draw more souls into her atmosphere, fuelled by a desire for boundless self-expression. Here, Solis has curated a Spotify playlist for Nataal and speaks to us about beauty as her main source of inspiration.

For those who don’t know, who is Solis and what does your music represent?

Solis means the ‘sun’ in Latin. I’m an artist, singer-songwriter, poet, muse and all-round creative. I never like to define my sound by one genre because I think I’m very fluid as a person and that naturally translates into who I am as an artist. The thing that’s ever present is waves of nostalgia that take you to a divine place.

What kind of music defined your early childhood?

I grew up singing in the church but I wasn’t particularly influenced by gospel. The artists of my life are Sade, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Frank Ocean and oddly enough, Hannah Montana. As a child watching Disney Channel, I remember seeing Hannah Montana and knowing this is exactly what I want to be: a popstar with a glitter glove and microphone performing to millions of people. For a long time, my parents wouldn’t allow us to listen to worldly music because they thought that it would corrupt us but they gave me and my brothers a phone to share and we managed to download ten songs on it. There was ‘Unbreakable’ by Alicia Keys, ‘Speechless’ by Michael Jackson, ‘Diva’ by Beyoncé and ‘Love Is Wicked’ by Brick & Lace. These songs are so reminiscent of that time in my life and they really shaped me.

What led you to start creating your own music?

I’m blessed to have always known that music was my purpose. I wrote my first song aged seven and it was called ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends’ because I had fought with my best friend at the time and I was just so sad. I stopped for a bit in my teenage years to focus on poetry writing, then when I was 17 I started posting covers on the internet. I gained a following and began to find my tribe.

Where do you find your sonic inspirations?

The essence that I try to bring in every song is a dream-like feeling from whatever I find to be beautiful, whether it's from a painting, a film, body movement, plants or listening to my friends and my own experiences. The wonderful thing about life and what God has done is that there’s so much to draw inspiration from. The moon, the sun, love and hate, all these complex, simple things that life has to offer.

How do you approach song-writing when collaborating with other artists compared to when you’re writing for yourself?

I’m thankful that the collaborators I have around me are just as fluid and unique in the ways they create music as I am so whenever we work together it’s always a very safe, open environment. When going into other people’s songs, I ask questions to find out what they are trying to convey. Sometimes there’s a message and other times they’re like, ‘Just do you and spaz on the track,’ as Santi would say. It’s just freedom writing and letting loose in the studio in front of the mic.

Within the afrobeats-driven Nigerian music scene, do you come across any challenges in creating a lane for your sound?

Every week someone tells me that I’ve got to add more pidgin to my music or drop an afrobeats-led song or that my music can’t play at festivals because it's too soft. I get all sorts of comments but the belief within myself is so real and purpose-driven. And the fact that everyday more and more people are brought into my tribe of souls means I know there’s a place for my sound. Journeys like this are never easy. It’s all about knowing where you want to go and drawing the steps to get there.

‘Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately’ feels like a teaser to your soundscape on ‘Stairway To Heaven’. How was your evolution between those two projects?

It's interesting because they were written around the same time period from 2018-2019 - two products of the same ideation. ‘RBVU’ was a quarantine project so it was very love-filled and a timestamp of that moment, a way for me to have fun with my music. While ‘STH’ was more of a serious take on similar themes and grounding the sound a bit more.

You’ve worked with a number of producers who understand the world you’re creating. How do you build those relationships?

The way I came onto the scene in Lagos was through Odunsi The Engine who found me on Twitter and featured me on his album, which was my first ever release. After that I was confused as I didn't really know how to describe my sound to other producers. It took a while but now I’ve found people like Sebastion who is just the goat, he can literally do anything and everything. My goal is to make timeless music that somehow just feels nostalgic no matter when you listen to it.

What can you tell us about your latest release, the remix of ‘Abeg’ with Karun and Amindi?

It’s a closing chapter to the ‘STH’ EP and it tells the story of this angel who finds herself in a very harmful, toxic situation where she feels controlled and being told to dim her light. It’s a painful song but it's also freeing because she begs and eventually he leaves.

So, what are you venturing into next?

I’m sure people are not ready for this era of Solis because it's a complete detachment from the dreamy sounds that people have come to know. I think that’s the exciting thing about music and artistry, you can always reinvent yourself. There’s going to be a lot more edge to the sounds, music and visuals, a lot more pop, funk. A different, louder kind of freedom. I’m super excited and can’t wait.

What are you most looking forward to on this journey?

The opportunity to change people’s lives in the physical space, meaning more live shows and festivals and travelling the world. A lot of my listeners have stemmed from the city that I’m from, which I’m thankful for because it’s home, but I’m ready to take it to a global level.

Could you describe the playlist you’ve put together for Nataal?

It’s called ‘Solis’ Fever Dream’ and it's a lot of the music that’s been keeping me going this year. Very psychedelic, fun, dream-pop and eclectic but it’ll make you feel alive, wild, dangerous and reckless. Those are the feelings that we need for Sagittarius season coming up so I got y'all.

‘Abeg’ by Solis is out now. Discover it here.

Listen to ‘Memory of Us” on Marine Snow here.