Full Circle with Jamilah Barry

Jamilah Barry is a British-Guinean powerhouse, a well of deep emotional introspection and intricate storytelling. The title of her latest project, Full Circle, aptly details her relationship with music and artistry. Her sound defies genres and labels, it is a velvety voice that ties her projects together, weaving a burgundy-tinted musical universe. Sonically moving through spatiotemporal conjectures with courage and attention, Barry alters conventional soundscapes for expression and connection. Diving deep into her creative process, we get to know Barry in preparation for her upcoming debut European tour. 

Hi, such a pleasure to talk to you! Going all the way back, how would you describe your first experiences with music? 

My first, and it sounds really spooky, experience with music was probably back when I was four, and was tasked to perform at a talent show in primary school. I practiced every single day with my parents. I took it so damn seriously. I sang a song from a UK girl band, Atomic Kitten, called Whole Again. I was so excited that I practiced for two weeks inside, and outside. I vividly remember being by the front of my house, with a printout, practicing only to get on stage and be so shy that I couldn’t hold the mic. The headteacher had to hold the mic for me. I remember my parents, it was a big deal. They filmed it. I need to ask them where that video is.

As you seem to be fond of tying stories into a full circle. . . Apart from such a special memory, was there a moment that sticks out to you, in which you realised music will hold a special part in your life?

I sold out a show when I was 15 in Leeds. That was special. A lot of people from school were there, but there were also other people that I didn’t know. Oh actually, another key moment that I remember is being in the studio with producer Jakm and Marco Bernardis for the first time and recording a track I wrote when I was 15. It was really exciting. It felt very professional. That was a big, big moment—full circle.

Your voice is incredibly powerful and mesmerising. Could you meditate on the experience of being your own instrument as a musician?

Why thank you, It feels freeing. It also feels very personal because it’s something that comes from my body. But I think with everyone, it’s challenging. You know, you have off days, you have up days. Some days things don’t come out the way you want them to. But mostly I love it. I feel it’s something that I was almost born with. I don’t think it was something that I just learned how to use one day. I feel blessed, and I’m grateful to be able to express myself that way. I’m very happy listening back to stuff that I’ve recorded and even videos of past performances. It fills me with a lot of joy and gratitude.

You flow through genres and strongly oppose any attempt at labeling you with a specific genre or expectation—where does your creative process reside in between the fluidity?

It’s exactly how it’s meant to be. Allowing myself not to be confined by any boxes, genres or anything like that means that I’m being so true to myself that I don’t even think about it. For me, it would be weird to not do something else. It’s very natural. It just feels right. I have times where I’m not feeling good about music and I feel let down, or uninspired. Then I get in a room with some friends or other musicians, and I have the realisation that this is so much bigger than the industry. It’s so much bigger than numbers and likes and streams and stuff like that.  It’s way deeper than that. This is my way of living. I think that’s probably the one thing that’s kept me going over the past couple of years. Anytime that I find myself feeling down, I share magical moments with my friends, where I don’t care about anything else. I care about this art form and how much it moves me; it’s almost physical. That’s probably how I get through it. Also taking time off, just resting and doing other things that I enjoy.

Creative evolution can be very taxing, especially under industry pressure—what are the key aspects to a balanced experience that combines artistic change with commercial production?

Most independent artists can relate that it isn’t very straightforward. It isn’t necessarily easy. I think you have to work hard, and go through a lot of different processes to keep yourself motivated, and inspired. And you don’t even have to just be a singer or a songwriter to, I don’t know, feel the brunt of capitalism. I think this motivation and inspiration comes from outside, like other people, things that you see, things that you hear. My balance comes from being inspired.

You’re British-Guinean and grew up between Leeds and London, moreover your newest EP was also completed in the French city of La Rochelle– how do you sonically tap into a place?

Probably by experiencing the culture and the place by going for a walk, breathing in the air, eating the food. When I go somewhere, I want to know everything. I’m not going abroad and ordering fish and chips. You know what I mean? I want to have the food that locals make and that’s native to that place. A good thing about France was that I wasn’t necessarily meeting so many people when I was there. I didn’t at all, but I could go for a walk by the sea; the sounds are so different from the sounds in London. I’m not hearing cars or anything similar. I’m hearing nothing or I’m hearing the waves. I’m hearing a different language, a different dialect, et cetera. And all of that really, really helps put me in a space to express something different. I think we’re all products of our environments to a certain extent, but it’s what we do with that environment that eventually shows up in our creative work

As sounds flow through you and simultaneously weave into tracks and larger projects, would you consider these projects as an alternative landscape to the city you primarily associate it with

I definitely would. I think it’s more on a general scale. Because I see the project as a whole, I don’t necessarily hear them one by one. They’re all different moments that make up the circle in my head. That’s the way I see it. I would say that it’s just a representation of where I was. It’s a representation of what I was feeling, what I was going through, who I was around, who I was inspired by. But I do like knowing that I was in a specific location whilst the project was coming together. The location that I’m in has a big impact on how I work and the things that I make.

 

Moving from spatial concerns, where do you feel the most comfortable? Where is your home? Who is your home?

I feel comfortable at home. I like being home, I’m a homebody. My loved ones are my home, people that I’m close to. People that I work with as well. Sometimes when I’m with them, I’m just like, oh, we’re meant to do this. I don’t necessarily socialise that much. So when I see people that I value and respect, it’s a hub that I’ve needed for a while. I also love my bed. I’m not in bed as much as I should be. Oh, and home, Guinea—somewhere that I don’t often go to, not often enough; when I go there and I’m just like, yeah, this is it. This makes sense.

You also have had time off from the industry working in a corporate environment, what has this experience taught you? 

I’ve done the whole being an independent artist full-time a couple of times on and off. This last job that I worked—I was just completely crashing out. I was trying to do both the job and the music at the same time.  I was just exhausted all the time, emotionally and physically. It really took a toll on my mental health. It took up too much of my time. It was a big step to say, I’m going to trust the process. I still think it was the best decision I made for myself, and for the career that I want to be in. I’m proud of everything that’s happened post my decision to leave the corporate world.

That’s beautiful to hear, and we’re excited for your debut European tour! How do you feel? 

I’m excited. I’m nervous as well, first of all. We’re such a small team as well, so we’re really trying to pull off something new to us and do it right. I’m so particular as well. I want things to be a certain way and I’m just trying to stay present for it and really enjoy it and not worry too much. But 100% I’m excited and I can’t wait to connect with people outside of the UK who listen to my music. To see a representation of the things that they listen to on their AirPods, their phones, or their laptops? I’m excited to be able to put on a show that people, inshallah, will enjoy. So yeah, I’m excited.

Where do you see yourself going in the future? 

I want to tour worldwide, and I want to be known globally—I want people to know who I am. I want music to reach further places. But I also have not pressured myself to know exactly where I want to be, and exactly how I want to do well. The world is changing every day. Not necessarily for the better. Which is changing my perspective on who I want to be and how I want to live, and also the things that I want. I’m not sure that I want things I thought I wanted three years ago even. Understanding my role in the world means that I have to go with the times. I have to adapt. I can’t just think about being successful. I need to remember that this line of career can affect other people around the world negatively. If I’m just tunnel vision on my wants, desires, and accomplishments–thinking individualistically–turning a blind eye to everything else going on around me, I’ve lost. I’ve gone against everything I believe in.

 

 

See Jamilah Barry live at Paradiso

February 8, 2025

Buy tickets here

Images courtesy of the artist

Words by Yağmur (Yago) Umay Sağlam