Lady Donli
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Abuja and now living between London and Lagos, Donli moved to the UK fresh out of high school, and ended up studying law at the University of Surrey. It was here that she first heard Little Simz, an artist who, along with the likes of Aṣa and Erykah Badu, has played a pivotal role in her own musical journey. "I'm a superfan," she admits. "Listening to her opened me up to a whole underground community. It really affected the way I create." England may have influenced Donli's soundscape, but music has been a stalwart presence in her life since day one. Growing up with a record producer for a brother and a house ringing with the sounds of Styl-Plus, Azadus, The Funkees, Femi Kuti, Fela Kuti "all of the Kutis really," it's hardly surprising that the young artist has managed to carve out her own hybrid sound that fuses hip-hop with alt-jazz with neo-soul with psychedelic funk—and make it work.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Abuja and now living between London and Lagos, Donli moved to the UK fresh out of high school, and ended up studying law at the University of Surrey. It was here that she first heard Little Simz, an artist who, along with the likes of Aṣa and Erykah Badu, has played a pivotal role in her own musical journey. "I'm a superfan," she admits. "Listening to her opened me up to a whole underground community. It really affected the way I create." England may have influenced Donli's soundscape, but music has been a stalwart presence in her life since day one. Growing up with a record producer for a brother and a house ringing with the sounds of Styl-Plus, Azadus, The Funkees, Femi Kuti, Fela Kuti "all of the Kutis really," it's hardly surprising that the young artist has managed to carve out her own hybrid sound that fuses hip-hop with alt-jazz with neo-soul with psychedelic funk—and make it work.
