Introducing: Imani Graham
Written by: Keyali Mikaela
In the vibrant tapestry of the music industry, where artists often strive to create their unique sonic identities, there emerges a star who defies convention and weaves a soundscape all their own. Imani Graham, a name that is poised to become a household one in the world of indie pop, is not just an up-and-coming singer, songwriter, and producer; she is a maverick whose artistry knows no boundaries.
In this exclusive interview, we delve into the world of Imani Graham, a rising star whose journey through the realm of indie pop music promises to leave an unforgettable mark on the industry. Join us as we explore her inspirations, creative process, and the profound stories that breathe life into her compositions.
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Next Wave: Let’s start this off, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Imani Graham: My name is Imani. I guess what everyone else says, Imani Graham. I am an artist, singer, songwriter, and producer. I've been producing for what feels like forever. It's been about, I would say like 13 years. And I have been writing for what feels like forever, but really getting the confidence to put the stuff I was writing into my own productions and stuff like that, I've actually been releasing music since 2020. And yeah, just really exciting things happening.
NW: I saw that you’re going on a tour with somebody. That's really cool.
IG: Yeah, I'll be joining the Semler tour as the direct support in about a week from now. All the dates are like Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, I think, and Illinois. Yeah, Chicago is the last one.
NW: How does it feel to be able to kind of travel and bring your music out to people who may not have heard of you before?
IG: I'm really excited and I feel very honored to have the opportunity. Touring and just playing live shows is something that I've always wanted to do and just like never really had the confidence to do so. But I've been playing live for a little bit now, and at each show I do, I feel like I gain more and more confidence. I get to meet a lot more people and hearing how people connect with the music that I make, it just warms my heart and it just validates the dream I've always had. So I'm just really excited to play these songs and see people's reactions, but also get to talk to them after and hear people's stories.
NW: That’s amazing. Do you think this will be like a step in the direction of being able to do your own tour in the future, if that's something that you want to do?
IG: I definitely want to headline and maybe sell out my own tour one day. And I think this is honestly a really good step just because I feel like being asked to join a tour, it just validates what you're doing, right? You're spending so much time and energy putting all of this work in and it's just like, okay, other people and other artists really like it as well. And being like, yeah, I love your music. I want you to join. I want you to play. It's just like having other people believe in you as much as you believe in yourself, I think is also really helpful.
NW: How do you approach songwriting and what do you really draw from in terms of lyrics and experiences?
IG: My songwriting process I feel is sometimes a little backward, comparatively speaking to other people’s. I have a hard time writing songs that I personally have not directly experienced, so usually it's just when I'm going through it or after I felt all the feelings, I'll sit down at my keyboard, or I'll try and hash out exactly what I'm feeling without any type of editing or anything like that. Then I go into all the production parts of it after, if it’s something that I like, or if it's something that I really feel that I needed to get off my chest. I would say like the last few songs that I released were things that I didn't realize that I dealt with through therapy. But I think I really just needed to have that reflection.
NW: So you recently, in July, dropped a new single, Just Stay For Once? How was that for you? How have you seen the reception on that song?
IG: It was really great and it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I feel like I'm nervous to put out a lot of songs, but I think that particular song, I was extremely nervous about just because it was venturing off just a little bit from the things that I was making before. And it was just like– it was more production heavy and like more guitar heavy. So for me, I don't know how it will be perceived. I knew how I felt about the song and I knew the meaning behind it for myself, I was just hoping other people could find that meaning.
I was promoting it on TikTok, and I suddenly kind of blew up with just a little bit and I had gotten a lot of comments and DMs. And people were saying they feel that they're the same way. For this particular song, it just personally made me feel way less alone. But then numbers-wise, it was my best song on Spotify. So it's just very cool to see it. And I just feel very overwhelmed but very grateful with the response to it.
NW: You mentioned promoting the song on TikTok. That's how I came across your music. Specifically the TikTok where you listed how your sound was similar to artists like Maisie Peters, The Aces, artists like that. How do you think that TikTok and social media generally has helped or maybe not helped smaller artists in being able to achieve a larger audience?
IG: So I have like a love-hate relationship with social media, but I would say it's very, very helpful in the sense of like you can post, you know, one thing and it might take off or you can post something and people say bad things about it. But it's more likely that the right people are going to find it after a while. And so I think it plays a large part, especially now, and that's how people are discovering music. I think like if it's for you, it's for you. I think it's just very beneficial to just use a free resource especially, and getting to connect your song with other people and getting to network as well.
NW: Being an up-and-coming artist, what challenges do you think that you've faced in trying to get your own music out there that you think wouldn't be as hard if you had like a whole team of people behind you?
IG: I mean, first I would say it's very costly to put out good music or put out music in general. Having a good mixer and a good master on your song is so important, but it just costs a bit to do that. So I think the financial aspect is a big one. Right now I'm not signed with a manager or anything like that, so I think I face a little bit of a struggle like doing strategy and all this stuff. I'm just an artist that knows how to market but I'm not a marketing person. So having a team to help with marketing the releases I think goes a lot better. I would say those are the two major ones: the financial and having a team would be ideal to help with the marketing and getting all the rollouts and all that stuff.
NW: Do you think there's any positives to being able to do a lot of what you do on your own?
IG: Absolutely. I can put out music whenever I want. That's the biggest one for me. The other one is like ownership over my stuff. Because with all of the deals that are happening now, the major labels specifically, they kind of get you in these deals and they own all your stuff. And it's just like, once you come out of your contract, what do you have to really show other than these are all the things I made, but I don't own it. I also just think about the journey. I'm so grateful for the journey that I have been on. To see the progress and the growth from when I first started putting out music to now, it's just absolutely insane. I just honestly enjoy the journey. Like I'm all for it. I honestly wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I don't want to have a viral moment, sign a deal, and then I have nothing.
NW: Earlier you mentioned how you've been making music for 12, 13 years now. How do you think that you have developed as an artist and how do you think your music and lyrics have developed with you?
IG: How I like to describe my music is just kind of like growing up in your early 20s, late 20s, and just kind of like continuing. I just think like, when I first started making music way, way back, it was just mainly like beats and I would be playing my piano, I grew up playing a lot of instruments. I like playing it, but never would have crossed the two. I wouldn't play my piano over the beats I was making. And I was making very hip hop based beats. Then in college, I was even making hip hop beats, but then I was starting to venture into putting the lyrics that I was writing over some stuff. Then all my friends would be like, just do it, who cares? And I'm like, oh no, you know, little perfectionist me. But when I really started, I put out one song called About Last Night. And it was everything I needed at that time. I just wrote it about like, you might be dating someone or you might be talking to someone and it's just like things just go south. And we shouldn't be friends after this. We can't be friends after this. This hurt me, you know, that type of thing. Now I'm writing music more so about myself, things that I'm realizing as I'm getting older and as I'm in different relationships. Like this is a toxic thing that I do, let me write about it, let me get it out.
Now I can see that I do this and here's also how I healed from it. The music that I'm even writing now that'll come out, it's just very different. It's not as angry, I would say. It's just like, okay, this happened, but it's okay. We're moving on a little bit more positively.
NW: The last EP that you put out was in 2020 and an album in 2021, do you think you'll do another EP or album soon?
IG: Yeah, I'm currently working on one. It's taking a little bit longer than what I previously expected, just because I know exactly the story that I'm trying to convey throughout the entire thing. So I just wanna make sure that the songs that I do choose to put on the EP, match that story and you can really tell like where we're at with each song.
NW: Almost sort of being in a chronological order.
IG: Exactly.
NW: That's been like a very popular type of album format I've noticed over the past few years. It's really great though. When I'm first listening to an album, being able to just listen all the way through and not jumping around and having that story to tell is really great to listen.
IG: That's what I always tell people. If you're going to listen to an album, turn off your shuffle and listen to it the way that it was intended. There's a reason that these songs are in this order. Then after that, you go shuffle whatever. I don't care. But that first listen has to be without shuffle.
NW: I will just leave you off with this last question, but in the next few years, where do you see yourself as an artist?
IG: I want to be a touring artist. I want to open for people. I want to headline my own shows. I want to have an album or two out. And I just really want to be my most authentic self while doing that. But yeah, I think touring is my big goal that I want to hit in the next couple of years.
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As we bid farewell to this talented artist, we are reminded that the world of indie pop music is continually evolving, thanks to trailblazers like Imani Graham. We eagerly anticipate the next chapter of her musical journey, where she will undoubtedly continue to enchant and inspire listeners with her unique blend of creativity and authenticity.
Stay tuned for more from Imani Graham, an artist whose star is destined to shine even brighter in the captivating realm of indie pop.
