Next Wave: Talibah Safiya

Talibah’s music is moody, layered, and intentionally crafted to move the body as much as the spirit. She continues to transmute her real-life experiences into art that captivates anyone who listens.

“This latest album is very corporal; it’s about movement as a healing modality primarily,” she shares. “The focus is music you can dance to, wine to, get ready with. I think the genre blend would be moody soul having a fling with pop.”

Raised in Memphis, Safiya’s sound carries the weight of place and community. She speaks openly about the influences that shaped her:

“Lifestyle is the primary influence. Memphis, my family, my husband, and my body are big influences for what I talk about,” she says. “Memphis, The Hood Rave Memphis, my spiritual community, Jill Scott, N.E.R.D., and Beyoncé are big influences on how I sound in this project.”

Her evolution began on Bandcamp with Nightflight, a mixtape steeped in Dilla and Pete Rock, and has since moved through live instrumentation, blues, and now into something playful, frank, and easy to hold.

“I would rap and sing over these beats with lyrically heavy verses and visual storytelling. I think a lot of us were doing that at the time. I was reading a lot of novels as well, so the music has a literary quality to it. I evolved into working with more live instrumentation over the years as most of my music-making was done on stage. I was building songs in live sets. I’d perform sometimes for years before recording a song. This led to an era of raw live songs with full bands and big vocal moments and poetic lyrics.”

“Next was a blues album that was in conversation with a vintage collection of North Mississippi hill country or cotton-patch blues songs by legends like Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, and Jessie Mae Hemphill.”

“Now I’m playing with something that feels like a culmination of what I’ve learned over time,” she says.

We were first introduced to this majestic human when she joined us briefly for a tour across Memphis’ budding arts scene. Safiya welcomed us into her world through a live sound session, a stop at one of the city’s famed hot wing spots, and conversations about how she and her family are expanding Black wealth and sustainability through art and agriculture.

Some of our favorite tracks from Talibah include “Animal Kingdom,” “Sure Thang,” and her latest single, “Cloverdale.” Her music knows no bounds—and she shares her sound on her own terms, always with reverence for those who came before her, and with an authenticity that’s undeniable.

When asked how she’s been able to serve through her art, she responded plainly:

“Honestly, my craft itself is service.”

From curating retreats, parties, concerts, movement sessions, and thoughtful conversations, Talibah pours her experiences into a flourishing community.

“The music is made from love and is intended to support bursts of unmistakable joy and untamable pain,” she adds. “We’ve used our influence to promote healing through food, community, voting, yoga, prayer, and all the other shit that keeps us sane. No gatekeeping with the healing.”

That intention is especially present this month, as the world acknowledges World Mental Health Day (October 10). Talibah doesn’t shy away from how deeply mental wellbeing shapes her music and message.

“I have always wanted to make music that was a friend to folks in pain, as music has been so often for me,” she reflects. “I have songs that directly address some of the mental health challenges I’ve navigated without naming them explicitly. These songs have helped me process heavy feels and continue to encourage me through my many seasons of growth and change.”

Her superpower, as she puts it, is “saying the quiet part out loud” in a way that people feel. Whether through retreats, concerts, or her hypnotic live performances, Talibah curates spaces that remind us of music’s power to hold our deepest truths.

“What has been consistent is making great art and curating community healing opportunities that bring loving people in the same room where we can emote, connect and release together,” she says.

For Talibah, the path forward is rooted in honesty, adaptability, and courage. Her music is for the organic hotties who live deeply in their feels.

Safiya says, “[they] naturally adore me because they are me.” That response says everything about the woman behind the mic—no matter the space or time, she shows up as her full self.

And for the artists still figuring it out, she offers a bit of wisdom:

“Be honest with yourself. Keep learning. Don’t be scared to evolve.”

It’s a fitting mantra for October’s theme—a reminder that music, like mental health, is not about perfection, but about presence, truth, and the courage to keep going.

Be sure to follow Talibah Safiya’s journey [here].