Naima Adams - Interview
Picture Credit: Lewis Barnes
Personal storytelling underpins Naima Adams’ When We Let Go, a reflective project that - ironically for a debut EP - seeks an ending of sorts.
“In one way or another, these songs have a throughline of yielding to something — a feeling, a memory, an environment and what can happen when we allow ourselves to ‘let go’ without feeling burdened by the past or a change.”
“As I grow older, my voice continues to evolve, as well as my sound and the desire to write differently. It's time that these songs see the light of day so I can continue to grow and develop other layers of my practice.”
Based in South London but raised in Rome via D.C., Naima creates music washed in contemporary RnB with an emphasis on vocal textures, her soul very much on show - but the creation of these tracks are far from a solo affair. The six songs on When We Let Go are written and co-produced with pianist and composer Lorenz Okello-Osengor, and the EP also features friends and musicians Alley Lloyd, Poppy Daniels, a five-part choir and voice notes from her parents and members of her community.
Her musical journey has seen her collaborate with Sampa The Great, Allysha Joy and Celeste to name a few, and she also works as label and community manager for Touching Bass in addition to her role as creative producer for the widely-respected We Out Here festival.
Wordplay caught up with Naima to chat about the release of the EP.
Picture Credit: Ellie Koepke
Congrats on the upcoming release of When We Let Go - it's a very personal project, four years in the making, how do you feel getting it out there?
It's been a long time coming! I've been working in and making music for over 10 years now and I've always looked forward to a time when I'd be able to add my own voice to the library of artists releasing music, especially those around me, friends and collaborators who I deeply respect – I really couldn't wait till I had something that felt worth sharing.
To finally have it out – wow – honestly feels surreal. I've been working so hard for so long and then all of a sudden it's out and no longer yours. I'm looking forward to sharing it and finally allowing it to have a life of its own.
It's been an exhausting and overwhelming journey, especially self-releasing and doing everything and anything in between on my own, but it's also been rewarding and I'm incredibly proud of myself for getting to this point.
It's been two years since you launched this phase of your career with Fragile, a song which encompasses community in the face of adversity - a couple of years on, do you feel people are any more awake to some of the issues the song describes?
A lot has changed in two years – in some ways for the better, and in some ways for the worse. I feel as though there's a larger sense of empathy and kindness amongst people, but it's also true that society seems to be either veering in one of two directions – more liberal, progressive, human-based or incredibly right-wing, fascist and anti-"the other".
I choose to remain hopeful and, full disclosure, it might be because I live in a bubble where I'm surrounded by others who feel as I do and share my same view of the world. That being said, I do feel as though, in an age of individualism, more and more people are seeking community and developing a sense of others beyond oneself, which is a welcome change and needed if we want to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
How Long Till I Know is a call back to leaving Rome, not seeing yourself represented in Italian music and making the move away - was it important to sing in Italian on that to break that cycle, in a sense?
How Long Till I Know? is all about unshackling oneself from the chains of society – their expectations, their judgement. It's about that moment when you reach a crossroads and you don't know which path to take – one might lead you to the change you want, the other might lead you back to where you started from. But the core message here is "stand in your truth, be brave, hold your head high and don't let anything hold you back".
Deciding to sing/write this song partially in Italian wasn't necessarily a conscious choice – I'd never done so, but I was feeling inspired to try my hand at it and just let the words flow out of me. I wanted to use this song as a way to begin reconnecting with my roots and with an Italian audience – I ran away from this for the longest time, never fully seeing myself making music in Italian, but now feeling the need to reclaim that identity, especially in my music. I've welcomed the opportunity and look forward to exploring more of that side within my artistry.
What's your songwriting process like with Lorenz and how did you start working together?
Lorenz and I have known each other for a long time – I want to say since 2018 or so! We've shared the stage many times and in a variety of different projects and were early collaborators. We initially worked together on a collective music project called Scrapbook Mixtape that I ran with my good friend And.Is.Phi – Lorenz was a contributor and helped produce a few of the songs on the records. Since then, we've been building a collaborative relationship – the first song we wrote together was 'Promise', back in 2022. I can't even tell you how that song came out – it just flowed out of us both and was such an organic process. Since then, we chipped away at more tracks – some written together, others that I wrote and brought to him to help shape the production – I released my first single, "Fragile", produced by Lorenz, and now, we have a complete project that really showcases the fruits of our labour.
Lorenz has been a big supporter of mine since early days – he's always hyped me up and had such kind things to say about my music. He's a good listener, adaptable, a really hard-worker, he cares about the people he works with, and at the very basis of this, we're good friends. We're honest with each other and we have fun with it, which I think is what has allowed us to build a beautiful rapport. I couldn't have finished this project without his support and dedication so I have to big him up all the way!
Could you tell us about some of your other collaborators on the project?
I mean, all the people involved in the making of this record are incredible artists in their own right and have all contributed beautifully to the making of this EP. Starting off with Alley Lloyd – one of my closest friends and favourite bass player – she was one of the first music friends I made when I moved to London. We were part of the same youth programme at the Roundhouse and the rest is history. She's an incredible songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and genre-bending artist – one night you might find her playing a salsa gig at Jazz Cafe, another you might see her backing the next big pop-star at O2 Brixton. An all-round icon.
Jerome Johnson – one of the tightest drummers I know and a friend from London College of Music. An excellent musician you can catch playing alongside Elmiene, MRCYand anaiis amongst many others.
The incredible Poppy Daniels, Hannah Dilkes, and Jed Bevington holding it down on horns and strings respectively – all wonderfully talented musicians who have elevated my music and given it the depth it needed.
My girls holding it down on BVs across a couple of the tracks – Sofia Grant, Eliza Oakes, and Plumm. These are absolute one-of-a-kind artists that you need to check out, all different from each other, with unique tones – all with new music coming out very soon.
A massive shoutout also to Digby Smith from Baltic Studios who mixed and mastered the project – it was such a collaborative and informative process. We got to work to some really interesting gear and learn so much along the way – eternally grateful for his openness and patience.
Have you always had that sense of community when it comes to music or is it something you've embraced in your roles in the industry? Why is it important to you?
Because I didn't really have a sense of community in Rome, specifically in music, I really sought it out upon moving to London. As I began to seek out opportunities, join clubs, programmes and meet new people, my musical family really started to grow and it's definitely one of the reasons why I still live in London and haven't left, despite the rising living costs and difficulty in maintaining community and the spaces it occupies.
My roles in the industry have only emboldened that sense of community and the two organisations that I work for (Touching Bass and We Out Here), absolutely reflect my own values and approach towards community, gathering, and building connections with people.
Never underestimate the power of a group people rallying behind a cause or a person – I've seen the power in community and even wrote about it in my dissertation, exploring how industry gatekeepers are no longer your A&Rs, your booking agents, tastemakers - rather it's community organisations like Jazz Re:freshed and Church of Sound, Tomorrow's Warriors and Touching Bass, pushing forward emerging artists backed by an incredibly engaged community who are invested in seeing them succeed.
It takes a village to make things happen and this has birthed some of the most incredible projects. Leaning on others, asking for help, taking something outside of yourself helps make your project better and I think maintaining that sense of community can only lead to greater things.
You help organise We Out Here including the festival's most successful year in 2025 - as jazz, soul and beyond have flourished over the past few years, what are the elements that have made the festival a success and how do you manifest these in your own work?
Again, community is at the basis of this festival and the basis of all the work I do to be honest. We Out Here is so successful because it draws on a couple of things:
an incredible lineup of artists, more known and lesser so, but all super talented and with very engaged fans.
existing communities that intersect and share values, bringing them together in one space and therefore bringing their audiences along for the ride too.
a programme that goes beyond the music, building out a holistic experience around wellness, conversation, craft, and family.
I try to encompass as much as I can from all the work I do into my own practice and share my own creations, but also uplift others at the same time.
My EP launch show features incredible musicians, artists in their own right, and I want to take the opportunity to showcase their talents, their work – for example, my friend Sans Soucis is beginning their DJing career and I'm hoping having them DJ at the show will be a good chance for them to give us a taste of they've been working on. Trying to approach things from a holistic point of view is always at the forefront of my mind – taking care of the people around you, who are supporting you, and empowering them at the same time.
Naima Adams’ When We Let Go EP is released independently on 27th May 2026.
Words: Jamie Groovement
