Photo Credit: Erea Ferreiro
BINA first emerged in 2019 with debut EP Humble Abode; the project’s experimental production and strong artistic direction marking BINA. as a fresh and unorthodox voice in the soul music space.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Tame Impala, Solange and BADBADNOTGOOD, BINA has continued to forge her own creative path, releasing the This Is Not A Film EP in 2021. Since then, she has continued building her catalogue, releasing singles throughout 2022 and 2023, as she matured as a songwriter, vocalist and musician.
As an artist who understands the power of community and collaboration, BINA has worked with a number of contemporary talents including Lex Amor and Intalekt.
On project ‘Chaos Is Her Name’ BINA collaborated with Subculture, Jaye Locke and Teo on production, and then features and performances from Essence Martins, Leonie Biney 9DAYS and Tora-ithe EP invites listeners on a captivating journey, highlighting BINA’s multifaceted character and artistic vision.
Throughout the EP, BINA. embraces her journey of self-discovery, exploring themes such as anxiety, imposter syndrome, and the complexities of love. “This project establishes my position as an artist in the Indie/Alternative scene, fully introducing my 'Indie-Soul' sound to the world,” she shares. “On an emotional level, it’s a project in which I reintroduce myself to myself—the woman I’ve become over the past few years since the last project and the meandering journey it’s taken to get here.”
This release marks a significant step forward in her career, receiving critical acclaim for its innovative sound and emotive storytelling.
If you had to choose 1 song from Chaos Is Her Name to play forever, what would it be?
Ahhh, that’s difficult!! If I had to choose, it would be Bossy - I think the beat and the hook melodies are so infectious; there are so many different types moments in my vocals and I love how I was able to sneak some pretty heavy subject matter into a pretty lighthearted, kinda whimsical writing style. Also gets straight to it with what I wanted it to do: make you move, feel good and escape into a flood of sound so visual that you can almost write the movie scene that could go with this song!
You have worked with Subculture on this EP—what’s the most important thing for you when collaborating with someone?
Yes, big up Subculture - and the other two producers on the project, Jaye Locke and Teo! When I’m collaborating with people, it’s important that we understand each other both artistically and personally. It’s important that both our ways of creating a come together harmoniously, that we trust each other enough to experiment and also bring the best out of each other. The clues to whether or not that will happen are in the small things: how we talk to each other and what about; what happens before the session even starts. In the case of all the producers I worked with on this project, we chatted quite a lot about different things, not even related to music.
In my sessions with Subculture, we almost always listened to an entire album on vinyl, before I even opened my notebook, before he even turned to the desk! We also allowed ourselves to take more time in session; wrap early if we reached saturation point or were experiencing challenging emotions or life event.
We let the emotions guide us in all the sessions. And Sub and I had so many sessions from autumn 2023 to summer 2024; I think his commitment to bringing my vision to life and building parts of my sonic world with me also really helped us make such great music; me and all the producers I worked with really cared about the project.
Describe your music in 3 words.
Alternative, intoxicating, cinematic.
Tips for finding your creativity on a tough day.
Step away from the art for a second and look after yourself. Or on the other end of the spectrum, lean into what’s making the day difficult; sometimes making art on those days can be the most cathartic, therapeutic thing you can do. But whichever option you choose has to be most in favour of what you the artist needs most to feel better.
An album that's changed your life.
Wheww, there are many! But I would say “Choose Your Weapon” by Hiatus Kaiyote really built the foundations for my current music taste when a friend of mine put me on to it in the context of heavily sampled albums (Kendrick, Drake and Anderson .Paak have all sampled songs from this album). The same friend also put me onto “Malibu” by Anderson .Paak, which is up there with some of the world’s most perfect albums for me. Also any album I have on vinyl has probably changed my life at some point along the way.
What’s your best networking tip to connect with the right people in the industry?
Everybody you meet is a human before the job title, vocation they hold, or “thing they do”. Speak to and treat them as such; show love when you come across work you love - show it freely and without ego. And try to keep an open, curious mind when connecting to people whose work/art is new to you. That’s how the connections become genuine and not just transactional for me.
Photo Credit: Erea Ferreiro
What's your favorite/least favorite thing about making music?
Favourite thing is always feeling lighter for having healed yet another part of myself; a part that I often don’t know needs healing until I make the song and channel the feelings, thoughts and experiences into the lyrics and music making. Allowing myself to be playful in the music making; I love that.
My least favourite part is fighting between my desire to remain artistically present in my marketing, and getting the point across in the quickest, most efficient way that still shows I care about what I’m putting out there. It’s hard sometimes, I won’t lie.
Also sometimes I don’t feel like trying hard to be get myself more out there, but I still do because I know it’s a privilege and I’m grateful to have autonomy over my success in many ways; I don’t have to wait for someone to push the “GO” button on my career because I can do if I really want to and feel ready to. I take breaks to recharge and come back at it. But yeah, the crossover between the art and the career-building can be exhausting sometimes.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Doechii’s new tape “Alligator Bite Never Heal”. “Forward Ever” by Lex Amor. I’ve also been going back in time too: “In Rainbows” and “Everything In Its Right Place” from “Kid-A” by Radiohead have had me hooked for a little while now; and recently came back to “One-4-Teen” by Bahamadia and Slum Village. Lots of Saya Gray and Sampha, and I also live off recommendations from friends and close ones! So many songs, so many albums - too much heat to list it everything here, lol.
3 things you can’t live without in your bag
Lipgloss, headphones and something to write or doodle on!!