Nadia Sheikh confronts her missteps on engrossing new single “IDWK”

The half-Spanish, half-British singer-songwriter Nadia Sheikh arrives this year with the release of “IDWK (I Don’t Wanna Know).” The new single is an amalgamation of indie elegance and alt-rock rawness resulting in a momentous return. Produced by Brett Shaw (FOALS, Florence and the Machine) and mastered by John Davis (The Killers, Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey), “IDWK” serves as the first look into Nadia Sheikh's forthcoming EP set for release early next year.

Alongside core collaborators bassist Rowan Davies and drummer George Gardiner, the track features smooth accelerated guitar lines anchored by Sheikh’s striking and lovely vocal tone. For attentive listeners, there’s something very earnest and soothing to unearth. By the same token, there’s enough edginess and fervour to uplift the song into this sort of multifaceted offering. The latter part of the track hits a powerful crescendo before levelling out to a smooth, comforting sonic finish.

As spectators look beyond the enrapturing soundscape for something more to absorb, it can be found within Sheikh’s lay-it-all-on-the-table lyricism. She taps into those difficult moments one has with themselves such as pondering the mistakes and wrong choices made along the way and having to confront yourself in order to move forward.

“It's the first release of what I can say is my most personal and vulnerable work as a songwriter,” says Sheikh. “‘IDWK’ is about that difficult conversation you don't want to have with yourself. Sometimes it's easier to ignore what we're going through internally than to face and process it, but once you do, things do get better.”

Nadia Sheikh is also set for a number of UK headline shows in October, including dates in London, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.