Poppy Ajudha explores fragmented identity and dual heritage on "Tepid Soul"
Poppy Ajudha's killing it right now with one of the songs of the year behind her and a creative approach that's seen her jazz roots evolve into a distinctive South London sound.
It's put her among a rising crop of young talent defining the city's musical identity as we hurtle towards a new decade.
Fresh from her first headline show last night (which saw the likes of Kokey Radical reprise his bars on "Spilling Into You", as well as an a capella duet between Ajudha and Connie Constance on "1st World Tragedy") there's a new track "Tepid Soul". It's a fresh and intelligent cut that layers Ajudha's stunning vocal across a tight, cascading melody.
"The song looks at the familiar fragmented identity that is constructed through being of dual heritage and therefore often seeming to not fit in either sides of your family," Ajudha explains.
"As people recurringly project their cultural fantasies of where I could be from onto me, the last line 'am I the right shade for you' critiques colourism and the fetishism and exoticism that exists around mixed race women's bodies," she adds.
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