TDANGY
Discover Blogly is The FADER’s curated roundup of our favorite new music discoveries.
Ilham is not new to the game. If you were around New York City and paying attention to the alt-R&B space in 2018 or 2019, you might’ve heard the Queensbridge native’s music: the hazy and lo-fi croonings of her debut album, 41-10, or its follow-up, with time, which spawned decently sized hits like “never even know” and “back and forth.” It was her voice, soft and malleable but also slickly authoritative, that captivated her initial audience. Over sinuous and sensual sound palettes, she wove poignant stories of love and heartbreak with a perspective shaped by the predominantly Black and hispanic communities in which she grew up.
Sometime in the ensuing years, the Moroccan-American artist felt like she needed to take a step back from music and, from 2022 to 2024, took a break from releasing new music. It appears the time away was creatively rejuvenating: After spending years courting and working with record labels — including a deal with Def Jam — she’s now emerged newly independent with a sharply re-honed sound.
In July, she released her first new music in two years: “uhm…ok? introduces a bigger and badder version of ilham. Over a sexy drill-like beat, she paints herself a ruthless maneater, sleeping with friends’ best friends and charming boys even when she’s dressed “bummy.” “Got me on my SZA for the weekend, uhm ok / I'm bout to shake my sh*t like, uhm ok,” she flexes.
Her voice, still silkily melodic, gains a hardened, nonchalant edge. But most importantly, the sound, though different from the smoother R&B she used to release, still feels authentic — the fact that its scrappy music video was shot in bodegas and on the NYC streets probably plays a large role — even as the music touches on more than a few trends.
You don’t need to be from NYC to notice how deeply NYC drill, specifically the sexy sample drill pioneered by producers Shawny Binladen and Cash Cobain, has infiltrated the music trends of today. A wave of young women, Ice Spice, bb trickz, Baby Osama, and more, are successfully using it to mine at the intersection of girlish and hyper-feminine and the harder, more traditionally masculine. Ilham’s new stylistic turn definitely feels adjacent to this wave but separate from it, too, as she infuses her own melodic R&B sensibilities. A compelling example of what she’s bringing to the table is “games,” her second new single that's softer and has a hook that’s as intoxicating as the moment the bass drops.
Trends aside, though, what’s clear is that ilham's new music is hitting, as evident by the endless scroll of YouTube comments fighting to be the most prophetic about what lies ahead of her. “I just have a feeling that she's going to blow up very soon! she won't be our secret anymore,” states one user under her video of "games." “Yoooo here before most people,” writes another, already claiming his stake. I’m similarly at the edge of my seat, excited for the highs of her second-coming.
