Adiam

Sweden's Adiam fuses plush, R&B-tinged soul with airy pop while nodding toward punk and rap. Born Adiam Dymott to Eritrean emigrants who first met in Italy before settling in Uppsala, she absorbed hip-hop and alt-rock during childhood yet only began to envision music as a vocation after relocating to Stockholm, where she took a job as a recording-studio receptionist. Early efforts found her delivering gritty, heartfelt rock & roll laced with melodic pop craftsmanship and R&B warmth. After contributing her raw, magnetic vocals to several demo sessions, she launched a solo project alongside producer/rapper Thomas Rusiak—who handled production and co-writing duties on her first album—and a circle of notable Swedish rock musicians drawn from I Are Droid, Kent, and Soundtrack of our Lives. The single “Miss You” reached Sweden’s Top Ten in February 2009, paving the way for her self-titled debut album later that year. She resurfaced in 2015 with the Dark Lake EP, five tracks steeped in synth layers and understated sensuality. Crafted by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, the EP signaled a clear shift from her prior approach and foreshadowed the 2016 double-sided single “Quiet Desperation” b/w “Runaway.” Sitek also produced her debut album, Black Wedding, further expanding the avant-garde elements within her already boundary-crossing sound.