Hamzaa

British soul singer Hamzaa fuses heartfelt songwriting with expressive, sultry vocals and a sonic blend of classic soul and contemporary R&B. Early releases such as “You” and “Sunday Morning” drew attention, establishing her as a reliable presence on the UK soul circuit through support slots and guest appearances.

Born Malika Hamzaa in Hackney, East London, in 1998, she grew up immersed in a wide range of classic soul, from Aretha Franklin to Beyoncé, with her family encouraging her musical goals. At age 11 she attended boarding school outside her local area, where she threw herself into diverse arts activities including competitive singing and playwriting and directing. She ultimately abandoned her A-level studies to pursue music full-time, taking a cloakroom position at Brixton Academy while writing songs and cutting demos.

Selected for the singing competition The Voice, she exited before any episodes were filmed yet secured management representation. With just two independent 2018 singles—“Stranded Love” and “You”—already out, a producer for Later… with Jools Holland discovered her on the radio and booked her promptly. The acoustic-driven “You” appeared on her Parlophone debut EP, First Signs of Me, issued in 2019. That summer brought the follow-up EP Phases, whose track “Sunday Morning” accumulated tens of millions of streams. The piano-led single “Write It Down,” released later that year, prompted frequent comparisons to Adele and Amy Winehouse.

Following a period of reduced activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamzaa returned in 2021 with the assured, sultry EP Full Circle, which included the Miraa May collaboration “In Between.” The slightly sharper edge of that project aligned with further joint work alongside UK rapper Ghetts and Chicago-born producer Nascent. After leaving Parlophone she issued more wide-ranging material, among them the 2023 EP Rush, a joint effort with Nigerian producer 1SRAEL, and the 2024 EP 25!.