Safia

Emerging from Canberra—an unexpected yet increasingly fertile hub for fresh sounds across Australia—the electronica and indie pop trio Safia formed in 2012. What began as a bedroom production project between Ben Woolner, handling vocals and production, and Michael Bell on drums and production quickly grew when Harry Sayers joined on synths and guitar, rounding out the group. Their sound, they quipped, resembled “Skrillex and James Blake making sweet, tender love.”

The band’s debut single, “Stretched and Faded,” secured victory in the 2012 Triple J Unearthed competition, which earned them a slot at that year’s Groovin’ the Moo festival alongside Tame Impala, the Kooks, and Tegan & Sara. Once the track also topped the iTunes electronic chart, Safia’s profile rose sharply both domestically and internationally. Their next release, “Paranoia, Ghosts and Other Sounds,” reached the top of the Hype Machine chart in early 2014, picked up an Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Award nomination, and prompted an invitation to perform at the ceremony.

Further visibility arrived when the group appeared on Peking Duk’s double-platinum single “Take Me Over,” a collaboration that strengthened their standing through the remainder of 2014 and into the following year. In 2015 “Counting Sheep” climbed to number seven on the ARIA Australian artist chart, and “Embracing Me,” issued that summer, enjoyed comparable success. At the same time Safia were halfway through a sold-out national tour, had opened for their Kiwi neighbor Lorde, and had shared stages with Rudimental, Disclosure, and AlunaGeorge. Festival appearances that year included South by South West in Austin, Texas, and Primavera Sound in Barcelona.