Saidah Baba Talibah is as awe-inspiring as her name. The Canadian artist, described as ” Living Color-meets-Erykah Badu,” recently released her debut LP, (S)Cream. Including songs like “Scream” and “So Cool,” the album is a mix between soul, psychedelic funk and rock. Talibah’s album also combines those influences with musical and community experiences from her Toronto upbringing and her training in dance, visual arts and music at the Claude Watson School for the Arts. Her videos reflect the afrofuturist aesthetic, incorporating science fiction, fantasy, horror and strong female sexuality.
Daughter of jazz/blues singer and actress, Salome Bey, Talibah describes her album: “(S)Cream is a collection of dreams, daydreams and realities, that speak from a place of fierceness, vulnerability, insecurity and assuredness. (S)Cream has put away all childish games and is all grown up, but is still searching and getting comfortable in all of her cracks and bulges, turn ons and turn offs. This is my coming out as a woman who likes to talk sex & sensuality, broken-heartedness, not taking anymore shit-ed-ness. I growl. I purr. I go to pretty places, harder places and naked places. I wish you joy, despair, heartbreak, inspiration and to be turned on.”
Talibah is also known for recording videos on raw vegan food, teaching singing and songwriting to youth, and providing backup vocals for several Canadian artists. Her debut EP, The Phone Demos, recorded on her cell phone, displays the singer’s capability to use new technology to express herself.
A few weeks ago, she released her song “Revolution” and is giving the single for free in exchange for tweeting the type of revolution you want. With musical theater in her background, Talibah is currently working on the Obeah Opera, which will start in previews February 16th and officially premiere February 22nd in Toronto.
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 