Amidst the chaos of rolling drums, a switch change in tempo, the mutability of melodies like seasons; there is no denying that music is nature (and the proof is all around us). In this canorous disorder, we may find powerful clarity in the form of an awakening, a resonate message that weaves in as another layer of this unchained rhythm. Halima, the music maker raised between Lagos and London– now based in Brooklyn– is familiar with this sentiment. In her new EP, EXU (pronounced Eshu), she shares her first offering with the new single and visualizer, Awaken. Introduced with gentle bass plucks, the song reflects on the pain and confusion of a relationship’s end. Guided by Halima’s deep layered vocals, a new beginning is born out of another's ending. It is at this crossroads that we ultimately find ourselves standing firm and self-sustaining amidst all change, embodying EXU.

The EP communicates to us through a surreal and futuristic current, opening a portal into a world that is warm with intimacy, a portal to a lighter side of EXU. The title and concept which comes from Halima’s Nigerian heritage and the Yoruba deity of ‘crossroads.’“They are known for being the God of change, chaos and unpredictability, so they are often misunderstood,” Halima explains. “But they are present in our lives to bring us to better versions of ourselves. This project is about facing Exu and resisting it. The succumbing and realizing Exu is within you.”

You can see Halima on June 7th at Union Pool in NY and on June 12th at the Moroccan Lounge in LA. Until then, see below, Halima channel reflection and with her latest offering EXU.

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Where does your creativity reach its peak? What calls you to create music, is creating an expression or more a reflection for you?

I’ve found that once I’ve gone a while without writing, I need to twist the valve and usually there lies the pinnacle. Love calls me to creation. Sometimes it's anger, confusion, anxiety. But mostly love. Creating is the purest expression of love (for me).

You talk about this concept of EXU, the title of your EP. Can you further explain who Exu is and the importance of this figure in your everyday life?

Exu is the Yoruba deity of crossroads. Exu is all potential choices. Exu is infinity.

When you start a creative project like EXU, does it consume you or do you strike a balance? Does your music and your personal life feel separate or very much attached?

It consumes me. My dreams. My thoughts. My actions. Perhaps to my detriment. But then it means I’m honest. And that I like (That I need). The reason music is my life is because I am obsessed with it. With creation. My happiness and state of flow are intrinsically linked to being able to express creatively whenever, however and with whomever I want.

What story or message does EXU tell its listeners? What do you hope people take home with them after listening?

EXU wants you to face yourself. That may be the most arduous journey you embark on. There is no finish line. It’s a practice. That’s what Exu has taught me and I want to share that lesson.  

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How have you changed or grown as an artist since developing this EP, anything you learned about yourself that you didn't expect?

I had lost my faith for some time. And creating with no faith can be pretty bleak. But creating with my friend Ben slowly brought me back to source. Getting lost in a sonic world that was of our own creation. I began to see this was just a microcosm of my reality. That I had as much control, or connection to source with music as I did with my own life. It’s one and the same. So the light bulb went off. And here we are.

After going through the creative process for this new EP, what are your main hopes and visions for the future?

The project I wrote before EXU (that is available only on bandcamp) is called ‘How to Find Happiness’. It’s almost like a prequel to EXU (Conceptually). I, of course, was totally consumed with this quest for happiness. What is that even? I was still independent at the time and shopped the project around to some labels, no one wanted to sign it. As my focus remained on getting this project funneled through the industry I grew more concerned with validation dictating my happiness. And when I couldn’t find it, I felt totally disconnected. From source, from everything.

After making EXU my mind is in some uncharted territory. I’m more concerned with what is infinite. Even though I’m constantly encouraged not to be. We tend to reside in the physical, finite world. But we are not physical beings. And nature is not fixed. It is mutable. My hope and vision for the future is to become more accepting of that truth. And to continue to have faith in my creations.

How do you find beauty in the brutal?

Well I don’t think it’s necessarily something to be found. I think beauty just is. A reflection of what exists, from creation. Maybe everything that stems from creation, despite whether or not it meets our expectations of beauty, is beautiful. We may define something as brutal, but whatever reaction or consequence it incites may be the “hidden” beauty.