Meet ilham: the soulful singer pursuing her dreams while navigating an industry with no clear blueprint

Image by Josh Medina

Words & Interview by Sunayah Arshad

Hailing from Queensbridge, New York, singer-songwriter ilham is a true testament to her Moroccan-American roots. Her sweet and soothing vocals combined with her melodic beats deliver a nostalgic sound that has me in my feels every time, taking me back to the early 00’s. 

Currently between LA and New York, ilham talks me through her early experiences as an aspiring artist from the projects, the motivation behind her practice and the steps she’s taking to success. 

Born in the US, ilham grew up in a Moroccan household with her parents and siblings. Her parents would maintain certain cultural traditions at home, occasionally visiting Morocco to provide the children with elements of their heritage and culture - a contrast to their everyday surroundings in Queens. Inside their home, ilham was exposed to Arab artists like Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami, while outside, she was introduced to the likes of Aaliyah, Ashanti and Mýa. “Those are my really early memories - being hit with different types of music. I think that's what pushed me into falling in love with music. Seeing that no matter what it sounded like, there was an emotion behind it. It made people happy, sad, reminisce or nostalgic”.

While the streets of Queens are home to a mix of cultures, ilham grew up in a predominantly Hispanic and Black community. Despite feeling at home amongst them, she admits to occasionally noticing qualities that set her apart; “The fact that I did prefer tea versus iced coffee when I was outside - little things like that. It was quirky in some people's eyes, but it just made me unique, you know?” Commenting on the lack of North Africans in her circle, ilham would find solidarity at home, describing this as one reason she’s so close to her family. “I always wanted to have a Moroccan friend who shared the same religion or the same language, but I never had that, which is why I find myself gravitating towards that. Fast forward and my team now consists of Moroccans, people of Middle Eastern and African backgrounds. It's refreshing. I'm like, ‘You’re my people!’. I feel like nothing beats that level of comfortability”.

Still from the music video for ‘Never Even Know’

Fantasising about being on stage and becoming an artist from a young age, ilham went to a performing arts school where she was vocally and classically trained. Learning quickly that there’s restrictions to succeeding in the industry when you don’t have the financial backing, she realised that something had to change. “When you grew up on food stamps, with nothing, I started to think, ‘okay what's the angle I can do?’ I told myself I wasn't gonna go to college but my mum was like, “You have to. That’s why we came to the US.” I was like ‘okay bet’, so I only applied to Ivy League universities, but they're really difficult to get into…I wanted to get rejected.” To her surprise, she was accepted at Cornell University. “I was like alright, that's God. That's Allah telling me ‘you got to go to school’. So I go to school..” Holding onto her dream of becoming an artist, ilham was able to graduate early with her credits and drop out of Cornell. With the intention of learning the ins and outs of the music industry, she moved to LA and landed an internship at Capitol Records. It was there that she met her first manager Rahim, also from Queens. “After the internship, he was like “send me something that you made”. I sent it to him and the next day as soon as I landed in New York, he booked me a [recording] session. My first first ever session. Within two sessions, I had finished my EP 41-10”. After being approached by a number of labels and declining offers that didn’t quite feel right, music mogul French Montana took interest in signing the songstress. “It was a lot of back and forth, but I signed to him and expanded my management. I’m now managed by SALXCO, who manages The Weeknd”. If that isn’t impressive enough, ilham is now also signed to the renowned label Def Jam.

Image by Jonathan B

Touching on some of the tougher parts of the music industry, it’s clear that representation plays a big part for the artist. “Growing up, I really wish I had someone like me that I could look up to. Like a cool ass brown girl that makes music and stands for something. I didn't realise how much I needed that until I started becoming that”. Aside from the physical representation of having brown, North African people in the media, on the screen and at awards shows, ilham wants to highlight the representation of kids from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. “I represent people who come from nothing, like when you come from the projects living in a room with three people type shit. I’d watch the Grammys, and be like, ‘I'm gonna be there one day’. We need to see that representation in order for it to be feasible, if that makes sense? That's why I do music. To inspire people, to inspire the next artists”.  

While she appreciates having artists and mentors like French Montana backing her corner, she acknowledges that the industry isn’t as inclusive as it could be, making it harder for emerging artists to navigate. “I do wish there were more successful people who were able to extend the hand instead of seeing you as a threat. Because unfortunately, that's what the industry is. You kind of have to do this shit alone. You get put through so much in the industry and it's not as easy it may seem”. Building on her own experiences and challenges, ilham hopes to reach a place where she is able to give back, mentor and help others. 

Still from the music video for ‘Gang Signs’

Having previously seen some of her social media posts sharing personal matters with her following, I was humbled by her transparency. Her hardships made me understand her drive to succeed so much more, while also hitting quite close to home. Touching on her strength and determination, ilham credits her mum as her biggest inspiration, “My mum has been through so much.The fact that she can wake up every day and be the woman that she is, that's someone I aspire to be. She lived her whole life in Morocco and came here with my dad and doesn’t speak English. Nobody understands that it takes a lot of courage. Especially within our culture when you're so family oriented, and you leave for these kids that you haven't even had yet. She's just incredible. She's strong”.

Throughout our conversation, ilham occasionally refers to her upcoming album - her first album. She reveals, “When I first started writing it, I was in love. Then at the end, the last song that I wrote, my heart was broken. It’s emotion-approved. You can listen to it and there has to be a song for any emotion. Obviously I didn't plan on this because I'd be sick in the head, but it's kind of beautiful to see that this was birthed from this thing that I thought was gonna last forever. This thing didn't last forever, but this music will. I feel this album is gonna change my life and a lot of people's lives around me”. While we’re unsure what the future holds, ilham is certain that her hard work will pay off. Her advice for those on a similar path? “Stay focused, work hard. Don't take no for an answer and really focus on what you want to be and how you can get there. There's no glass ceiling”.

Discover more from ilham here