SICARIA - “BLOOD, SWEAT & SELF”

( EP/Album Reviews ) - Friday 17th November 2023

Words by Isaac Solanki. Photography by Melanie Lehmann. Thanks to Sophie Brocklehurst.

Sicaria; formerly one-half of the iconic duo Sicaria Sound, has been rapidly carving out a name for herself as a solo artist throughout this past year or so. Her talent has taken her explosive live sets to decks across the globe, allowing her to grace stages from Miami to Tbilisi and in a recent appearance for Badders Radio, she went B2B with scene legends Skrillex, Flowdan, and Peekaboo. Despite her current success, she remains both humble and collaborative by continuously bridging the gap between established and emerging artists in an effortless manner. Her unique approach to live sets showcases a level of maturity and consideration beyond her years, emphasising the multi-faceted nature of her artistry. With both an unyielding passion for music and a bold vision for future success, Sicaria is poised to continue her explosion onto the scene with an impact that’s certain to leave a lasting impression.

Blood, Sweat & Self is an enthralling 4-track EP - an intricate journey of self-discovery. Heavily inspired by the legendary artist and photographer, Cindy Sherman and her remarkable repertoire of self-portraits, Sicaria delves deep into the depths of her own identity. Set against a pulsating backdrop of 140 bpm, each track on the EP represents a unique facet of her psyche. Drawing upon her Moroccan heritage, Sicaria intricately weaves in elements that pay homage to her cultural roots and in a clever juxtaposition, she combines catchy vocal chops to create a captivating narrative centred around female empowerment. Blood, Sweat & Self is more than just a collection of songs, it is a profound exploration of self and a homage to the transformative power of art. Just off the back of her packed global touring schedule, I sat down with Sicaria to talk in depth about her debut solo project.

Introduce yourself and briefly take me through the story so far…

“So, I go by the artist name Sicaria and the story actually begins with me studying geography at UCL; I never really had the opportunities to explore the whole creative side of my nature during my early teens. Whilst at uni, I found myself in the rave scene a lot - that whole skint nightlife style was great and I then ended up accidentally getting a job in radio. I had no real ambition to do so, I just met this girl at a party who told me I had great energy and that she thought it’d be cool if I went and worked with her. I think that naturally being part of the radio space, whilst I was DJing in my bedroom at home was what must have inspired me to take it on as a career - up until that point, I never really knew that a full time opportunity in DJing was ever a possibility. I quickly learnt that it was then all about networking and while working in radio I met so many of my dream/hero DJs; it was really nice to get to know them one to one. A bit further down the line, once I’d fully settled as a DJ, I decided that I wanted to start incorporating some of my own work into my live sets and as a result, I began to delve into music production.”

What’s the EP “Blood, Sweat & Self” all about?

“It’s a portrayal of myself, made completely by myself - there’s no features or collaborations of any kind on there; with it being my first ever solo release, I knew that I wanted to have my own personal productions at the forefront. I wanted the EP to be an extension of my personality - each track on there has a completely different feel and flavour. I’ve always had a very broad listening ear and that was one of the main things that I wanted to incorporate into the project. I made the EP at home, in the classic make shift bedroom studio - I think it’s always important to have a comfortable space to create in, somewhere where you can put your all into something without feeling pressured.

The EP itself was inspired by an artist called Cindy Sherman, who’s very well known for taking powerful self-portraits. I wanted to take that same sort of idea and bring it into music; every track on there portrays a different side of my personality. I’m very spiritual, it runs in my family and I recently brought my first deck of oracle cards - I picked them up at The Broad (museum) in LA, while on tour. The cards featured different prominent artists who’d featured at the museum - I sat down, aasked myself about what the year could potentially be holding for me and I kept pulling out the Cindy Sherman card. I took it was a sign, I knew I had to use her in some way - it felt so random but at the same time, I know that nothings ever a coincidence. Since making the decision, it’s actually been really interesting looking into a different form of artistry - I’ve learnt that taking a step away from music for inspiration can actually sometimes be really powerful.”

TRACK 1: “Still Swingin” - A captivating EP opener sees Sicaria artfully weaving together the rich tapestry of her ancestral roots while paying homage to her Moroccan heritage in a remarkably clever manner. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of cultural influences, Sicaria effortlessly creates a stunning melodic concoction that transports listeners to a world of multicultural bliss.

“I like to call this opening track a love letter to my homeland. I have Moroccan heritage and I’ve always said that the opening track of my first solo project would have to have a solid nod to my heritage. I think that normally when artists try to encapsulate personal heritage into their music, it gets noticed straight away, whereas with this one, I feel like its more inspired by Moroccan culture and Moroccan music as supposed to just having typical Moroccan music layered on top of a modern baseline, if that makes sense? A lot of the percussive elements are actually directly inspired by Gnawa music which is a Moroccan version of hypnotic trance; it creates a really interesting and different drum beat. You’ve then got the different melody lines that weave in with each other and that is again, a direct influence from the Moroccan music side of things. Gnawa music is known to be quite a positive and uplifting genre - it resembles positivity within yourself and that’s what I was trying to capture in Still Swingin.”

TRACK 2: “Freak 2 Freak” - An electrifying track within which Sicaria shows off her unparalleled dubstep capabilities, pushing the boundaries of the genre to astonishing new heights. It's a powerful anthem of individual motivation and self-expression. With each pulsating bass drop, Sicaria propels listeners into a realm of pure energy, inviting them to embrace their inner freak and unleash their true potential.

“I actually made this one pretty quickly, it all came so naturally with dubstep being so familiar to me. I know all of the drum patterns, melody lines and base synths that you’d need to incorporate into a dubstep track.There was a point where I had the bulk of the track made but it still felt like there wasn't an overall message, which is something that I like all of my work to have. There’s always got to be some sort of inspiration and with Freak 2 Freak being so typically dubstep, I realised that there’s not actually that many women in dub, especially in comparison to the amount of men that are coming through. I never really talk about being one of the only women in this space but I knew that if I was ever going to make a solo dubstep track it would have to centre around of female empowerment. I want people, especially women when they hear the track, to realise that there’s a space for them too in whatever they may be doing and when I found that sample I knew it was a perfect fit.”

TRACK 3: “(Not So) Serious Ting” - A melodic fusion of two powerhouse genres. Grime and dancehall perhaps shouldn’t work together but this one’s got undeniable swagger that demands your attention with every beat. Hood up, headphones on full, Sicaria challenges the boundaries of musical experimentation in a testament to her fearless exploration of uncharted territories.

“It’s another one that gives a nod to the hardworking ladies out there - I chopped up some female grime MC samples and stuck them in there alongside some dancehall drums and a grimy baseline. I essentially thought let’s have some fun with fusing the two genres together and it’s ended up creating something really sick. I love grime and I love dancehall - I always knew that if I was gonna make a grime track, I would have to marry it up with dancehall. It’s one of my favourite genres, it’s the best one to dance to and I think the two contrasts have worked really well together in this track.”

TRACK 4: “Tout De Sweet” - The perfect outro to a debut EP. It flawlessly showcases Sicaria’s ability to craft melodies that both touch the depths of your soul and resonate with your own personal experiences. Not only does this one leave you relaxed and reflective but it also opens a window to your own raw emotions, allowing you to feel deeply connected with the artistry on a profound level.

“I feel like the final track is actually a bit of a curveball - I don’t think anyone who knows me would ever expect me to make something like it. With this one, I essentially just wanted to create an outro for the EP, something that has you in your feels you know; some very simple tappy drums with a switch in the second half. I wanted it to lead people towards focusing on conciseness - it’s an easy listening background beat to work to, chill out to or reflect on perhaps..?”

To finish… a chance for you to step back and look at the EP as a body of work, how do you feel about the project as a whole?

“I always knew I wanted to make four different tracks… perhaps just not this different haha. I think I might actually listen to too much music - it’s like I’ve put all of the different types of music I listen to into just four tracks, which was a lot of work, however, I am very pleased with how it’s turned out. I’ve actually only been producing and making music for about two years, very off and on as well, so it’s something that I’m yet to establish the same level of confidence in as DJing, which I’ve been doing for so long. I was actually beginning to find myself comparing my work to other established DJs in the scene and when you start to do that, it’s easy to get down but it’s also where you have to overcome your fears, you know? If you hold on for perfection, you’re never going to end up putting anything out there. I’m both happy and proud of what I’ve created. When I released the first track, I had plenty of positive feedback - I know we shouldn’t ever rely on other people for validation but it definitely helped with it being my first ever solo release and I’m now already motivated to get back in the studio to start making more music. I also think that looking back at what I’ve accomplished so far helped me massively too. I realised that everything I’ve done has always been authentic to me, I’ve never tried to sound like anyone else and I’ve always been honest to myself. I think as long as whatever you’re doing stays true to who you are, it’ll always prevail because you’ll feel good about it in the end. When you start trying to make what you think other people want to hear, you can easily start to subconsciously pull yourself away from what you’re doing, sometimes even up to the point where you don’t know who you are anymore.”