British-Guinean singer Jamilah Barry has been enthralling audiences since her early teens, but that doesn’t mean her career was laid out for her. In the run-up to the release of her recent EP Full Circle, she spent years burning the candle at both ends: daytimes spent working a soulless corporate job followed by studio sessions that would run early into the morning. But, eventually, the puzzle pieces started falling into place. First, the Hail Mary decision to quit her job, then, chance reunions with old-time musical collaborators and, finally, a period of absence that reignited her love with the city she was born in. It is through all these pivotal moments that Full Circle gained its name, not to mention the beguiling ferocity that makes it so compelling.

With production running the full gamut of UK sonics – right through from afrobeats and RnB to folk and drill – and lyrics like “I’m running to the bag now, but running from the bank because I can’t pay my bills”, the project is a testament to a musical independence that has been hard-fought for. “I feel like I shed a lot of skin in the process,” Barry tells Dazed. “Every song represents a piece of my journey, it’s a reflection of my inner growth, both as an artist and as a person.”

Despite this being a firmly British story, however, much of Full Circle was recorded abroad in La Rochelle, France, a process that Barry credits with giving her the peace and quiet to fully take stock of her journey. “I felt like I was crashing out in London and La Rochelle turned out to be the perfect place to be,” she explains. “[Executive producer] Rømme and I were fully locked in and I was most definitely rejuvenated upon my return to London.”

The isolation also helped her to escape any attempts to pigeonhole her artistry. “People often have these fixed ideas of what an artist, especially a Black woman, is supposed to sound like, look like or represent,” Barry explains. “There’s a tendency to box us in, expecting us to stay within certain genres or themes. Or worse, live up to ridiculous expectations and standards that no one else is held to. Me, personally? I’m not about it.” On Full Circle, Barry cusses out exes, lays bare broken dreams and falls in love again all with the same breath – it‘s release not only squares the circle, but also full circles the box.

Below, Jamilah Barry comes fittingly full circle by sharing the stories behind her most heartfelt releases.

“THE LOVE IS GONE”

Jamilah Barry: OK, so this song is probably the craziest I’ve ever gone on vocals, in terms of backing vocals and harmonies. Honestly, I don’t think you can even tell when you listen to the riddim, but I really need to release the a cappella or something because it is crazy! Rømme and I totally overdid it, but it was so fun. It was exciting to push myself in a way I hadn’t before. I think this was the first time I’ve done that on a track. We just went completely ham, because again, who’s gonna flog us! There are literally hundreds of vocal tracks, and I’m not mad about it, I just feel like I’ve definitely set myself up for a challenge because now I have to sing it live! There are like seven different people on that track – but they’re also all me [laughs]. Oh, and some say it was my queer debut, so! Shout out to me for making such a fun, sexy song.

“BEAST.”

Jamilah Barry: Ooof, ‘Beast.’ came about from a little bit of a block, yuno… but it’s currently one of my favourite songs! I rallied the troops (Rømme, Oddbox, and MIDNIGHT PHUNK) and I was like, OK, guys! We’re starting again, from fresh. I needed something new, something that felt exciting and different. I wanted the autotune, I wanted garage, I wanted that raw energy. We just threw ourselves into it, trying new things, and that’s when it all came together. The beat drop, the vibe – it was a fresh start and exactly what I needed. There’s something about it that feels like the perfect balance between chaos and control, and I think that’s why it resonates with me so much now. It’s a reminder that even in moments of uncertainty or creative block, there’s always room to start over and find something that feels right.

“MOINS-QUE-RIEN”

Jamilah Barry: MQR is special because the skeleton of the song existed long before I had my hands on it. I still remember Rømme and Oddbox showing me Palladium’s voice in 2022 or whenever it was and I was shooooook. It was like a breath of fresh air, such a unique sound that honestly reminded me of something I hadn’t heard since Patrick Wolf back in like 2008. I needed him on the project, I needed that song and it was such a moment to collaborate on something that gave me chills and made the hairs on my arms stand up.

“WAIT 2 LONG”

Jamilah Barry: It’s clear, this song is about love. And it was made with love, surrounded by love. It started with me and Rømme in the studio – him playing guitar and me singing along. Us literally figuring out chord by chord what direction the song was going in. It’s our baby! Our youte! I can’t say there’s a song out there like it. It feels very much like us. A sonic representation of us, which we couldn’t have planned. It was a long, but beautiful journey and also included the defining session where Marco came to lay down saxophone. The session that led me to the decision of calling the project Full Circle. The addition of Yussef’s drums and Caleb’s poetry at the end, ugh. It just takes the record to another level. It’s one of my favourite pieces of work ever. No time signature, no rules, just pure feeling.

“ALONE”

Jamilah Barry: ‘Alone’ is quite a deep one for me. At the time, I was working a full-time job while still trying to pursue music, and honestly, it was breaking me. It got to the point where juggling both became so hard. I’d be in the studio after a full day of work, sometimes getting as little as two hours of sleep before heading back to the office. Whew, it was a lot! I didn’t expect to make a song about it, but somehow the hook just came to me super easily. It was during a writing camp in Switzerland, and the words ‘working like the days are ever long, so some nights I wanna spend it on my own’ just flowed out. Safe to say, I was fed up, haha. And craving solitude.

In a bigger sense, the song is also about capitalism and what it does to a person. The ‘grind’ and the constant pressure like, it really does leave you feeling disconnected and drained! Connections with people – with your community – are the only thing that can keep you going sometimes. However, there’s also something really special about being able to be ‘alone together’ with someone. Being content with doing and saying nothing whilst still being in their presence. Being completely and utterly at one with them – the divinity of it. That’s something I was cherishing deeply at the time, and it felt right to capture that feeling.

Watch Jamilah Barry’s live rendition of Full Circle here, and grab tickets to her upcoming tour here.