Manchester based artist Aaliyah Esprit was brought up on a sturdy diet of R&B, soul and timeless songwriting. From long car trips with her parents to moochy Sundays at home, she spent many of her early years singing along to the likes of Luther Vandross and Jagged Edge. Dance music and D&B arrived in her teens. 17, fake ID, going out with her mates. From this point onwards she was hook, line and sinker. There was no turning back as she dabbled deeper and deeper into club and rave culture.
Since 2019, Aaliyah has become one of the most distinctive voices in drum & bass, working closely with Lenzman, The North Quarter and a whole host of well-respected artists from across the scene. Yet through it all, that soulful, R&B sound she grew up on remained firmly fixed at the heart of her work.
Her latest single ‘My Ex-Stacy’ is her most bold offering yet. It’s ravey. It’s fun. It’s ready to get your heart rate up. Blending D&B, electronic influences and some rather playful storytelling, the track explores partying, escapism and chasing highs. The best bit? It’s told through the lens of a character named Stacy. Who is obviously Aaliyah’s ex? Right?
With an abundance of energy fuelling her movements, a wealth of songwriting experience behind her and some exciting new music on the horizon, we caught up with Aaliyah to find out about her exciting new chapter.
Aaliyah! Tell me about your journey into drum & bass.
My first big break in drum & bass came when DRS took me under his wing and invited me out to Outlook Festival when it was still in Pula, Croatia. He introduced me to everyone. He’d be like, ‘This is my sis, she’s just getting started in music.’ I had access to everything for the entire week – backstage, boat parties, every stage. He introduced me to every artist, label and DJ I could possibly need to know! When I got home my inbox was full of beats. People were sending me tracks asking me to write vocals and work with them. At that point I knew I wanted to do music, but I hadn’t really released much. I wasn’t recording my own vocals, I didn’t have a studio and I didn’t really know what I was doing. So I found a studio in Manchester, hired it for the day and literally went through every email I’d received. I wrote lyrics, recorded vocals and sent everything back. Every single person that had reached out got something back from me. They loved it.
Amazing! DRS opened the door and you walked straight through.
Yeah exactly. Everything snowballed from there, really. Looking back, that one week changed everything for me. It opened the door to the last ten years of my career. That’s also where I first met Lenzman. We exchanged emails and numbers and built one of the most beautiful friendships possible. I’ve done so much work with him over the years – for artists he’s signed, projects he’s been involved with and his own music too. Most of my work over the last decade has come through that relationship.
Lenzman is genuinely one of the best people I’ve met in music. Any problem I’ve ever had, I’ve been able to call him and ask for advice. Even now, he’s still thinking about music and creativity. He’s been an incredible friend as well as a huge part of my journey.
What are the similarities between R&B and D&B that draw you into both genres?
Honestly, I don’t think it was similarities between the genres that drew me in. R&B was what I grew up on. It’s what my parents played on Sundays and in the car. I grew up listening to everyone from Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston to Jagged Edge, and later artists like Isaiah Falls. R&B always felt like home to me. It was my safe space. When I was sad, it was the music that made me feel better.
Drum & bass came later. It started when I was seventeen, getting into raves with fake ID and going out with my friends. I completely fell in love with rave culture. I went from a pretty normal school upbringing to suddenly being immersed in this whole world of music, nightlife and community. A lot of my biggest memories from my twenties came from the drum & bass scene. So for me, R&B and drum & bass represent different parts of my life. One is where I came from and one helped shape who I became.
Let’s dive into your new track ‘My Ex-Stacy’. What’s the story?
The title is really a play on words. I was inspired by Britney Spears‘ ‘If U Seek Amy’. I always thought that was incredibly clever and I wanted to create something that had that same hidden meaning. That’s where the whole idea of ‘Stacy’ came from. The track creates this character called Stacy, but if you listen carefully to the lyrics you’ll work out who Stacy really is. I don’t want to give everything away, but that’s the whole concept behind it.
What’s also been exciting about this release is that it’s pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Rather than focusing on soulful R&B-style vocals over drum & bass, I leaned much more into the electronic side of things. There’s a bit of rap influence in there too. It feels different to a lot of the music I’ve released before. This track was produced by Channell, another The North Quarter label artist, who is a really talented producer and DJj, will shut down the dance, easy. It was also reworked by Bypass Music so some real great minds were involved in the production. On top of that, we’ve also got a music video coming out alongside the release, which was funded by Arts Council England. They’ve been amazing in helping bring the whole vision to life.
The track touches on partying, escapism and chasing highs. What do you think people are really searching for when they get caught in those cycles?
Freedom. For me, it reminds me of a period in life where I had very few worries. My friends were around me all the time, we just wanted to have a good time and life felt simple. I wasn’t worried about bills or responsibilities. All I cared about was when I was seeing my friends next and where we were going out. When I think about those years, that’s what comes to mind. Freedom, connection and good vibes.
You’ve spent time writing in Bali and Italy, collaborated across multiple genres and worked with so many different artists. What have those experiences taught you about yourself?
They’ve taught me that I’m not just one thing. When I first got into music I wanted to be a singer and perform on stage. That was the dream. Now one of my biggest passions is songwriting for other people. Over the last year alone I’ve written for rock artists, pop artists and country artists. I’ve genuinely enjoyed every second of it. Writing has always come naturally to me. I’ve always loved stories, reading, lyrics and creative writing. I’m quite spontaneous with it too. I don’t need an hour alone in a room. I can walk into a session, hear something and immediately start building ideas.
Working across different genres taught me that my skills aren’t limited to one style of music. It’s not just something I can do within drum & bass or R&B. The skills translate across everything. Being in those rooms also taught me the importance of staying open-minded. Every idea is a good idea. Sometimes contributing means bringing a lyric. Sometimes it means humming a melody. Sometimes it means saying nothing and letting somebody else’s idea develop. When you’re in the room with the right people, that process becomes really easy. I think at the end of the day you’re always trying to create something that makes people feel something. If a song gives somebody a good feeling, it almost doesn’t matter what genre it belongs to.
Absolutely! If someone listened to your music for the first time, what are you hoping they’d take away from the experience?
I hope they want to throw their hands in the air, blast it as loud as possible, sing along and share it with all their friends. I remember when we finished recording ‘My Ex-Stacy’ and thinking, ‘This is going to sound amazing on a festival sound system.’ It has that fun, carefree energy and that’s exactly what I hope people hear when they listen to it. And if the more electronic side of my music isn’t for them, then hopefully they’ll find something else in my catalogue that connects with them. There’s soulful music, liquid drum & bass, more electronic records and plenty in between. I genuinely think there’s something for everyone in my discography.
