Written by: Oliver Heffron
Aqyila paints a positive picture through anthemic R&B songs. Since her breakout track “Vibe for Me (Bob for Me),” an infectious viral hit featuring island-style melodic nods to her Jamaican roots, earned Toronto-native a nomination at the 2022 Juno Awards for “Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year,” the singer-songwriter has turned heads with her distinct blend of R&B featuring innovative upbeat production, glossy vocals and moving lyrical themes about the power in sisterhood, positivity, introspection, and self-love.
Released today, Aqyila’s debut EP For the Better introduces the world to the Canadian artists’ contagious optimism and catchy melodies through a series of tracks that don’t shy away from change. “Hello” delivers a moving message on letting go of the past to welcome a better future, reflecting a central theme of continual self-improvement by accepting a positive transformation.
The EP’s production welcomes change through an engaging sonic variance, surrounding Aqyila’s euphonious vocals with different colors from a radiant palette. The neo-soul jam “We Keep On'' laments the everyday struggle of heartbreak over fuzzy retro synth keys. On “Moving Like That,” Aqyila’s voice glides flawlessly over glamorous trap-pop beat, while “OH!” layers vocal samples with wobble synth swells and visceral lyrics about hitting “7-Eleven for Excedrin” to deal with the hangover of love: “I heard that hurt people hurt people who they love the most / And hearts never break equal, I hate that now I know.” The talent packed into this 6-track debut, along with the strides Aqyila’s made in such a short career thus far, is more than enough to make it evident she’s an artist worth giving a listen to if you want to feel something–especially hope.
Aqyila sat down with Nuance for a written interview to talk about growing up in Toronto, why she started making music, and how her passion suddenly became a career:
Photo Credit: Matthew Guido
Born and raised in Etobicoke, Toronto, Aqyila grew up rollerblading around her neighborhood cul-de-sac with her old friend Caleb before going home to her parents, who regularly played Gospel, R&B, and Rap music around the house. Aqyila remembers, “I would hear a lot of Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston as a kid, and I vividly remember imitating Whitney’s runs that she’d do in ‘Try It On My Own’… Whitney Houston inspired me so much as a kid. I feel like through imitating her music I was able to teach myself how to sing.”
From an early age, Aqyila was passionate about music as a fan, and still is as much as ever today: “Music gives me the happiest feeling. When I’m not creating it, I love discovering new rising artists on Spotify and making playlists.” Like many music lovers growing up on the internet during the 2010s, Aqyila began translating her passion for music into songs and uploading them because it was something she enjoyed, not anticipating a career would come out of it:
“I started posting songs I had written to beats on Soundcloud in 2015. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and turning them into melodies for people to listen to. Although my audience wasn’t massive, I enjoyed sharing covers and original songs there.”
The track “Vibe for Me (Bob for Me)” was Aqyila’s definite breakout moment and an impressive display of her talent, and it came from an effortless, inconspicuous spark of inspiration:
“I was in my bed, scrolling through YouTube searching for beats to write to on TikTok. I stumbled across a beat created by Thomas Crager & PDub the Producer. I started singing about a bob wig, just for fun and had put it in my drafts. A few minutes later I decided to post it and went about my night. I was making dinner when my phone started to go off like crazy on TikTok. Since this day I haven’t turned my notifications back on TikTok.”
Photo Credit: Matthew Guido
After watching millions of people using her sound, including icons like Lizzo and Monica, Aqyila went to the studio to record a studio version around Christmas. Once snippet’s from the official track began to blow up with label interest at the door, the Canadian singer-songwriter released the single via Sony Music Entertainment Canada and soon had a debut hit on her hands. Suddenly, Aqyila wasn’t just pretending to be Whitney Houston anymore–she was a rising R&B star herself.
Working towards her debut EP For The Better, Aqyila challenged herself with each track to try new things, exploring different influences and themes to evolve her sound. For the lead single “Hello,” Aqyila and producer Evan Miles had a blast working together to manifest the track’s vibrant melodies and dreamy atmosphere:
“It was so fun. Evan and I would hear different things and it made building the song process even cooler. Although I don’t play any instruments & music theory isn’t my strong suit, I usually imitate notes and sounds with my voice, making it easier for the producer to nail exactly what I’m talking about.”
For Aqyila, “Hello” is about “starting fresh, letting go, and welcoming all that is positive, refreshing, and new.” From the outpouring of appreciation from her fans, the singer-songwriter was deeply touched and inspired by how the song resonated with her audience in a similar way that it did for her:
“People have told me how the song has been helping them heal from current and past situations. I love the way this song has healed my inner child and it continues to make waves as it heals others…I love to create music that makes me feel good first, so when other people gravitate towards my songs and connect with them it makes them even more special.”