Jaira Burns

WAFIA from Australia! And her SF debut at Popscene on January 26, 2018!Support from another fantastic new artist JAIRA BURNS + Popscene resident DJ Aaron AxelsenWafia, Brisbane-based 24-year-old former pre-med student has found that music gives her mind a chance to relax, to not overthink. But that scientific penchant for pattern and physical observation feeds Wafia’s music in all the right ways. Her latest collection of songs, VIII, ups the ante on the dynamic from her 2015 EP XXIX, peeling back some of the thickened arrangements and keeping only what’s essential. Wafia's thoughtful, imaginative pop that feels bold and opulent without relying on shallow bells and whistles. Instead, it hits in places much deeper. Wafia's elegant, vaporous voice is as penetrating as a diamond bullet. Her songs have found champions in music heavyweights like Pharrell and collaborators like Ben Abraham, Finneas and Tak-ku.Her tracks, like “Bodies” from her forthcoming VIII EP with its ‘80s-nodding beat and uptight snaps, are often dance floor siren songs. It's big pop: triumphant, thunderous and crystalline. But dare to dig a touch deeper and one will find something more at stake, something more sweeping. Wafia, born Wafia Al-Rikabi and of Iraqi and Syrian heritage, has personally felt the political tensions of our modern era. She brings it all to the fore in her powerful, boundless music.