new music: meet barli – the “rum woman”

London has been churning out a plethora of high quality soul singers over the five years or so.  One of the more recent artists to steal the London, indie limelight is BARLI, a wondrously dark, r&b slash pop slash soulful melodic enigma. Her 2014 Pebbles EP, which was a joint effort with producer Tom Epoch, received high praise from several revered UK outlets, now BARLI is on route to dazzle the US in much the same way.

By Ayara Pommells, AFROPUNK Contributor 

.The visuals for ‘Rum Woman’ seamlessly combined the breezy, whimsical warmth of the tropics with the black and grey starkness of our beloved London Town.  Citing legendary poet Gil Scott-Heron as her biggest inspiration, listening to BARLI’s robust, yet floaty musings, the influence is apparent. The BARLI musical experience is akin to scuba diving in a cool, equatorial ocean under the blazing hot sun donning a pair of Skullcandy over the head earphones. A delectable expedition to Atlantis and beyond. Modern soul’s mellifluous mermaid. 

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How was your recent London show?

The show was delightful thank you! Coming from us being holed up in the studio for almost a year to seeing people singing along and really feeling our music was very rewarding. 

Have you had any annoying music comparisons?

Not yet. We don’t mind the comparisons really as people will relate whatever they feel to hearing our songs. Music is too personal for the listener to control. 

Do you still consider yourself a “newcomer” to the industry?

Yes absolutely. The amount of people we would like to have hearing our music has yet to be reached. 

What do you have in the pipeline in 2015?

A few collaborations are occurring as we speak, more live shows and releasing new music. 

Name one guilty pleasure TV show?

We’re kinda out of the TV loop. I only just finished all of the episodes of ‘The Sopranos’ back to back. I’m so late!

Follow BARLI on Twitter @iambarli

* Ayara Pommells is Owner of UK website Rawroots.com and a music writer for Soultrain.com, SOHH.com &         AFROPUNK.com. PR for SomeOthaShip Connect. Follow @YahYahNah.