Out tomorrow, January 14, ‘If It Is Any Constellation’ is the debut EP of poetry, set to music, from North London poet, Fatima G Elrify.
You can pre-save ‘If It Is Any Constellation’ here.
Comprising 6 tracks, combining poetry and instrumentals, ‘If It Is Any Constellation’ is unusual in its concept, but entirely worth a listen or two. Set to accompany her debut book of poetry, the EP is deeply compelling; the assertive and strident feminism in Elrify’s words evident in every syllable.
Emboldening her words with a musical accompaniment which reflects her Egyptian heritage, the EP fuses both the English and Arabic cultures which were the formative elements of her childhood. Recorded in Egypt, Fatima takes the two halves of her upbringing in an incredibly powerful, and overwhelmingly moving debut.
Fatima, who was born and raised in Finsbury Park, North London, in a multicultural home, blends a wide range of influences and cultures in her work, writing about love, heartbreak, finding yourself again, and above all, what it means to be a woman.
Speaking of her influences and inspirations, she says,
“The theme of my spoken word can be summarised in two of my poems: ‘I was once blinded by love and ever since I have been trying to lose my sight’ and ‘I have noted all my life, that I think in English and feel in Arabic yet both my heart and brain run towards each other.'”
You quickly forget that Fatima is speaking the words; her vocals are as melodic as the instrumentals. Three of the tracks are poetry, while the final three are the instrumentals alone, and it’s great to have the contrast between the two. The instrumentals to the title track contain a “heartbeat” like beat, which takes on two different meanings depending on whether you’re listening to the poetry or to the music alone. Fatima’s words speak of heartbeats at exactly the same time as the beat begins; but in the instrumental only version they are, while no less powerful, somewhat less emphatic.
‘If It Is Any Constellation’ is out tomorrow, 14 January. You can find out more about Fatima G Elrify and her poetry online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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