From Lagos to London, is injecting the spirit and rhythms of Nigeria into UK trap. Finding inspiration everywhere she goes, the rapper is merging worlds to create a fresh, futuristic sound, dubbed ‘Wicked Babe Music’. Growing up in Lagos, her move to England for school at just 12 was a massive culture shock. Thankfully, she found solace in London’s burgeoning grime scene. “It just blew my mind,” she says. “It was such a different style of rapping. It gave me a whole new perspective.” 

Despite feeling torn between two homes, music bridged her disparate worlds. It was a producer friend at university who first encouraged her to jump on a track. “I remembered when I was younger, I used to write poems and do all this creative stuff, but I kind of just lost myself. So making music was me finding myself again,” she reflects. 

DEELA shared her debut mixtape ‘’ last year. Her rave-ready anthems – bassy, percussive, atmospheric backdrops layered with her signature slick bars – ushered in a new era of ‘Wicked Babe Music’. It embodied “the spirit of being confident and a go-getter; it’s also the attitude of being Nigerian.” To DEELA, it’s more than music: it’s an aura. “What’s so funny is I didn’t actually come up with the concept,” she explains. “I posted a video to my track ‘’ and people on TikTok were like, ‘Wicked Babe Music is so back’. It made so much sense! It’s very Nollycore, very confident babe.”

The production DEELA spits over is never predictable. She pulls inspiration from rave, the Alté scene, and UK dance hybrids. “One thing about me, I love rapping over any style,” she shares. “I can give it some space but I always come back. I have so much to say.” 

Trusting your gut and doing something different often requires taking the long road, but some recent major collaborations tell us she’s on the right track. DEELA featured on the on Little Simz’ experimental-dance EP ‘Sugar Girl’, later performing with her at Cross The Tracks. She supported Amaarae in Paris and London, and linked up with South African producer Vanco on the infectious Afrohouse number ‘’. 

Fashion, film and beauty are also key parts of DEELA’s repertoire. To her, “music videos serve as an extension of what a song means, [a way] to go deeper into artists’ minds.” Always imaginative, vibrant, and serving looks, her visuals are well worth the attention. 

In July, DEELA dropped a scintillating double-single, a fusion of “dirty bass, funky, still in the dance realm but I’m crazily rapping as well.” With every release solidifying DEELA’s presence on tastemaker lists, it’s obvious she’s well equipped for a global takeover. Watch this space.