15-year-old mixed-heritage newcomer Safiyah Hernandez has arrived with her debut album, Homesick via BMG/Young Forever. Written over the course of three years, Homesick is a mixture of indie rock, RnB/pop with Arabic tones. As a young Muslim woman of color, Safiyah is keen to represent her identity through her poetic lyrics and genre-bending sound.
Alongside the release of the album, Safiyah has also released the music video for “Mars,” a somber ballad that emphasizes the destructive consequences of climate change while holding hope for action and change. Check out the video, animated by Joëlle Carreño now below.
Growing up Safiyah was influenced by a wide range of genres of music including East Coast 90’s hip hop, alternative rock, Bollywood, and traditional Mexican music. Amongst her favorite artists are A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, The Beatles, Nirvana, Umm Kulthum, Lata Mangeshkar, ROSALIA, and Selena. Her diverse music also reflects her own rich heritage, with Pakistani, Mexican, Irish, and Italian roots.
Safiyah’s songs are a personal journal reflecting her own inner thoughts and feelings in relation to social justice issues, familial loss, and personal life events. This creative outlet has provided a form of healing, which she hopes to share with music lovers all over the world.