Nabihah Iqbal Is In Her Healing Era

Nabihah Iqbal’s 2023 sophomore album, Dreamer, almost never happened. A genre-blurring collection of electronic-meets-indie dance tracks, she describes the album as the “most important music [I’ve] made in [my] life,” though it was a tough process. “I went through a really hard time. A lot of bad stuff happened in the process of trying to make this record. There was a time I didn’t think I’d be able to finish it. The music is symbolic of how resilient the human mind and body can be.”

The West London-born artist, 36, who is married to the menswear designer Nicholas Daley, spent most of 2024 touring the album and also experienced her greatest live show to date. “After 10 years of playing music, the best gig I’ve ever played in my life happened in January last year. It was at Prince’s venue, First Avenue, in Minneapolis. It was the most soul-enhancing experience I’ve ever had with such an amazing crowd, I’ll never forget it. Maybe Prince’s spirit was in the building.”

Nabihah wears jeans by DKNY

As her world tour came to a close in Brazil in early November, Iqbal had some time before the gigs restarted in February (though she did some DJ gigs in January) so she headed to upstate New York – to the Catskill Mountains to be precise – where she took part in two-month artists’ residency with one goal only: to make new music. “I’ve definitely got a few ideas in my head,” she teases. Watch this space.

Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here. 

@nabihahiqbal

SOUNDS OF THE UK

Portrait ANNA STOKLAND
Text ISOBEL VAN DYKE
Fashion assistant GEORGIA EDWARDS
Production ZAC APOSTOLOU and SONYA MAZURYK