It’s been two years since 22-year old Aby Coulibaly released her debut single ‘Taurus’ out of the blue, but it feels as though she’s been a mainstay of Irish contemporary culture for far longer. Coulibaly’s gorgeous, wavy, laidback vocals,combined with classic R&B instrumentation, has drawn parallels to artists such as Jorja Smith, and has seen her stock rise both in Ireland and across the Irish sea.
Musically speaking, Coulibaly had an eclectic upbringing as her early years were soundtracked by a mix of rap and R&B classics of the 90’s and her father’s more traditional, Senegalese tastes. “My earliest memory of any artists I liked would be Lauryn Hill, Boyz II Men, and Eminem” she adds, “then of course Destiny's Child and Avril Lavigne as well”.
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Through secondary school, she would record herself performing covers, but once she grew a little older she started becoming friends with a group who encouraged her to write her own music. “I always wanted to but I just didn’t have the confidence until they pushed me,” Coulibaly explains, “and that's when I began writing and finding my sound”.
During the spring of 2019, she would spend countless hours in the studio with producer Moyo and fellow Irish artist Monjola, throwing ideas around and seeing what stuck. When Aby’s birthday rolled around in May, they began work on the track that would eventually become ‘Taurus’. “I knew it had to be my first one because of how excited I was to share it,” she explains of a track which details getting over a situationship. “I wrote it after I had ended things with a guy who I really liked at the time, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted so I had told him not to waste anymore of my time and ended things,” she said of the time; “I was surprised by how easy it was for me to move on and not be upset because I had made the decision that I deserved better”.
Since then, Coulibaly has released four more singles in ‘Maybe’, ‘Long Nights’, ‘Where You At’ and ‘Chamomile Tea’, all of which have continued to evolve Coulibaly’s sound and in particular her accent. Growing up listening to mostly US R&B, she was nervous about introducing her Dublin accent but admits it’s now something she’s proud of. “I’ve definitely become comfortable with my own accent,” she adds. “I’ve just become more comfortable in myself as a person and an artist as well”.
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As well as her own personal career, she has also been involved in launching and developing thriving Dublin collective Chamomile Records. Created alongside Monjola and producer Moyo, the name was inspired by Coulibaly’s propensity to bringing chamomile tea to the studio when they were recording. “It’s been amazing to be a part of Chamomile,” she smiles, before adding that the world should pay attention “because there’s nothing like us in Ireland and we’re about to take over the world”.
As well as slowly grinding away in the studio and developing her growing sense of self-confidence over the past number of months, she’s also begun performing live, having not really had the opportunity prior to 2020. She’s performed packed out sets in London, Dublin and supported Limerick rapper Denise Chaila at Dublin’s historic Olympia Theatre alongside her Chamomile Records colleagues. As well as that, she’s scheduled to perform at a number of festivals both home and abroad, and looks set to make the stage her home in the coming months. “I love performing live,” she admits, “I really love it. I started releasing music during COVID and everything I did was pre-recorded with no audience up until recently so now actually having an audience to feed off of their energy is so much fun, I love it!”
For now however, her focus is set on her latest single ‘On My Ones’ and its accompanying music video, which is directed by Sam Fall Over & Monjola. ‘On My Ones’ preaches the importance of one’s own space and time, and carving your own lane despite others' expectations. “‘On My Ones’ is about enjoying my own company and being by myself,” Coulibaly explains of the inspiration for the track. “I’ve always been that person to leave parties early because I’m tryna go home to my bed. It’s also about disconnecting myself from everything like social media, even friends sometimes, because I just need to sit with my own thoughts and emotions and be in my own company for a while".
This is undoubtedly Aby’s most assured and confident release to date, and sets a high bar for everything that is to come. If there is one person who knows about smashing expectations, however, it’s Aby and with new music on the way throughout 2022 she looks set to continue her upward trajectory.
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Words: Cailean Coffey
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