Alewya is an Ethiopian–Egyptian artist, singer, producer and visual creative whose work bridges continents and disciplines. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. She represents a new generation of artists reshaping global music rooted in heritage yet unbound by it. Describing herself as a painter who makes music, Alewya approaches sound as texture and feeling, guided more by intuition than by structure. Her upbringing was a collision of worlds: the devotional cadence of Quranic recitations, the pulse of Ethiopian music, and her older brother’s alt-leaning tastes (The Strokes, Deerhunter, Mount Kimbie) alongside her own diet of garage, grime, R&B and hip-hop. This fusion continues to animate her palette. Early support from drum & bass pioneer Shy FX helped her develop an ethos grounded in roots, culture and authenticity, principles that still anchor her work. For Alewya, the goal is simple: she is not trying to be understood, but to understand herself through expression. Alewya made her debut with Panther in Mode (2021), a project that introduced a fearless new voice within the UK’s alternative landscape. With its blend of Afro-electronic percussion and striking visual identity, the record captured a rare synthesis of sound, movement and art, both grounded and otherworldly. Since then, she has carved a distinct lane within London’s evolving soundscape. A COLORS performance of “Ethiopia,” her collaboration with Moses Boyd on “The Code,” and a UK tour supporting Little Simz expanded her reach, while appearances at Boiler Room Berlin and Glastonbury cemented her reputation for hypnotic, body-led live shows. ZERO marks a new chapter in sound, spirit and purpose. Where Panther in Mode roared with fire, ZERO breathes with surrender. A work shaped by humility before creation itself. Inspired in part by Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife, the album reflects on the notion of zero as the twin of infinity: an entity that embodies everything and nothing. Built on five creative pillars; Roots, Deconstruction, Space, Feminine Assertion and Instinct, the album explores the fullness of being human: contradiction, energy, discovery and the meeting of worlds. Alewya self-produced large portions of the record, spending three years circling the finish line four times before the album revealed its final form. Sonically, ZERO expresses a desire to breathe freely and exist without expectation or constraint. It asserts the right to be imperfect and emotionally honest, encouraging the embrace of all moods and identities as valid expressions of the self. The record maps a journey of unlearning and relearning, of releasing control, moving through vulnerability into acceptance and capturing a period of personal evolution during a world in upheaval. Tuned out from external noise, Alewya created from solitude and faith. Executive-produced by Shy FX, with collaborators including Busy Twist, Emmanuel (EJB) and Ethiopian creatives, the sessions remained deliberately intimate. Permission to play, to let God into the room, to welcome both intensity and silence. Her process is deeply physical: she writes from feeling, allowing melody and rhythm to arrive first before shaping them with words. Beyond music, art remains Alewya’s most sacred form of expression. She avoids rigid plans or categorisation, trusting instead in process and energy. Her creative world is rooted in instinct — with her paintings often foreshadowing themes her music later uncovers, as though her art knows before she does. Each offering becomes a mirror for her evolution: a dialogue between her spirit and her work. For Alewya, heritage is not performance but presence. Ethiopian rhythms, Egyptian mysticism and London grit move naturally through her creations. Her identity is both origin and instrument, embodied rather than explained. Guided by faith and conviction, she creates from a place of inner authority. Her art is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake, but a reminder that creative, spiritual and personal freedom is her truest form of expression. As she prepares to release ZERO, Alewya stands at the forefront of a global creative movement reshaping multilingual, multi-identity sound and existence. ZERO marks a renewed beginning the point where nothingness becomes everything, and freedom takes form. It signals the arrival of Alewya in full: an artist defined not by category. If you have any queries or would like more information about access at Village Underground, please see our FAQs here: https://bit.ly/3EhSLgF, or contact access@villageunderground.co.uk. Presented by Metropolis Music. 16+ event. (16-17 with a responsible adult 18+,1:1)