Name: Konyikeh

Where She’s From: London-born, Essex-raised

When She Started: 2023

Genre: Soul/R&B

File Next To: Ego Ella May, SIPHO., Yazmin Lacey

Sounds Like: “In terms of genre, I don’t know; I have struggled with that for a while. I think with the music that’s out now, I guess it would fit in the category of soul, maybe R&B at a push. I don’t really mind what anyone calls it, as long as you’re not obtuse with it. I think with some of the new stuff I have coming out, it’ll be interesting to hear and see where people think it sits. I’d just say it’s good music and authentic to me.”

First Music That Inspired Her: “I’ve always been surrounded by music, since I was a child, and that’s a plethora of genres. But the first song that made me think, ‘Damn! I wish I’d written that song,’ was ‘Royals’ by Lorde. I thought it was just an amazing song, sonically, and the lyrics were amazing.”

A healthy appreciation of all music was nurtured in Konyikeh’s family home growing up. As a child, she would play in orchestras and choirs, so classical music was a must and her father was endlessly encouraging. “My dad was obsessed with Debiles’ ‘Flower Duet’, from the opera Lakmé, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 would always be heard throughout the house,” she tells TRENCH. “I also spent a lot of time in cars, and I distinctly remember on Sundays listening to Elaine Paige on Sundays on BBC Radio 2 as I was driven to my violin lessons—and they played a lot of musical theatre.”

Away from the orchestra, Konyikeh was enamoured with ‘90s and 2000s soul and R&B. Destiny’s Child and Rihanna were the canon, and Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation Of Mimi was the core text that, she says, “changed the chemistry of my brain.” With that well-rounded education from her father and a classical training from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, it was no wonder she struck up a friendship with Dave, who recruited her to perform on stage with him at his infamous, flaming guitar performance at the 2022 BRIT Awards. A relative unknown at the time, it was a daunting prospect, but it proved to be the making of Konyikeh.

The following year, the singer-songwriter released her debut EP, Litany, via FAMM—the label that artists like Jorja Smith and Maverick Sabre call home. Last year’s Problem With Authority EP not only lived up to the hype created by its predecessor, but it also cemented her future. She now wraps up 2025 with a headline show in London and her new single, “Vulnerability”, which is her first since the last EP. The new track was a return to her roots of sorts, dialling back into the vulnerable songwriting style suggested by her title and, in a full-circle moment, the violin she studied for a decade in her youth.

An acoustic live performance of “Vulnerability” ties a bow on this year, and Konyikeh is already looking ahead to 2026. She has another headline show at SJQ on the books for February 2026, and judging by the way she attacked this year, we can no doubt expect plenty more for the next one.