Kadi Music

Currently dread leaving my house in this bitter cold season 🥶 so I'm remencing sun through photos 🥲😭

Today is World Prematurity Day 🤎

I was born at 26 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 2 ounces

We praise God that I made it 🙏🏾 and that I'm healthy with no long lasting disabilities🤎 When I think about it now being 24 years old, it reminds me to appreciate the life I have regardless of its obstacles and challenges, I owe it to God and myself! If life was really simple, what we doing here?

This was my exact expression when I released Shed This Skin. Years into the process of writing, when I decided that I wanted to release music, an EP wouldn't cut it for me. This was a story and project that screamed "ALBUM"!

Being an independent artist there are so many suggestions on this journey, strategies on how we should go about releasing music. Start with singles because your new. Do an EP to get people familiar with you! People dont listen to albums anymore. All with the best intentions ofcourse, but learning how to navigate this new era of the music business it was important that I just start with the focus on creating this project with no pressure other than to share my story.

I know in today's world, the attention span is short so 10 songs may seem like a lot to get through, a good 30+ mins to get through Shed This Skin. But I'm not going to leave you hanging to get through it on your own. I intend to spotlight each song, taking your hand through it 🤩

Thank you for taking the time out to listen to all 10 songs or even just 1, it really does mean a lot!

📸: Queenie Chizea
📍: Trestle Studios

All you need is good company 🤎👭🏾

I look at you and smile because it hasn't changed 🥹

Little did you really know that music would become part of your anchor. Every melody sung, every word written would become part of your healing process and integral to your wellbeing 🤎

Keep smiling. Keep believing in yourself, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how far you get, remember this is a journey. Keep songwriting ✍🏾 the core of your WHY and enjoy the process of it all 🤩 because that's all that really matters 🤎

ONE WEEK TO GO TILL THE ALBUM LAUNCH! EEEK!

Tuesday 24th October
📍Rose & Crown (Kentish Town)
⌚️ 7:30pm - 9:00pm
🎫 £10 (link is in bio)

I'm ngl putting together an album and show is A LOT but I've always tried to lean into the core of why I do this. Songwriting gave me a voice when I was made to think that I didn't have one.

If I didnt have music I would be a shell of myself for the rest of my life. Being able to express myself through words and chords has been so important for my mental wellbeing and development growing up.

Shed This Skin is my first album project, it's an introduction to me. Snapshots of who I am, where I've been and the person I'm becoming. These 10 songs were the process to shedding the emotional weight I was carrying, touching on family dsyfunction, doubt, fatherlessness, hope and emotional healing.

I'm so proud and truly grateful that I get to do this. I cant wait to see you there 😁

It's Friday and I'm off for two weeks half term! yay 🥳 When I found out that the date I picked for my show would be in the week of half term I immediately had a sigh of relief!

I have time to mentally prepare for such a special moment in my journey as an independent artist ❤️ As I'm writing this I'm making my way to my first rehearsal 🎵

In 11 days (24th October) together we're celebrating the release of MY FIRST album project 'Shed This Skin' at The Rose & Crown in Kentish Town 🥳🥳

I have a very special friend and talented R&B songstress supporting the night ✨ and there are's a few lil suprises for YOU! which I'm excited about 😏

Tickets are £10 (link in my bio)

I cant wait to see you there! 🥰

My favourite song of my album project 'Shed This Skin' is in fact the title itself.

Shed This Skin is a song about no longer being pinned down by my past, wanting to shed things that I let define me. There was so much unforgiveness for myself and the people around me. family dsyfunction, friendship breakdowns, traumas, anxieties. Too much to go into that I just want to let go of, and at the same time experience is also a teacher. Everything that I've been through shapes me into the person I am and I get to decide who I want to be moving forward.

Its much easier said than done though, the past can really haunt you and for over a decade it really haunted me.

It's scary to think that an 'extreme' forced me to wake up and do something about it. But sometimes that's just what you need. God knows what I need to wake up and at the same time I have free will to do something about it.

In no way did I write this song with any religious intention, but lately every time I listen to Shed This Skin, I cant help but think of Jesus.

"One day I'll shed this skin, and free up the space, close the wound and say that I feel no pain, let the light come in and beam on my face"

I keep thinking about what Jesus said about there being no more mourning, no more tears. At the time I didnt know what the actual verse was, I found it eventually and it gave me hope. (Revelation 21:3)

It's every artist's dream to produce a body of work that their proud of, express who they are and what they want to say.

It feels me with joy to say that that my first album project is just that. Shed This Skin, my first album project is coming out on the 25th October and to celebrate I personally invite you to share this night with me on Tuesday 24th October at The Rose & Crown before it officially releases.

Shed This Skin contains 10 songs I wrote between 2017 - 2020 that holds significant meaning for me. These words serve as both a source of vulnerability, encouragement and healing that I'm excited to share with you.

The link is in my bio to purchase tickets 🎫

It's going to be an intimate and exclusive night you wont want to miss, so dont leave it too late to get your tickets!

I cant wait to celebrate this moment with you!😁

📸:
📍:

went for a walk in nature today 🌳🍂

It's every artist's dream to produce a body of work that their proud of, express who they are and what they want to say.

It feels me with joy to say that that my first album project is just that. Shed This Skin, my first album project is coming out on the 25th October and to celebrate I personally invite you to share this night with me on Tuesday 24th October at The Rose & Crown before it officially releases.

Shed This Skin contains 10 songs I wrote between 2017 - 2020 that holds significant meaning for me. These words serve as both a source of vulnerability, encouragement and healing that I'm excited to share with you.

The link is in my bio to purchase tickets 🎫

It's going to be an intimate and exclusive night you wont want to miss, so dont leave it too late to get your tickets!

I cant wait to celebrate this moment with you!😁

📸:
📸: .photo

Last week's life dump of celebration in no paticular order ✨

• 2 becoming 1 💍
• Bestfriend's joint birthday party
• Kadi cooks beef steak and couscous
• Celebrating my lil sister with an evening meal 🍔

ITSS YOURR BIRTHDAYYY 🥳🥳🥳
Your a risk taker, your resilient, your wise and I'm so grateful to God for you and your life 🥳
I know God is going to exceed your wildest hopes and dreams for his Glory 🙏🏾 I'm in awe of you and I'm so proud of you. Keep being you ❤️

Celebrating 1 month since I released ‘New’. Thank you for the love you showed me on the track. Thank you for listening and watching the music video. I wrote ‘New’ back in 2019 and when I was working on the production with I started to notice that we can all resonate to the experience of having to start over. I took a massive step by seeking counselling, sharing my emotional wounds with someone was scary and transformative. Though I didn’t anticipate for it to come to an end so soon and unexpectedly, beginnings do have endings, especially with counselling and therapy. I'm just grateful for everything I learned, I’m still learning and I can look back with maturity to know that it gave me the opportunity to start ‘New’ again.

🎵:
🎵:
📸:

Grateful that I get to live minutes away from nature 🌿
📸:

My favourite lyric from 'New' is "I cried the river dry and let it unfold when, I closed my eyes and saw all the neglection". These words transport me back to a pivotal moment in my life, when I decided to open up to someone for the first time. I vividly remember that day, sitting in a room with my eyes closed and my counselor guiding me to visualize my family. The images formed in my mind, familiar faces and memories floating before me. But then, as if a storm had swept through my mind, everything abruptly vanished, leaving behind a vast expanse of whiteness. It was a vulnerable and weird experience for me.

In that moment, I broke down in uncontrollable tears, It was a sensation I had never truly experienced before—a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness. Everything was there and then all of sudden it was gone, this void that had consumed my visualisation, was a reflection of the neglected parts of my past. Whenever I hear those lyrics from 'New,' I'm transported back to that intimate room, reliving the tumultuous journey that unfolded.

I wrote 'New' about no longer having that person you confided in, in your life anymore and dealing with the disappointment and confusion of the unexpected departure.

Back when I was studying at uni, I hit rock bottom and realised I needed help. I started having regular counselling sessions, it was such a big deal for me because I really opened up for the first time, it was really scary but very freeing to let it out.

During that time, I was working through my childhood trauma and the mistakes I had made. My counselor helped me sift through all the weight I was carrying, but then one day when I reached out for a session and emails kept bouncing back, I found out my counselor had left. I was devastated and caught off guard because I had no idea, there was no conversation. It hit me because suddenly I no longer had the support I desperately needed.

Dealing with that for the next couple of months was difficult. I still needed help but I didn't want to start over with someone else. I didn't know how to continue my healing journey without my counselor.

It took some time and maturity to find perspective in my experience. Without my counselor I wouldn't have been able to start healing from my past experiences in the first place. I was able to start 'New' again because of her, instead of dwelling on her absence, I chose to focus on what I learned and how it helped me grow. It empowered me to start anew and appreciate the progress I made.

🎵
🎵
📸

I wrote 'New' about no longer having that person you confided in, in your life anymore and dealing with the disappointment and confusion of the unexpected departure.

Back when I was studying at uni, I hit rock bottom and realised I needed help. I started having regular counselling sessions, it was such a big deal for me because I really opened up for the first time, it was really scary but very freeing to let it out.

During that time, I was working through my childhood trauma and the mistakes I had made. My counselor helped me sift through all the weight I was carrying, but then one day when I reached out for a session and emails kept bouncing back, I found out my counselor had left. I was devastated and caught off guard because I had no idea, there was no conversation. It hit me because suddenly I no longer had the support I desperately needed.

Dealing with that for the next couple of months was difficult. I still needed help but I didn't want to start over with someone else. I didn't know how to continue my healing journey without my counselor.

It took some time and maturity to find perspective in my experience. Without my counselor I wouldn't have been able to start healing from my past experiences in the first place. I was able to start 'New' again because of her, instead of dwelling on her absence, I chose to focus on what I learned and how it helped me grow. It empowered me to start anew and appreciate the progress I made.

To the black girl next door 👩🏾‍🦱

Do not allow society to limit our experiences or worth to just activism or extrodinary achievements. It's found in every aspect of our lives, big or small. You have the freedom to explore your passions, achieve your goals, make your dreams a reality and make an impact in your own way.

Our everyday life shapes who we will become so never underestimate the impact you can have on others to embrace their own journeys.

Dont rush to grow up to fast, embrace the wonder of where you are currently while nurturing a thirst for knowledge and personal growth.

There is another Black girl out there who is looking to be inspired by your journey. Little girls are growing up, figuring out who they are and what they can become. By embracing your own everyday life and pursuing your passions with authenticity, you become a beacon of inspiration and possibility for those who are watching.

It's always a courageous act to admit when you need help

What does anxiety feel like for you?

“I’m sorry if I’m in thoughts to often, I just
Get caught up I’m never in the moment, I know
The world around me could change in an instant, I just”

When anxiety strikes within me, it’s so easy to get caught up in my thoughts. Nothing else seems to matter anymore but my feelings, whether it’s true or false, anxiety will have your mind racing in all directions. Anxiety has the tendency of making you miss out on life, making you fear taking chances, thinking it has power and agency over you. I relinquished control when I wrote IDWKM, it needed to be honest. I had to express what anxiety felt like for me.

💚

A couple weeks ago I attended a women’s conference at my local church and I was given this beautiful reminder of how important writing is and I wanted to share it with you.

“There is undeniable power in writing things down. This power doesn’t just apply to goals and visions or the shopping list. It must be deployed especially when you don't feel like it. The art of writing is said to be the most meaningful and thoughtful way of connecting with loved ones.”

“Writing is more tangible and tactile than texting! If writing to others is that powerful, how much more writing to oneself? See it as one of the purest forms of self-love. That’s besides the headspace you get after decluttering your mind! Nothing positive to capture, you say? Then ask a friend to help you with that list.You may just be blown away by how wonderful and full it is."

I can testify to the power of writing and the impact it makes on my mental health through journaling and songwriting. I highly recommend making it a practice in your lives whether daily, monthly or yearly; make it work for you!

Yesterday I felt stressed, went downstairs to go and eat pasta. I proceeded to put the pasta in the microwave, abruptly decided to leave the food and go for a walk. Went for a walk in the sunshine ☀️ which gave me perspective, I journalled and reflected. Listened to a voicenote that made me laugh and then I walked back home with a smile on my face 😊 I ate the pasta shortly after🍝

I hope we're having a beautiful weekend and enjoying the sunshine ☀️

I love being able to bring you on my journey 🥰 It's a joy when I give you the choice to pick the artwork, I get to share the realities of having a day job and pursuing music, my everyday life and what's currently going on in my world 🌎

NEW MUSIC IS ON IT'S WAY 🤩🎵
and I'm inviting you to be part of it in 3 simple steps!

1. GO TO MY STORIES
2. CLICK THE LINK THAT SAYS 'COUNT ME IN'
3. SIGN UP 🥰

It's mental health awareness week and the theme of topic is 'Anxiety'. Anxiety is common in all of us, we all have our own experiences whether mild or severe.

Leaving secondary school with the intention of not making friends isolated me, therefore leaving me to develop a social anxiety that crippled me for a very long time.

Over the years, experiences I've had managed to slowly help me face my fears around trust in myself and others. I now have people in my corner I can truly call a friend ☺️

The best advice I can give to someone who has social anxiety is to take it one step at time. Building a healthy friendship with one person. Don't push yourself too hard in the name of 'healing' or 'doing the work' because it does more harm than good. Know your threshold and take a step each day.

happy friday ☀️ have a lovely bank holiday weekend 🤗

Can you think of a time when you had a hard time and a friend helped you cope with it?

In the lockdown I had reconciled with my father, but the journey to get there was painful. We had an argument and words were exchanged that had left an imprint on me. I called my bestfriend afterwards because I needed someone to talk to, I was in tears and for the life of me I hate crying. In that moment my bestfriend was so caring and lovingly there for me on the phone. She brought reason and acceptance to the vulnerable state I was in, letting me know it was okay to cry and let it out. All I needed in that moment was someone who was safe, that I felt safe around and my bestfriend is that safety net. Eventhough she wasn't physically there, I felt her presence, her concern, her love, her care and support. She's such a blessing in my life.

Went to an open mic at a beautiful church in Bromley! Thank you so much to for putting it together and having me perform 🥰 I hadnt played piano live in a while so it was good for me to have some practice ☺️

I performed 6 songs from my project 'Shed This Skin' exclusively for you, this includes 2 songs you haven't heard yet 😉 with .tv

To gain access it's £4 and a quick sign up to watch 👀 the link is in my bio and on my stories!

So gather your friends, family, food for an intimate showcase in the comfort of your home!

Such a great evening on Monday catching up with a close friend, five guys and cheesing so hard to back on stagee 🤩

Soo happy to see you return with new music and moving forward as an independent artist, your a 🌟, thank you for sharing your heart and soul with us ❤️

It's been a beautiful weekend to end Easter Break and now back to work 📚

The braids are out and I'm just letting my natural hair breathe so it doesn't fall out 😶

There is always insecurity that creeps in when it comes to the relationship with my hair like:
* It's too thick
* hard to manage
* I look like a boy
* Your ugly
*What do people really think 🤔

But thank God that I have hair to start with 😂 Thank you God that I can lean in on the truth, you didn't make a mistake with me; you created me this way. I'm not beautiful based on societal beauty standards and the truth is there's nothing I can do about it so there's that. You made me this way God and that's that. Insecurities are normal, but how you manage them matter!

Practically leaning into the insecurity and letting my natural hair out removes the power and forces me to face the fears head on, its honestly the only way I know how to deal with it 🙃

Dont let your insecurities win, try and face it head on 🤎

The episode for The Stories Behind The Songs: IDWKM (I Dont Wanna Know Me) is here! You can only listen to it on Spotify as it includes the song itself. Enjoy 😁

Kadi: The Stories Behind The Songs Listen to Kadi: The Stories Behind The Songs on Spotify.

I've not been to therapy for a couple of years, but there's a tool that I still use and it has been so essential in my journey, emotionally.

There was a period in my friendship with Queenie where we werent talking as much. I actually started to panic and made up these extreme scenarios in my head to why it could be.

Somehow in that turmoil I managed to catch myself. I started to process it by asking myself honest questions

1. When was the last time you spoke?
2. What happened? 
3. Did you argue? 

At this point, I was able to see the reality of the situation. We hadn't argued, the last time we talked, we were perfectly fine so there were going be other reasons. I was able to put my mind at ease and move forward in a healthy manner because I had grasp of reality.

Sometimes you feel your thoughts and stories are factual. But it's so important to separate fantasy from reality. Always question your story.

Usually the fantasy is something you fear happening but most of the time it never happens.

In my sessions, my therapist would ask me, "whats the fantasy?” and then she would ask the honest questions to help me unearth the reality of a situation and test it with my "fantasy". It could be fact or fiction. 

Back when I used this tool in my friendship, it was subconcious so it wasn't a practice for me, its just happened that time. But when my therapist started to use this technique it became more concious. Now I keep it very close to me every time I feel like I need to re-evaluate my feelings.

I'm super blessed to have learnt this tool :)

If you’ve ever felt like this, go and have a listen to my song ‘Unlearn’, because trust me I know how you feel and that’s why I want to dedicate this song to you, the link is in my bio.

I have a new episode on my podcast 'The Stories Behind The Songs' coming on Wednesday. Every time I release new music, this podcast will the space where I share exclusives and bring you closer into the process. This episode I'm going to bringing you the story behind 'IDWKM'. If you haven't yet you can check out my recent episodes 😁

https://open.spotify.com/show/3u17uJi2ZxcrACtKsE9ELA?si=11705f194cb046fa

Your adolescence is a very pivotal stage in life, everything that has come before shapes and moulds you into who you will become, it lays the foundation.

From 17-20 yrs old was a very testing time for me as I was unravelling a decade of childhood trauma & adversity that I never talked about.

I was at university studying songwriting, something I am so passionate about but internally I was really struggling. People tell me all the time that thought of me having "social anxiety" is a shock because I dont come across that way, but if you really think about 'mental health', its not always visible.

The struggle is mental, it takes a lot to challenge my perspective and stories about myself. IDWKM (I Dont Wanna Know Me) was birthed from that, I wrote this song in my studio apartment when I couldn't shake my social anxiety, I internalised it and it became self depricating. In that moment I really wanted someone else to take over and live in my skin.

I know I'm not the only who struggles or have struggled like this and so sharing this song, I feel is important. If you couldnt find the words to articulate it I'm positive that IDWKM does.

📸:
📍: