London-based polymath anaiis (whose name appears in lowercase as a tribute to educator, author and activist bell hooks) makes the kind of music that speaks to an innate sense of wonder. On her latest album Devotion & The Black Divine, the songs swell with emotional clarity as she lovingly pushes herself beyond the edges of her comfort zone.
Recorded live-to-tape at London’s 5db Studios, the record feels like a conversation with the natural world, our inner selves, and the power of recognising one’s own divinity. anaiis draws from the collective consciousness, and this time, that depth rests on a growing sense of homecoming. Not to a place, but to the self.
Born in Toulouse and raised between Dakar, Dublin and Oakland, her life in motion informs every note. After her 2018 debut Nina, she released this is no longer a dream in 2021. She went on to support Daniel Caesar on his UK tour and headlined a sold-out Barbican show, then spoke at TEDxLondonWomen in London’s Southbank Centre. She has toured with Mereba, performed at SXSW London in 2025, and delivered two acclaimed COLORS sessions for vanishing and chuu.
The new album reflects a deeper commitment to intuition and continues a transition that began in Brazil, where anaiis created a collaborative mini-album with Grupo Cosmo through live improvisation and her newborn son in tow. Each release adds dimension to the whole, tracing a lineage of diasporic collaboration and cross-cultural kinship.