Sakima (singer)

Isaac Sakima, known professionally as Sakima, is an English singer-songwriter. Sakima's music frequently explores LGBT themes not typically portrayed in mainstream music.

Sakima
Birth nameIsaac Sakima
BornNewcastle upon Tyne, England, UK
OriginLondon
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Years active2014–present

Early life

Isaac Sakima is originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, but was raised in Milton Keynes. He later returned to Newcastle and identifies as a Geordie.[1] At the age of 6, Sakima felt his first gay attraction towards another classmate.[2] He started making music at 8 years old.[3]

Career

Sakima is a London-based singer-songwriter.[4] His debut track "Energy" as premiered by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 in August 2014. "Energy" is a "moody pop ballad". He has worked with Cyril Hahn and Ryan Hemsworth. Sakima was working with a Chicago-based manager Ardie Farhadieh and the company Wick Management. Farhadieh connected Sakima with Jakwob and his label Boom Ting for his song "Energy". In 2014, Sakima was managed by the UK-based company, Empire.[1]

In May 2017 Sakima released his debut EP, Facsimile, containing four-tracks.[3] Out describes Facsimile as "an accidental gateway into queer eroticism". The opening track is titled "I Used to Have an En Suit".[5] Other tracks include "He's Trippi" and "Happy Hr".[6] "He's Trippi" was influenced by Zayn Malik's "She". Sakima liked the song but noticed the pronouns and highly sexualized nature of the song. He wanted to release a song using pronouns applicable to gay people.[7]

He released his EP Ricky on 13 October 2017.[8] In the seven-track EP, Sakima sings about the rejection of heteronormativity and explores Polari. The track "Daddy" featuring YLXR, used Polari in a queer-themed song inspired by "Work from Home".[3][9] Sakima released the single "Death Is in the Air" on 16 February 2018 after hearing Justin Tranter's interview on the And the Writer Is... podcast.[2] He released the LGBT-themed single "Show Me" in 2018.[10] It explores homophobia and cruising for sex.[11]

In 2018, R3hab released the album The Wave including the track "Back To You" with Sakima.[12] On 14 September 2018, Sakima released the single "Holy Water" from his debut album Project Peach, which was released in 2019.[13] Joshua Bote of Billboard describes "Holy Water" describes the song "with a reverb-and-trap-heavy fog surrounding him, he treads through self-love as a spiritual exercise, in effect, turning RuPaul’s iconic mantra into a prayer of sorts".[14] His single "Apps" was inspired by hookup culture and the relationship complications caused by dating apps.[15]

Artistry

In the media, Sakima has been described as a "R&B artist", "alternative pop singer", "electro-R&B musician", and a "pop artist".[2][3][10][14] Sakima sings pop and R&B songs with queer themes.[16] Sakima stated that he aims to add queer stories and a gay perspective to traditional pop and R&B music with the hope of normalizing LGBT experiences.[5]

Personal life

Sakima lives in London.[8] He is a gay man.[10] On his sexuality, Sakima reported that "I never 'realized' I was gay...I always knew. I’ve never known anything different. I’ve never known what it's like to be in the closet. I've never known what it’s like to be separate from that part of yourself".[5]

Discography

Albums
List of albums
Title Details
Project Peach

Extended plays
List of extended plays
Title Details
Facsimile
Ricky

Singles
  • "Energy" (2014)[1]
  • "Death Is in the Air" (2018)[2]
  • "Show Me" (2018)[10]
  • "Back To You" (2018) with R3hab[12]
  • "Holy Water" (2018)[14]
  • "Apps" (2018)[15]
  • "Virtus Domum" (2018)[17]
  • "U Dnt Fk Me Up" (2020)[18]

See also

References
  1. Buck, Courtney (2014-11-19). "The 405 meets Sakima". The 405. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  2. Daw, Stephen (2018-02-16). "Sakima Releases Justin Tranter-Inspired Track 'Death Is in the Air'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  3. Crowley, Patrick (2017-10-09). "Sakima's Dirty Pop: Meet Music's New Queer Voice". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  4. Davies, Hayden (2017). "Sakima breaks boundaries on his debut EP, Facsimile". PILERATS. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  5. Moran, Justin (2017-06-18). "Meet Sakima: London's Rising Star Making Sexually Inclusive Pop". Out. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  6. "Sakima Is The Queer Pop Star We Need". INTO. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  7. Crowley, Patrick (2017-06-08). "Meet Sakima, The Pop Crooner Who Wants to Talk About Gay Sex". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  8. Salud, April (2017-10-23). "15 Things You Should Know About Sakima". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  9. Moran, Justin; Thomas, Chris (2017-10-13). "The Playlist: Sakima's Queer 'Daddy' Anthem & 10 More New Songs". Out. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  10. Daw, Stephen (2018-05-30). "Sakima Wants You to Talk With Your Body on His New Single 'Show Me': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  11. Michael, Michael Love (2018-06-01). "Sakima Makes Sexy Queer Bops with Deep Historical Context". PAPER. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  12. Bein, Kat (2018-08-24). "R3HAB Breaks Down His 16-Track Album 'The Wave': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  13. Blynn, Alex (2019-08-16). "Sakima Gets Real About 'Project Peach' & the Evolution of Queer Music: 'I'm Hungry for a New Vocabulary'". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. Bote, Joshua (2018-09-14). "Sakima Releases 'Holy Water' From Forthcoming Album 'Project Peach'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  15. Boyer, Jake (2018-10-30). "Sakima Takes Hookup Culture to Task on New Single "Apps"". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  16. Manders, Hayden (2017-12-01). "Sakima's NSFW "Daddy" Video Is A Queer Triumph". NYLON. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  17. Moen, Matt (2018-12-14). "Sakima Shares New Single 'Virtus Domum'". PAPER. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmozeYhBICw
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