Elbi is a French producer and singer that takes her influence from a colorful spectrum of genres from R & B, to hip-hop, soul, Afro and house. Having gotten her start singing at age 11 and composing at 15, Elbi was introduced to music production during a stay in England by electronica producer Ambassador, with whom she realized her track “Higher Ground”. This launched Elbi’s career, and in 2014 she self-released her debut EP, Troublesome Soul. In 2017, she released her soul/deep techno EP Colourful Shores on independent label Animal Records. Elbi’s music evokes a sense of spirituality, influenced by her adventures and travels around the world, which most recently took her to Egypt.

We caught up with Elbi prior to her performance as part of the female line-up of D-CAF’s opening concert at Azhar park. Though African music is a huge influence, when speaking to her she said that she has yet to get into Arabic music, but is sure that Egypt will spark that interest. Naturally, we recommended she check out mahraganat. Here is what Elbi had to say about her music, the quaint coincidence of her name, and her thoughts on playing in the festival. Keep an eye out for her new EP Shadow, out in April.

Learn more about Elbi on her website and follow her on Facebook.