muva of Earth is London’s next alt-jazz superstar

Davina Adeosun-Bright, the musician better known as muva of Earth, has always wanted to make empowering music.

“I think there’s something empowering about showing vulnerability,” she says, Zooming in from her home in South East London. It’s raining hard outside, but the sunroof in Davina’s room illuminates her face, a bit like a deity, actually. Behind her, a poster of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album cover hangs on the wall.

Even over a Zoom – which can often leave a lot to the imagination – there’s a peaceful energy surrounding her, fitting well with the theme of her upcoming debut EP, align with Nature’s Intelligence. It’s more free-form than her previous work, a spiritual and meditative project that blends neo-soul with jazz and afrofuturism.

Stand-out track hear me above, which opens with a medley of chimes and piano, is a therapeutic, life-affirming listen. Her voice transcends: ​“I am centred and aligned with nature’s grace /​I love my sense of femininity /​I love the crown that was gifted to me”. Meanwhile, your intuition is your friend, a song made in collaboration with drummer Edward Wakili-Hick, goes down a similarly subtle route before exploding into roaring, upbeat jazz percussion.

“I was fascinated by the idea of growing,” she says of what inspired the project. ​“How things can grow and evolve with time, how things quickly fade away and turn into something else. It’s definitely a thank you to nature. Not in such a literal way, but by aligning yourself with nature, so many things can grow.”

Growing up in a British-Nigerian household influenced Davina’s work, too. Her mum, who was born in Nigeria, passed on ​“comforting, beautiful things” about her home country. Meanwhile her dad, who was born in Brixton, ​“had a different personality and showed me everything about being an African-British person.

“My family weren’t massively into music, but I’ve always loved singing and playing with my voice,” she continues. ​“Going high, going low… I wanted to train it, so I took music lessons and made my first song at 19.” At first, she made jazz and hip-hop fusion songs, before leaning into the former as her poison of choice. The next port of call? An album, of course.

“I’ve always enjoyed listening to albums from beginning to end. I want to be an album-maker, for people to listen to my music over breakfast or when they need a story to connect with. I want listeners to feel relaxed, empowered and open. I want them to feel peace.”