Azilda Kaputu may be a former winner of the singing competition the “X Factor,” but her history as a musician is one that many don’t realize has highly influenced her discography, as well as her lyrical themes and production style.
At the age of four, Kaputu moved to Denmark with her family after they fled the Angolan regime, growing up in the town of Holstebro. As a young Black girl, the singer knew that her racial identity was uncommon in the country, as did the rest of her family, not thinking that she would be able to have a career in music or the media.
Yet, the rebellious and courageous spirit found within her family was luckily passed down to Kaputu, which led her to actively pursuing a musical career through trying out for the Danish “X Factor” with her sister in 2016.
As the competition went on, Kaputu and her sister rose to fame quickly on the show, so it was no surprise when they won after singing “Frit Land,” a song by Ulige Numre about Denmark's power structure and point of view on cultural diversity.
Winning “X Factor” allowed for the sisters to keep making music, but Kaputu decided to go solo just five years later, using the stage name Azilda. From there on, she began to drop new music, including the singles “Green Light” and “Come Over.”
“Green Light” saw Azilda searching for love, wanting a potential suitor to give her the time and affection she has craved. With an upbeat tempo reminiscent of her Angolan roots, the singer was able to merge the genres of reggae and pop to create a catchy song about wanting someone, as the title suggests, to give you the go ahead to make a move.
Meanwhile, “Come Over” was a song where Azilda went in the opposite direction thematically, wondering where her former relationship went wrong. With lyrics such as “Would you run away / Or would you come over? / I could let you stay,” the song dove into the themes of loss, hope and forgiveness, which showed the singer was growing into a more mature and reflective artist.
Now two years after her solo debut, Azila recently dropped another single, “til u hurt me (love this city).” Produced by Malthe Seierup, who has worked with other artists such as Svea S, SOÉL and Jonahh, the track is a first-time collaboration between Seireup and Azilda.
In a recent interview with New KG, Azilda talked about the collaboration, excited to change direction in terms of her sound. The singer said, "We've found inspiration in artists like NAO and Thirdstory, and I'm really excited for people to hear this side of me as an artist. My previous songs have been very upbeat party music, but on this upcoming song I'm inviting people into my deepest self.”
The track talks a lot about being vulnerable in a relationship, especially when it’s on the brink of ending, which Azilda thinks fans will like about “til u hurt me (love this city).”
In the same interview, she said, “'till u hurt me (love this city)' is about having experienced so many defeats that you finally don't dare to give yourself 100% to love anymore. What if the next one hurts me too? It's about getting to the point where you always hold back a little from telling the person how you feel. Eventually you lose them because you never get to say it.”
When the singer is not busy releasing new music, she also can be found singing backup for rapper Icekiid or voicing characters in Danish renditions of Pixar films for Disney, proving that Azilda is an artist who stretches herself across all different kinds of mediums.
With her first EP dropping next month, titled “itsazilda,” it’s evident that Azilda is slowly making her way to the mainstream with an impressive resume behind her that many artists wished they had.
