Ajah UK

Jaheda and Sam began Ajah UK 5 years ago after coming onto a project based in Manchester called "Spoken like a true..." The project was to give female spoken word artists and emcees a space to create original work and a stage to perform. They soon found themselves the two odd ones out as Jaheda spat her words in Bangla and Sam as an androgynous woman did not spit about her androgyny/sexuality but life, politics and emotions. They discovered their voices complemented each others tones and connected on politics around women, gender, race and identity.

Both were frustrated musicians, as they never had the opportunity to learn an instrument due to their religious and economic backgrounds. So they hunted down drummers, pianists, guitarist, percussionist and bass players instead of a producer. It took 3 years to convince musicians to believe in their vision and words and come together to record their debut album "Money ain't your friend".

Creating the music with musicians was non-negotiable as both Sam and Jahedas influence in music was lead by live bands and live music. Bands such as Skunk anansie, HED PE, Rage against the machine, Oasis, Blur and (hooker) to mention a few and individuals such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Runa Laila, Arun Ghosh, Beyonce, Peaches, Ani De Franco.

Ajah UK have performed on stages all over the world from New York to London. They are well rehearsed and tight. Their performance and music are high energy and thought provoking Manchester evening news said " In a market where hip-hop can flirt with misogyny and the ego can take precedent over the music, Ajah-UK are a real breath of fresh air."