Rarely do artists arrive as fully formed as Akosia. Australia’s new voice in contemporary soul-pop is starting her campaign in music with an intention and assured materiality that most artists spend decades cultivating. Looking in from the outside, Akosia grew up in what appeared to be the average suburban neighbourhood of Melbourne. Her proudly Ghanaian parents moved to Australia when Akosia was only 2-years-old, finding solace in a close-knit Christian community. Immersed within her residential cocoon, at a young age Akosia began to sing at the local church and won a scholarship at the national children's choir of Australian. As a child, Akosia was made aware of the differences in her origin, complexion and upbringing by her schoolyard peers. In response, her formative years were spent in a world of her own as she retreated into poetry, dance and acting. As a young adult, Akosia’s curiosity and fascination with the performing arts blossomed into a musical love story when she began collaborating with friends. Unbeknownst at the time, the creative life raft that kept this young artist afloat would go on to become the foundation of the Akosia we now see before us. Eventually Akosia started branching out through different mediums and soon enough, her childhood purpose began materialising as a solo artist. As Akosia so deftly explains it: “I was nursing a voice and a dream within me that I needed to release.”