Alika’s “Slow”: A Hyper-R&B Fantasy That Reclaims Desire

Alika has never been an artist content with fitting neatly into boxes. The self-producing, high-conceptual R&B-Pop visionary has carved out her own bold space in contemporary music with what she calls Hyper-R&B, a fierce, boundary-pushing blend of R&B and Hyper-pop. Supported by BBC Introducing Kent, Reprezent Radio and awarded Youth Music’s NextGen Fund, Alika is fast becoming one of the most compelling new voices in British music.

Her story is as diverse as her sound. Born in Tanzania, raised in Kent, and with a formative stint in Korea, Alika channels her global background into music that is as experimental as it is authentic. With influences spanning M.I.A, 2NE1, Kesha, Kehlani and Lady Gaga, her sonic world is vibrant, eclectic, and always stamped with her signature touch: fierce, upbeat production layered with vocals “stacked to the gods” and lyrics that cut deep.

As a songwriter, Alika has made it her mission to flip the script on traditional narratives. She explores strength in vulnerability, finds power within pain, and uses her craft as an outlet for raw honesty. Each record is written by her hand, making her catalogue both personal and unapologetically authentic.

Her latest single, Slow, is no exception. A self-directed thirst trap in its purest form, Alika herself describes it as “for anyone who skips the slow burn and dives straight into lingerie-clad intensity.” The track, a sultry, piano-led Hyper-R&B fantasy, reclaims passion entirely on her own terms. On the surface, it is a song about craving urgency. Underneath, it is a meditation on longing without resolution. “It’s one-sided on purpose,” Alika explains. “There’s no moment I get what I want. That’s the point.”

Built on a lush palette of piano, 808s, and shimmering synths, Slow captures the dizzying sensation of losing yourself in the moment. It is intimate yet larger than life, blending heat and restraint in equal measure. Strikingly, Alika wrote the track during a time when she felt “anything but sexy.” In true Alika fashion, she turned frustration into fantasy, conjuring the passion that real life denied her.

The result is a record that demands to be felt as much as it is heard. Play it loud. Play it late at night. And, if Alika has her way, play it in neon pink lingerie.