Tag: Malaika Mfalme

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Unfurling” – Malaika Mfalme

When I first discovered Malaika Mfalme’s music, they were creating songs processing their grief. Their debut album Yasmin was a tribute to their late partner and an exploration of the emotions that loss triggered. It was a challenging listen, but a beautiful one. Now several years have passed and Malaika has released Unfurling, a collection of songs that reflect on their path to healing.

“Unfurling is that quiet moment when you realise you’ve survived, and you’re finally beginning to bloom again,” Malaika explained. “The word itself makes me think of plants, of finally opening after all the mess and heartbreak, realising that the waiting was actually growth.”

The opener, “Cobblestones,” is a breathtaking spoken word piece which sets the scene, explaining how Malaika needed to leave Sydney (Eora) and all the heavy emotions he felt there and travel to Germany’s capital. It naturally leads us into the EP’s first single, “Berlin,” which Malaika penned during their time in the European city. “Smoke” is another stunning spoken word piece, part letter, part poetry. “Thirteen” is bittersweet and nostalgic, giving glimpses into friendships past, the ghosts they leave behind, and the patterns we seem destined to repeat. Another gorgeous poem, “Grace,” precedes the stunning final track, “The History of Me and You.” This perfect closer honours the quiet moments shared with loved ones and the scars and stories from the past that make us who we are going forward.

Unfurling is another truly special offering from Malaika Mfalme. Through sharing their poems and songs, they share their heart. While we meet them in a place that’s not quite as raw this time around, these warm, folky tracks are every bit as moving and authentic. Set aside 18 minutes of quiet to listen to them, really listen to them, taking in the words and the way they make you feel.

Unfurling is out now. Malaika will support its release with the following shows in the coming weeks.

28 November 2025 – The Red Rattler, Eora/Sydney
29 November 2025 – The People’s Blockade Protestival @ Camp Shortland, Mulubinba/Newcastle
5 December 2025 – Smith’s Alternative, Ngambri/Canberra
6 December 2025 – Kindred Side Room, Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung Country/Footscray

Images used with permission from Hunger Digital

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Malaika Mfalme Wows Me With “Berlin”

I really appreciate artists who prioritise quality over quantity. I’d much rather musicians take time to create something meaningful than churn out substandard work. Malaika Mfalme’s album Yasmin was one of my favourites of 2023, and now he’s back with “Berlin.” This is a stunning, stripped-back track that explores friendship, grief, and the freedom of anonymity against the backdrop of Germany’s capital.

“I wrote this song about three years ago, when I was in Berlin. I’d just lost my passport, was feeling disconnected from friends, and realised how freeing it can be to be unknown,” Malaika said. “There’s a line in the chorus that still hits me: ‘Maybe I won’t apologise for who I am in a place that don’t give a damn.’”

As a proud trans artist, Malaika’s work has consistently celebrated Black queer joy and resilience. He explained that they found the joy that helped them through such a challenging time in Berlin’s party scene. “It made me feel at home and fully accepted within the queer community there. That sense of joy and belonging was such a contrast to the heaviness I’d been carrying.”

“Berlin” is our first taste of Malaika’s new EP Forthcoming, which is slated for a November release.

Image used with permission from Hunger Digital

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Yasmin” – Malaika Mfalme

It’s been a long time since an album moved me like Yasmin. The debut from London-born, Tanzanian/Australian artist Malaika Mfalme, it’s a powerful collection of songs exploring love, loss, and healing.

Malaika said “I wrote Yasmin during a time of immense pain. While the world shut its doors and experienced the 2020 lockdowns, I was grieving my late partner. When I began writing it, I didn’t know it would turn into an album. It was my means of coping through writing about grief, loss, and then joy, healing and finally self-acceptance. Now I feel this album can help others move through that kind of pain, removing the taboo and shame Western society places on grief.”

I knew Yasmin was a special album from the moment I pressed play. Acknowledgements of country have become so commonplace that they can lose their meaning, so I was excited to hear Malaika’s take. Creating a beautiful soundscape for her heartfelt “Acknowledgement” helped it resonate and bridge the gap between the story of this land and Malaika’s own story. They explore their own connection to the land in “Mother,” a song which references the ultimate maternal figure, Mother Nature herself. In “Dream,” Malaika reflects on their first dream featuring their late partner. “Spirit” is quiet and beautifully vulnerable, a poignant moment birthed from the depths of sorrow.

“‘Spirit’ came from a deep time of grief, so I wanted to use repetition to create new meaning,” Malaika explained. “This repetition and call and response is significant in my African culture and in history, often using techniques like this to survive horror like slavery.”

“Imagine” and “Relief” are like companion pieces that lift the soul after the darkness. The first elevates the memories that bring comfort, the second is a powerful reminder of the importance of being loved and known, if only for a little while. “Good Man” sees Malaika, a trans/non-binary artist, reflecting on gender identity and the importance of manifesting it in the right way. ”Younger” completes another piece of the puzzle, like a musical letter to Malaika’s past self and the soul icons who helped them become the person they are today. It’s only fitting that the album’s final track is a tribute to Yasmin herself, the person who inspired this collection of music.

“Yasmin was an opera singer, and I was able to incorporate all of her friends in the song. All of us singing together was such an important healing process for all of us,” Malaika recalled. “The first verse is about the pain of her passing, the second is about letting her go, and the last is about remembering her.”

The first few times I listened to Yasmin I went in blind, with my ears and heart open. Without reading the press release, I could make my own meaning from these songs. I was instantly struck by their warmth and beauty. This album was inspired by darkness, but there’s light in even the most painful moments. Reading over Malaika’s notes has made me appreciate and love these songs even more than I thought was possible.

Yasmin is out now. Malaika will launch this exceptional album tomorrow night, December 14, at the Red Rattler Theatre in Eora/Marrickville. Tickets are available now from Humanitix.

Images used with permission from Good Intent