How singer and rapper Shygirl became the fashion muse of today

It’s been five years since south London’s Blane Muise, aka Shygirl, released her excellently erratic, genre-defying single Want More. Since then, the musician, DJ and founder of record label Nuxxe—co-owned with producer/musician friends Sega Bodega and Coucou Chloe—has created a world where sexual autonomy, sonic experimentation and disruptive creativity are at the forefront of her progressive vision.

The 27-year-old’s 2018 debut EP Cruel Practice won fans from the more subversive of dance floors to the glossiest of catwalks—Rihanna has featured Shygirl and Nuxxe artists in various runway shows, including Fenty x Puma in 2017, and in Fenty Beauty commercials. Meanwhile, Mugler used Want More in a recent film for SS21, and Shygirl appeared alongside Rosalía and Björk on Arca’s creative masterpiece, KiCk i in June 2020.

Later that same year, she released her second EP, Alias, which features production from Arca and the late Sophie, who tragically passed away in January 2021. Yet another brilliant, inventive piece of work, the record features tracks including Tasty and Slime, which Burberry’s chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci heard and loved, leading him to ask Shygirl to work on the house’s AW21 womenswear presentation.

“Obviously I know Riccardo Tisci’s work, but I didn't know that he knew mine,” she says via Zoom from her London home. “The first time we met I realised that there were a lot of different things that we aligned on. It's so nice to have synergy with someone. That's what I wanted from music; to find other like-minded individuals.” Paying homage to the indomitable force of Mother Nature and the widespread British craft and outdoor movements of the early 20th century, the Burberry presentation ran across YouTube, Instagram and Burberry.com on April 21.

“Shygirl is this incredible, powerful and talented woman who is totally unapologetic about who she is. She speaks through her music and her art with the voices of the younger generation of today,” Tisci told Vogue. “This is what drew me to her initially and it’s what I really admire about her, both as an artist and a person. She is a force of nature, mesmerising in her confidence of who she is. She’s not afraid to express herself and live her truth, embracing the power of femininity with romanticism and sensuality.”

Featuring a gigantic incarnation of Shygirl dressed in custom Burberry and beamed into the atrium of the label’s Regent Street store, her magnetic spoken-word performance, Divine, was truly a sight to behold. Here, we catch up with the artist to talk fashion, films and being fantastic.

Your popularity has exploded over the past 18 months. Why do you think that is?

“I think it’s a natural progression. When you are your most authentic self, that's when you connect the most with people—you can't connect if you're trying to be something that you're not. I think everyone can identify with self-discovery and expression, whether or not they agree entirely with your brand of expression. They know what that urge feels like.

“In the past year, I think people have been paying attention a bit more because there's been nothing else to do, so it's the perfect climate to put something out [for the audience to] absorb it without the restrictions of how the industry has been [previously]. There are a lot of things that you should do—this gig or that show. But you can't do any shows [at the moment], so there's been a bit of a free-for-all with how you can express yourself. I think that was the perfect arena for me and how I like to work. It gave me new challenges.”

How does one discover their true self—and is it exposing to express that creatively?

“I must have an ego of some kind to even get into this [laughs]. I've always been emboldened to believe that what I'm doing is right or of worth. I grew up with really supportive parents who encouraged any endeavour that I tried.

“Sometimes you put something out and think that it’s the best it could be. But if anyone wants to say anything about it, that's part of the consumption of it. I like the conversation. I don't expect people to [automatically] love me. I want to talk about how they feel, to question their expectations of me.”

What was it like working with Riccardo Tisci for Burberry?

“I felt incredibly lucky when Riccardo told me that he really engaged with my video for Slime. I’m so glad that it was through something that I made, rather than seeing me on Instagram or whatever. My visuals are so much a part of what's going on creatively for me and it's rare that people see that and the full value of it, rather than just being like, ‘Oh, this is cool, let's just use this person’—that's not interesting to me at all.”

How has your style changed as Shygirl has evolved?

“I'm definitely more confident. I dress more to do with my mood and comfort. Being comfortable isn't necessarily dressing in a tracksuit all the time—it could be something really sexy or revealing. It's something that I draw power from because it's what you have control of. Being in spaces where I know that I'm going to be watched or looked at—not even as a musician, but as a woman — and deciding what I wear was always about being comfortable in the space that I control.

“That's something I brought into working with brands, like when speaking to someone such as Riccardo or [others at] Burberry. Fashion has progressed with the type of bodies that are being included. And it's not just about putting a body in the show, like, ‘Okay we've got it.’ It's about inclusive fashion. When you're considering the design and the energies, it’s not thinking that a larger woman wants to cover her body. Now I feel as if I can experiment more because fashion didn't have space for me to be expressive in that way. Now I feel more comfortable.”

The performance at Burberry was centred around the idea of powerfully indelible women. Who are those figures in your life?

“There's [stylist and creative] Mischa Notcutt, who works with me. I was struck by her when we first met about seven years ago. I was assisting on a shoot — I was a photographer's assistant at the time—and I saw the way in which she commanded the room. It wasn't overbearing, but she was the one who was making everything happen. She's also someone who has linked me with so many other people in terms of my friends, my community and my creative community.

“Then my mother and my grandmothers because I've had, and continue to have, such a strong influence from them. There's a sense of resilience I find in women more than I ever see in men. Women get on with things and make things happen without having to be championed all the time.”

Given all the Fenty love, can you write a song for Rihanna, please?

“I would love to write a song for Rihanna! I'm definitely a stan so if people keep printing it in the press, maybe it will happen. It would be like stars aligning.”

Your main work is performing and DJing, industries that have been ravaged by COVID-19. How have you survived this past year?

“I've been really good. It has actually been exceptional for me in my personal growth as well as my career. I know not everyone can say that. There's always adversity and you can never predict what's around the corner. I had no real expectations from music so I didn't have any expectations for [2020] anyway. So I welcomed whatever it gave me and I used it in the best possible way I could. And that's something I will always do, regardless of whatever I put my mind to. I'm sure something unexpected could come around the corner and push me in a different direction, but this year has taught everyone that whatever plans you have, you've got to think on your feet. I can't see that stopping for me.”

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