Aliah Sheffield finds beauty in the in-between. The title of her debut EP for Def Jam Recordings, These Songs Are For Anyone Sick of Earth, is enough to give pause. On closer inspection, its eight songs center the multitudes of feelings Sheffield has experienced over the last few years: betrayal, sadness, and tiredness, yet still holding onto hope.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Sheffield always wanted to be involved in music, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that she felt she had the opportunity to really focus on her writing, through which she could process the chaos from the safety of her bedroom. She sought an audience, uploading videos of herself singing songs inspired by the minutiae of everyday life. In the two years since, Sheffield has continued to grow. She moved back to Atlanta, started learning how to produce, and released an album, Since You’ve Been Around (2021), with Soul’d Out. Earlier this year, she relocated to Los Angeles. Most importantly, she has continued to write every day, even after completing These Songs Are For Anyone Sick of Earth. Written mostly in her bedroom or while on long walks, the EP represents an artist who has finally found her voice.

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Photo credit: Syd Fuller