Persia Holder could tell a thousand stories

According to Persia Holder, life begins at the piano. A “chronic overthinker”, the twenty-four-year-old songwriter finds herself in front of the keys every time she needs to channel an emotion or musically exorcise an experience from her mind — which I’m told is very often. In fact, emotion is at the beginning and end of all her music. It’s a two-way street between the inspiration the south Londoner derives from the city around her and the way her sound travels back into the world. That, Holder tells me, is how she came to write her upcoming (and debut) EP, I didn’t think you’d hear this, which is slated for this July.

But Holder’s new single, ‘Echo’, is the reason we’ve caught up today — and one of many reasons why she’s quickly becoming one of London’s ones-to-watch in the music space. With a voice and musical taste reminiscent of early-2000s icons like J-Lo, Rihanna and Amerie, she delivers unapologetic, knife- to-the heart songs with hefty vocal runs (her song, ‘Don’t Wanna Take it Slow’, is a high-class diss track). It’s by using this big voice to sing about the small stuff that makes Holder in equal parts extraordinary and relatable.

Camille Bavera: I’ve heard you lock away emotions until they’re ready to become music. Would you say that’s true?

Persia Holder: When I was a kid, anytime I felt overwhelmed or upset, my mum would find me at the piano, singing for hours. I didn’t even realise I was processing anything, but that instinct to express myself through music was always there. It’s probably why I’m drawn to writing and performing songs that hold depth and lived experience. Now, as an adult, I’ve definitely noticed myself almost subconsciously storing moments away — my Notes app could tell a thousand stories. I’m a chronic overthinker, but there’s real magic in being able to alchemise pain into something beautiful. Sometimes I think I’ve moved on from something only to write a song and realise I hadn’t healed from it at all. That’s such a deeply human thing.

CB: Your music silently screams Rihanna, J Lo and other Y2K icons. Where do you pull from for musical inspiration?

PH: That’s such a compliment! I’ve always been drawn to artists like Rihanna, where emotion lives in every vocal run, every pause. I think that era of music, especially the early 2000s, gave us these big, emotional pop songs, and I definitely carry that in my own way. I love making music that feels like a memory you didn’t know you still held.

CB: What would you say is your favorite song on the EP?

PH: That’s a tough one, but I’d have to say ‘Don’t Wanna Take It Slow’. I was crushing hard on a guy who was actually one of my best friends, and on a drunken night out he said the classic line, “I think we should take things slow”. I literally ran to the bathroom, opened my Notes app, and wrote that down on the spot. I brought it into my next session the following week — no shame. It’s wild looking back now because that was three years ago, but I still know how universal that feeling is — the confusion, the waiting, wondering what someone actually wants from you. The lyrics are pretty much word for word. And yes, the guy definitely knows it’s about him [laughs].

This excerpt was taken from HUNGER Issue 35: F**k it. Stay tuned for the full story.