Teifi proves herself a master of ethereal Celtic pop
Stephen Price
After wowing critics and audiences alike with her live sets featuring a blend of bilingual hip hop and Celtic pop, rising star Teifi has released the first taste of her debut album with new single, Llif.
‘Llif’ is TeiFi’s latest track and the first in a series of singles leading to the release of her debut album, set to land in 2025.
TeiFi is a musician from south Wales, weaving multiple threads into a unique contemporary Welsh tapestry.
Performing a unique blend of “rude grooves and smooth loops” – funny, bilingual hip-hop alongside nature-inspired, ethereal Celtic pop.
She sings about bodies, motherhood, nature, sensuality and Welsh-Lady Mermaids.
Her live sets – sometimes solo, sometimes with her crew from the TeifiVerse (four multi-lingual female rappers/vocalists/DJs using Polish, Malay and Punjabi) – embody female empowerment, engaging audiences with her theatrical flair.
Otherworld
Of her new single, TeiFi says: “‘Llif’ (flow) is a Welsh language trip hop track about facing your fears and finding your flow.
“Set in Winter at the new moon, it’s about the quiet moments where inspiration reaches through from the other world, and changes you.”
Drawn to the natural world, TeiFi also creates powerful seasonal nature verses – plus visuals – in Unwaith Rownd yr Haul (Once Round the Sun) using Welsh language song/rap to explore the worlds of native Welsh plants, one for each month of the year.
With her nature inspired pieces, she is connecting to ancestors and becoming a part of the landscape.
To date, live highlights have been at BBC 6Music festival in 2022 as part of Ladies of Rage takeover, at Llais 2021 and at Focus Wales 2021 & 2022.
With a passion for minority languages, particularly Cymraeg, TeiFi loves performing Welsh in non-Welsh-speaking spaces.
Her inspirations include Bjork, En Vogue, The Soil, Iris van Herpen, Chappell Roan.
Rap Cymraeg
Teifi told Nation.Cymru: “I sat down to write rap yn Gymraeg for the first time a few years ago – which became Llif. I composed it on loop station, and the instrumental is made up of vocal harmony layers. It’s now the first single from my debut album.
“It’s a story about facing your fears and finding your flow, finding the courage to speak your words. This song happens in the quiet of the dark half of the year where something new can be born.
“It’s about those moments at night where the otherworld reaches through and the Muse fills you with inspiration, and you have just a moment to capture it.”
Teifi started out in theatre and realised early on that she wanted to produce and compose the music herself.
She soon made the switch to music but witnesses of her extraordinary live shows can attest that there is a strong theatrical edge.
She shared: “I’m self-taught as a music producer and now run a small group for women and nonbinary music producers – to help change the stat that only 3% of music producers are women.
“I’m passionate about the Welsh language and other minority languages. On the upcoming album there will be five languages, some coming from guest artists Trishna Jaikara, Malgola No, Kylie Ann Smith and Miss HD.
Sticking to cliched and tired subject matter and well trodden paths is certainly not on her agenda.
She added: “Previous releases feature poetry in Bengali (Glaw-Shoda), and I have a series of Welsh language rap/song verses (and visuals) about native Welsh plants, one for each month of the year called “Unwaith Rownd yr Haul” (Once Round the Sun).”
An exciting and highly original project most certainly awaits.
TeiFi is currently producing her debut album due for release in autumn 2025.
Sign up now to Teifi’s mailing list for more news and be the first to hear about the single and video releases coming soon
Follow her on socials @theteifiverse
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