Rising Aberdeen singer Aiitee insists the city’s new wave of r ‘n’ b and hip hop talent is ready to make a major national impact.
The 21-year-old singer/songwriter has already made a breakthrough having been short-listed for the Scottish Album of the Year award last year.
Aiitee was on the 10 artist short-list for her acclaimed release Love Don’t Fall.
Also in the running for the SAY award were multi-million selling Biffy Clyro and Scottish alt-rock legends Mogwai and Arab Strap.
Mogwai won the prestigious award and the £20,000 prize at a glittering awards ceremony in Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
Aiitee performed at the ceremony as her star continues to rise.
She anticipates other musicians, producers, singers and rappers from the thriving Aberdeen scene will also gain recognition.
Aiitee said: “The Aberdeen scene is definitely growing.
“There is a new wave coming through as there are so many talented people.
“Now people are definitely starting to take notice of the scene in Aberdeen.”
Delight at SAY award nomination
Currently studying computer science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Aiitee recently released single Sound of Music.
It was eight-track album Love Don’t Fall, released in June 2020 in the height of the coronavirus lockdown, that brought national attention.
📺 A true highlight of this year's #SAYaward Ceremony, the outstanding @officialaiitee + @bigbemz1 delivered a huge performance of previous winner's @Youngfathers' track 'I Heard'.
🎬 Enjoy in full via our Youtube channel 👇https://t.co/chydWy1LbW pic.twitter.com/vpV1ml6uh2
— The SAY Award (@SAYaward) December 15, 2021
Aiitee, aka Emma Aikamhenze, said: “When I got the email through saying I was short-listed for the SAY award, I thought ‘wow’.
“It was such a pleasant surprise.
“I was up against really big acts such as Mogwai and Biffy Clyro.
“The awards ceremony was such a great experience as I also performed at it.
“The acoustics in the hall were fantastic and the song sounded great.
“Just experiencing the atmosphere and seeing what happens at something like that was so nice.”
‘It opened up so many avenues’
Aiitee was also short-listed in the Best Newcomer category at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards for 2021.
Aberdeen rapper Chef was also short-listed in the Best Newcomer category as well as Best Hip Hop.
Love Don’t Fall includes a collaboration with Chef on opening track Issues.
Aiitee and Chef have collaborated on a number of tracks including Presidential Mistakes.
Aiitee said: “When I put out the album I didn’t really think anything would come from it.
“It was 2020 and we were at the peak of the lockdown.
“I had a group of songs and just wanted to release them.
“However, so much came from it which was so great to see.
“It opened up so many avenues for me.”
A new wave of Aberdeen talent
Aiitee and Chef are part of a thriving Granite City hip hop, grime and r n’ b scene that is delivering exciting, vibrant music.
Influential artists Louis Seivwright, Ransom FA, Jackill, Vagrant Real Estate and Gidd Gamz have all delivered acclaimed music in recent years.
Exciting fresh talent is breaking through with Bernie D, Tru Nature, Nafe K, JusHarry and Aiysha Russell, all exhilarating voices.
The Granite City scene was also boosted further with the launch of HOURS, a new hip-hop and rap platform featuring club nights and recorded intimate sets.
Aiitee said: “Chef was on the short-list (for the Scottish Alternative Music Award) as well.
“My main collaborations have been with Chef and Louis Seivwright.
“There is one of the songs I wrote on his album and it was a really good collaboration.
“They are two very talented people and I definitely want to work more with them.
“Aiysha Russell is an Aberdeen singer who is young and so talented.
“There are so many talented people in Aberdeen.”
Aiitee backed by BBC Radio One
BBC Radio One recently tipped Aiitee as one of the artists set to make it big in 2022.
From early inspiration of church choirs and gospel to national radio play – Aiitee is blazing a trail for the Granite City scene.
She said: “I’m writing at the moment and also working on performing more so that the songs I already have get more out there.
“I’m inspired a lot by gospel. When I was younger my mum was involved with the church choir and I think that subconsciously rubbed off on me.
“I took that on board.”