Bonzai is part of the new generation of women making music herstory today. She takes the lessons learned by her foremothers and crafts them into her weird and wonderful music, creating tracks that are so individually stamped you’ll have a hard time putting her into any box.

Bonzai, a.k.a Cassia O’Reilly, grew up in the small village of Wicklow just outside of Dublin. At just 21 years old, Bonzai is already making waves. Having done backing vocals for NAO, opened for Flume on his world tour and caught the eye of Mura Masa, she shows little sign of slowing down any time soon.

Demonstrating early promise, she graduated from college a year early at the age of 17 to study music in London. Having cut her teeth on the Dublin club scene using a fake ID at the age of 14, she was well-equipped with enough street smarts and independence to make it in the Big Smoke.

Citing Mumdance, Sega Bodega, MIA and Chemical Brothers as just some of the inspirations behind her sound, Bonzai combines industrial beats and quirky production to create a sound that is undeniably her own. What most notably shines through is her fierce sense of self, a challenge for anyone who tries to pin her down. As she declares in ‘I Did’ on her 2016 EP Lunacy, murmuring casually through the metallic beats: “I did what you did/Succeeded by any means.”

The development of Bonzai’s sound from her first releases to recent singles is exciting to trace. Swirling sonic landscapes mark her EP Sleepy Hungry, entwining recordings of real life into her tracks, and bringing her listener into her reality. Only a hop, skip and a jump away lies recent single ‘I Feel Alright’, which sees Bonzai exhibit her stunning voice, declaring herself loud and proud for the world to hear.

 

Get locked into Bonzai before she blows up, which surely can’t be long if she continues in the same vein.

Tracklist: – ‘I Feel Alright’ , ‘Where Are U Now’ , ‘What If I Go?’ by Mura Masa feat. Bonzai , ‘No Rest’ , ‘I Did’

Jemima Skala