Inside the Creative World of BINA.

The London artist talks "Zombies," fearless songwriting, visual storytelling, solo travel, and why her next chapter is only just beginning.

The first thing that caught our attention about BINA. was her visual world. Every image, every video, every creative decision felt intentional, cinematic, and completely her own. The music proved there was just as much substance behind the aesthetic. Born and raised in London, BINA. has spent the last several years building one of the UK's most distinctive creative identities, blending soulful songwriting with influences that span fashion, film, visual art, and production. Her latest single, "Zombies," is another reminder that she's an artist who continues to evolve while staying true to her vision. We caught up with BINA. to talk about the ideas behind her work, finding confidence in her own voice, and why the songs that feel the most vulnerable are often the ones that need to be shared.

Thanks for taking the time to do this! You're based in London, yeah? How has the city inspired you lately? Does London show up in your music?

Thank you for inviting me to chat! Yes, I'm a London girl, born and raised. It's inspired me for my whole life. I'm really grateful to have been born there—it's such a big and busy city where you can be who you want, and there are so many different communities for you to find your people in.

I felt encouraged to be myself, lean into my quirks, and nurture my many interests from a young age. My theatre group helped me unlock my full personality and is probably where much of my music taste was developed, along with afternoons in 2015 and 2016 browsing YouTube and SoundCloud after school (I remember those summers of music discovery vividly). I think my favourites inspired me to create music that made me feel the same way they did—The Internet, Hiatus Kaiyote, Frank Ocean, SZA, Ravyn Lenae and Solange.

London shows up in my music most noticeably with my accent. I learned to appreciate how I sound singing in my accent from quite early on. I've also made reference to South London in my lyrics (like in "Dark Cloud"—that's the South Side I was speaking of), and I think some word choices are influenced by London slang, as well as by what words sound best in the cadence of my British accent.

I also love to observe the world around me, and London is full of stimuli for that—too much sometimes, lol.

We love "Zombies" and the video. So, so good. Is "Zombies" part of a larger project or is it a standalone single?

Thank you! "Zombies" is a standalone—she's fun. But there is a project very much in the works right now.

The style in all your visuals is incredible. That dress in "Zombies" is amazing! How involved are you in creating those looks? Do you work with designers or are you designing and sourcing pieces yourself?

Thank you!! I am very much involved in the process of putting together my looks! When I'm getting ready to shoot visuals, I usually meet up with or call my stylists, and I come to them with themes, colours, moods and song inspirations I wanna include in the looks.

I have a really strong sense of what I like and what matters to me in my style and fashion, but I'm open to experimenting. I love playing and offering my body up as a canvas for the looks!

And so, I need to give a huge shout-out and props to my stylists (Damsel and Francesca). They're so gifted and creative, and understand my style well. It's avant-garde but very whimsical too, and my stylists reflect my taste for that blend so well. We've grown together over the past couple of years.

All the amazing designers whose pieces I've had the honour of wearing—and sometimes even having pieces made for me—have really brought our vision together.

Your work spans music, visual art, fashion, and production. Do all those creative outlets feed each other, or do they each satisfy a different part of you?

They are related for the most part, increasingly more so recently.

In the obvious ways: my fashion reflects my mood and sonic inspirations; films inspire stories I tell in my songwriting.

And in less obvious ways: I paint, but the images rarely have anything to do with what I'm writing about. They help me get feelings and thoughts out that I can't get out in my songs, and vice versa. That allows the channel for both art forms to remain clear and uncensored, cos less is in the way.

I go to galleries and the cinema to feed my imagination there too—they also tend to sell amazing books at art galleries; I just finished one!

What's the most surprising source of inspiration you've pulled from recently?

Tree bark that was wet after rain, and also some fruit I ate in Thailand this year. It brought out the romanticist in me somehow. I love nature, and I find it as inspiring as I do films, art exhibitions and personal life.

Has a recent performance, film, book, or conversation really left a mark on you?

Ugh, I like this question because I loveee films and books—and talking! So I'll give you a little list of things:

Book — The Princess of West 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf. I bought it after the Tracey Emin exhibition at Tate Modern and breezed through it. That novel is so good and presents some deep topics (mental health and women's liberation) with an air of whimsy and innocent honesty that I adored.

Film — Mulholland Drive, directed by David Lynch. I love this film for sooo many reasons. Its cinematography, the presentation of its themes and story—and it's quite a smart film too. I love films that give my brain something to chew on.

Conversations — I was hanging out with a friend recently and we spoke about so many things, but one thing I can't get out of my mind is when she said, "Choose your suffering so you can be pleasantly surprised by the blessings that come your way, not the other way round." And… well, yes!

Performances — Seeing FKA twigs live was amazing! Inspirational, actually. Everything was so precise and considered, yet still so free, present and full of soul. And so FUN!! Seeing Tame Impala live was a bucket-list moment too.

Amazing breakdown! So many great recommendations in here. With your songwriting, is there something you've had to let go of to become the writer you are now?

I've had to let go of my fear of scaring people away with the things I dig up from the darker corners of my mind—and how someone might respond if they found out a song was about them, lol!

I've also learned to leave other people's opinions—even the opinions of those I trust—outside the studio doors, so I can channel more clearly and uncensored. After all, I can always consult them later if I need a second opinion.

Your songs often feel like pages from a journal. Is there anything you've written that felt too personal to release?

Yeahhh, definitely lol. But rarely! I think the songs that feel too vulnerable and personal are exactly the ones that need to be released.

What's your greatest challenge right now—and how are you working through it?

My greatest challenge is doing everything I wanna do in the time we're given in a day.

Aside from working hard on new music (which keeps me in the studio a lot), I have so many hobbies to nurture, life to live, and healthy habits to build. So I find myself wishing days were longer so I could do it all every day.

But I'm working through that challenge by constantly bringing myself back to a state of grace and serenity—through conversations with myself, and sometimes friends, to remind myself to just do what I can, when I can.

Obsessively making lists and using my calendar for everything helps too, so I forget fewer things—the bossed-up stuff and the fun stuff.

What's something you've done recently that you're genuinely proud of?

I'm really proud of the music I've been writing lately. It's so bold, fresh and fearless. That's always been my goal: to be fearless about expressing my feelings, and doing so in my art makes it easier to do so in real life!

Are there any lyrics—your own or someone else's—that best represent where your head is at right now?

"I wanna dance into your hurricane." — from Yves Tumor's song "Romanticist."

Are there any artists—musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, or otherwise—you'd love to collaborate with right now?

Sooo many!

I keep a lil folder of visual artists—from directors to photographers to make-up artists and movement directors—and a list of wishlist music collaborators. But I'll keep those to myself for now. You'll see some of these dream collaborators come true, and I'll share proof of that list then, haha.

Any plans to tour the U.S. anytime soon?

I'd love to!!

There are a lot of logistics involved in me, a Brit, coming to tour in the States, but I'm definitely mentally ready! It's on my vision board for the next year or so. I'm excited to meet my US Soft-Ragers!!

If someone only listens to one BINA. song after reading this interview, which song should it be and why?

Listen to "Dopamine." It defines the main foundation of my "Soft Rage" sound really well!

Finally, what's your current Good Call? What's something you'd recommend everyone check out? (It doesn't have to be music.)

Solo travel!!

I'd recommend everyone take a trip to another country by themselves. Just generally take yourself on more adventures and dates—take yourself to dinner, or to a concert alone. Spend quality time with yourself; you might find out how cool you really are.

It's nice to hear that from friends, or lovers, or from strangers, but it's even nicer to hear it from yourself.

Photos: @nadinescarlett_ | Styled by @damseldamalityson, @ffchiara | Hair: @styledbywasike | Nails @mayarinails_

Follow BINA. on Instagram at @binaofficial