{"id":2078553,"date":"2026-08-05T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2078553"},"modified":"2026-08-05T08:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T05:00:13","slug":"ikeda-is-building-her-own-world-full-of-bubbly-electropop-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2078553","title":{"rendered":"iKeda is building her own world full of bubbly electropop gold"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ikeda-credit-erika-kamano.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">iKeda is building her own world full of bubbly electropop gold<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The London-based singer and DJ, who supported PinkPantheress on tour earlier this year, is on the path to pop stardom. She\u2019s taking each step in her stride \u2013\u00a0and very seriously <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Jules Robbins<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T09:00:13+01:00\">5th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ikeda-credit-erika-kamano-696x442.jpeg\" alt=\"iKeda\" title=\"ikeda-credit-erika-kamano\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">iKeda credit: Erika Kamano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">L<\/strong>ondon-based singer and DJ iKeda might be making all the moves of a pop star, but describe her as one, and she\u2019ll baulk at the term. \u201cThese days, it\u2019s just too easy to call someone a pop star,\u201d she says, sitting down with <em>NME<\/em> in a sunny Hackney pub garden. On the verge of releasing her latest EP \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, she\u2019s adamant that the term carries real weight. \u201cYou really need to earn your stripes to have that label. Someone like PinkPantheress or Addison Rae, they\u2019re building a whole image and world \u2013 those are true pop stars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the artist might still be working her way up to the levels of those stars, she\u2019s moving in the right direction. She\u2019s been dropping tracks that ride on an infectious blend of UK funky, electroclash and dancehall since 2024, and has become a mainstay on London\u2019s underground electropop lineups. Earlier this year, she scored a highly sought-after invite \u2013 to support PinkPantheress on her acclaimed \u2018Fancy That\u2019 tour, a booking she says was \u201calmost like a dream\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI just couldn\u2019t believe I was playing venues that size at this point in my career,\u201d she says, but she took any early nerves and channelled them into \u201csuper healing positive energy\u201d, determined to push her craft to its highest potential. \u201cI told myself that I was asked to do this for a reason, that I need to take the audience reception as actual constructive criticism and not crash out. It was too amazing an opportunity not to go one hundred per cent full throttle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sipping from her tequila soda, iKeda describes sonic influences ranging from Santigold to SOPHIE. Her most central source of inspiration, however, comes from a close-knit constellation of friends and collaborators. It was fellow club-circuit denizen Babymorocco who first persuaded iKeda to begin songwriting in 2024 with her first single \u2018Luv Drunk\u2019: \u201cIt was such a far-away concept, going into the studio and writing, but he started doing it, and I saw how quickly he got good.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"iKeda - Go! (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/062j875zP3Q?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">G<\/strong>rowing up between the \u201cconcrete jungle\u201d of Tottenham and a houseboat in pastoral Cambridge, iKeda has always had a knack for storytelling. She experimented with writing short fiction as a teenager before going on to pursue visual art at Central Saint Martins. \u201cIt\u2019s so powerful when you can take something into your own hands and write these things which you wish could happen in real life,\u201d she says, explaining the heavy importance of imagery in her work. \u201cI love just being in a world when I\u2019m listening to music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This immersive fantasy world figures heavily on \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, her upcoming second EP, which departs from the Y2K dance-pop sensibility of her 2024 debut, \u2018Pretty Little Problem\u2019. Here, she delves further into her dancehall and funky house influences, producing a kind of manifesto for what she calls the \u201cgyal dem\u201d lifestyle. For iKeda, being a \u201cgyal\u201d transcends gender and sexuality: \u201cIt\u2019s all about one goal, moving toward complete liberation. It\u2019s about maximising disruption, taking up space regardless of if someone has a problem with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s precisely this disruptive energy which has allowed her to push into new sonic territory. \u201cJamaicans can be very perfectionistic about their dancehall, so I\u2019ve always been a little bit intimidated,\u201d she prefaces as she describes paying sonic homage to her Windrush roots. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to make this kind of music, and I\u2019m finally at the place where I\u2019m confident in exploring that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This musical evolution has culminated in a style which iKeda has dubbed \u201cbubblegum riddim\u201d \u2013 a mixture of electronic club pop and dancehall. \u201cI feel an obsession with music that\u2019s very effervescent and bubbly \u2013 it\u2019s like your head is fizzing.\u201d Yet this sweetness is balanced with a rawness. \u201cA lot of pop music is meant to sound quite tuned,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut with bubblegum riddim, there\u2019s an edge. I love how in a lot of \u201990s dancehall, the female vocals are a little off-key, almost fighting the beat.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI want to put on an actual production. I want to make bodies of work with coherent eras\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This new outlook is presented throughout \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, the sonic palette of which leaps between the grime-inflected \u2018Red Red\u2019 and the bubblegum bass dancehall of \u2018Go!\u2019 and \u2018Meoww\u2019. Single \u2018Tiger Tiger\u2019 epitomises both iKeda\u2019s approach to storytelling and her newfound boldness: \u201cI was going down memory lane with old childhood books, and I saw <em>The Tiger Who Came To Tea<\/em>. The story morphed into this whole thing, like there\u2019s this secret club and you can only go if you\u2019re a bad girl.\u201d Beyond psychedelic imagery of perception-altering potions and spiralling white rabbits, iKeda emphasises the way the track signals her new outlook on life: \u201cIt\u2019s part of my new path of just completely feeling myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the EP\u2019s release later this month, that self-assurance has got iKeda feeling free \u2013 something that\u2019s translating directly into her songwriting approach. \u201cI just want to make feel-good music because that\u2019s how I\u2019m feeling right now,\u201d she shares. But while her music evokes a fun-loving club pop sensibility, simple melodies are serious business for her. \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand how hard it is to write a catchy hook without it turning into slop,\u201d she explains. A consummate perfectionist, iKeda is dialled into the details, focused on particulars like \u201cthe little intros and interludes, which labels don\u2019t care about but that listeners love\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>While she might not accept herself as a pop star yet, the way she talks about her music and what she wants to do with it in the future points to an artist who\u2019s more than fit for the role. \u201cI just want to improve everything. I want to put on an actual production. I want to make bodies of work with coherent eras,\u201d she replies, her relentless creative drive evident when conversation turns to what\u2019s next. \u201cRight now I\u2019m trusting more in my ideas. I\u2019m eternally grateful for all of the good times I\u2019ve had, but I definitely have more to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>iKeda\u2019s \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019 EP is out on August 28 via Orbit Artist Group.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>iKeda<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The Bangles icon Susanna Hoffs announces new solo album \u2018The List\u2019 featuring Rufus Wainwright and more<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Comedian James Acaster launches new band The Wow! Scenario, sharing jazz driven single \u2018Zacuti\u2019 featuring BC Camplight<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 has caused a surge in \u2018Marvel\u2019s Spider-Man\u2019 players<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jacob Batalon responds to debate around \u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 ending that\u2019s captured the internet<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Members of Melvins, Butthole Surfers and more form new supergroup Gatta Morta<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Gaming News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Xbox Game Pass confirms August 2026 titles<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_105  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_107  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">L<\/strong>ondon-based singer and DJ iKeda might be making all the moves of a pop star, but describe her as one, and she\u2019ll baulk at the term. \u201cThese days, it\u2019s just too easy to call someone a pop star,\u201d she says, sitting down with <em>NME<\/em> in a sunny Hackney pub garden. On the verge of releasing her latest EP \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, she\u2019s adamant that the term carries real weight. \u201cYou really need to earn your stripes to have that label. Someone like PinkPantheress or Addison Rae, they\u2019re building a whole image and world \u2013 those are true pop stars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the artist might still be working her way up to the levels of those stars, she\u2019s moving in the right direction. She\u2019s been dropping tracks that ride on an infectious blend of UK funky, electroclash and dancehall since 2024, and has become a mainstay on London\u2019s underground electropop lineups. Earlier this year, she scored a highly sought-after invite \u2013 to support PinkPantheress on her acclaimed \u2018Fancy That\u2019 tour, a booking she says was \u201calmost like a dream\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI just couldn\u2019t believe I was playing venues that size at this point in my career,\u201d she says, but she took any early nerves and channelled them into \u201csuper healing positive energy\u201d, determined to push her craft to its highest potential. \u201cI told myself that I was asked to do this for a reason, that I need to take the audience reception as actual constructive criticism and not crash out. It was too amazing an opportunity not to go one hundred per cent full throttle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sipping from her tequila soda, iKeda describes sonic influences ranging from Santigold to SOPHIE. Her most central source of inspiration, however, comes from a close-knit constellation of friends and collaborators. It was fellow club-circuit denizen Babymorocco who first persuaded iKeda to begin songwriting in 2024 with her first single \u2018Luv Drunk\u2019: \u201cIt was such a far-away concept, going into the studio and writing, but he started doing it, and I saw how quickly he got good.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"iKeda - Go! (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/062j875zP3Q?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">G<\/strong>rowing up between the \u201cconcrete jungle\u201d of Tottenham and a houseboat in pastoral Cambridge, iKeda has always had a knack for storytelling. She experimented with writing short fiction as a teenager before going on to pursue visual art at Central Saint Martins. \u201cIt\u2019s so powerful when you can take something into your own hands and write these things which you wish could happen in real life,\u201d she says, explaining the heavy importance of imagery in her work. \u201cI love just being in a world when I\u2019m listening to music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This immersive fantasy world figures heavily on \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, her upcoming second EP, which departs from the Y2K dance-pop sensibility of her 2024 debut, \u2018Pretty Little Problem\u2019. Here, she delves further into her dancehall and funky house influences, producing a kind of manifesto for what she calls the \u201cgyal dem\u201d lifestyle. For iKeda, being a \u201cgyal\u201d transcends gender and sexuality: \u201cIt\u2019s all about one goal, moving toward complete liberation. It\u2019s about maximising disruption, taking up space regardless of if someone has a problem with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s precisely this disruptive energy which has allowed her to push into new sonic territory. \u201cJamaicans can be very perfectionistic about their dancehall, so I\u2019ve always been a little bit intimidated,\u201d she prefaces as she describes paying sonic homage to her Windrush roots. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to make this kind of music, and I\u2019m finally at the place where I\u2019m confident in exploring that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This musical evolution has culminated in a style which iKeda has dubbed \u201cbubblegum riddim\u201d \u2013 a mixture of electronic club pop and dancehall. \u201cI feel an obsession with music that\u2019s very effervescent and bubbly \u2013 it\u2019s like your head is fizzing.\u201d Yet this sweetness is balanced with a rawness. \u201cA lot of pop music is meant to sound quite tuned,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut with bubblegum riddim, there\u2019s an edge. I love how in a lot of \u201990s dancehall, the female vocals are a little off-key, almost fighting the beat.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI want to put on an actual production. I want to make bodies of work with coherent eras\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This new outlook is presented throughout \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019, the sonic palette of which leaps between the grime-inflected \u2018Red Red\u2019 and the bubblegum bass dancehall of \u2018Go!\u2019 and \u2018Meoww\u2019. Single \u2018Tiger Tiger\u2019 epitomises both iKeda\u2019s approach to storytelling and her newfound boldness: \u201cI was going down memory lane with old childhood books, and I saw <em>The Tiger Who Came To Tea<\/em>. The story morphed into this whole thing, like there\u2019s this secret club and you can only go if you\u2019re a bad girl.\u201d Beyond psychedelic imagery of perception-altering potions and spiralling white rabbits, iKeda emphasises the way the track signals her new outlook on life: \u201cIt\u2019s part of my new path of just completely feeling myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the EP\u2019s release later this month, that self-assurance has got iKeda feeling free \u2013 something that\u2019s translating directly into her songwriting approach. \u201cI just want to make feel-good music because that\u2019s how I\u2019m feeling right now,\u201d she shares. But while her music evokes a fun-loving club pop sensibility, simple melodies are serious business for her. \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand how hard it is to write a catchy hook without it turning into slop,\u201d she explains. A consummate perfectionist, iKeda is dialled into the details, focused on particulars like \u201cthe little intros and interludes, which labels don\u2019t care about but that listeners love\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>While she might not accept herself as a pop star yet, the way she talks about her music and what she wants to do with it in the future points to an artist who\u2019s more than fit for the role. \u201cI just want to improve everything. I want to put on an actual production. I want to make bodies of work with coherent eras,\u201d she replies, her relentless creative drive evident when conversation turns to what\u2019s next. \u201cRight now I\u2019m trusting more in my ideas. I\u2019m eternally grateful for all of the good times I\u2019ve had, but I definitely have more to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>iKeda\u2019s \u2018Bangs N Braces\u2019 EP is out on August 28 via Orbit Artist Group.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/ikeda-bangs-n-braces-interview-radar-3960777&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ikeda-credit-erika-kamano.jpeg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews iKeda is building her own world full of bubbly electropop gold The London-based singer and DJ, who supported PinkPantheress on tour earlier this year, is on the path to pop stardom. She\u2019s taking each step in her stride \u2013\u00a0and very seriously By Jules Robbins 5th August 2026 iKeda credit: Erika [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2078553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2078553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2078553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2078553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2078553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}