KUKII is an artist reborn from the heart of Cairo’s bustling streets, forged in an inferno of pride and resistance. Her music is a battle cry, a call for unity, daring listeners to break boundaries, challenge perceptions, and charge into new terrain. KUKII invites you to turn inward, urging self-discovery as a path to liberation.

Sculpted by the music artist formerly known as Lafawndah (Tan (2016, Warp), Ancestor Boy (2019, !K7), The Fifth Season (2020, Latency)), the essence of KUKII crystalised on Lafawndah’s return to her origin of Cairo, discovering one particular kindred spirit in newly unearthed extended family and ancestry. She’s the living spirit of an Egyptian aunt turned icon—a trailblazer rediscovering her roots and unapologetically transforming them.

Imagine KUKII as the lovechild of an explosive fusion: MIA, Sherine, and Siouxsie Sioux colliding in the back of a mauve Chrysler LeBaron, tearing through Cairo with Mahraganat blasting on the stereo, while Pharrell catches the scene at a red light. She’s the fierce afterbirth of Meredith Monk and Janet Jackson reimagining the AKIRA soundtrack. KUKII embodies Genesis P-Orridge and Gwen Stefani embracing at the peak of the Alborz mountains, immersed in the sounds of qawwali.

On her debut EP, sensual sounds influenced by KUKII’s rich DNA unravel frenetically with the rhythm of hypnotic drums, fervent battle cries that skip jubilantly among both arghuls and electric guitars. Sounds of the Middle East pulsate and undulate through the blueprint of emboldened pop. It’s a tonic for the ordinary that hits hard and fast. For some reason you just know that if you join KUKII, the wild ride into her world will be well worth the journey.