Nabihah Iqbal

Nabihah Iqbal (born 22 April 1988) is an English musician, writer and broadcaster from London, England. A former legal professional, she has studied at both SOAS and The University of Cambridge. She first released music under the alias Throwing Shade in 2013 whilst contributing vocals to Sophie's early releases such as Lemonade.[1] She switched to her birth name for her debut album Weighing of the Heart.[2]

Nabihah Iqbal
Also known asThrowing Shade
Born (1988-04-22) 22 April 1988
London, England
GenresIndie, Alternative, Cold wave (music), Electronic, Experimental
Occupation(s)Songwriter, Producer
LabelsNinja Tune, Ominira, No Pain in Pop, Happy Skull, Beating Heart
Spouse(s)
Nicholas Daley
​
(m. 2022)​

Early life

Iqbal was born to British Pakistani parents in London near Regent's Park as the eldest of six siblings. Her older brother Haseeb is a poet and her younger brother Shahir is a photographer.[3][4]

Career

She began developing musical projects while working as a human rights lawyer.[4] Early releases under Throwing Shade landed her a show with NTS Radio which she continues to this day[5] where she grew her following with shows exploring music from across the globe.[6] Her early style explored a mixture of experimental and more dancefloor oriented electronic styles including spoken word.[7] Around the same time she began to contribute vocals to Sophie (a close friend of hers) which after heavy manipulation, would go on to play a key role in early Hyperpop.[1]

In 2017 she switched to releasing under her birth name, so too her style switched towards guitar oriented vocal music. Her debut album 'Weighing of the Heart' was released by Ninja Tune to generally favourable reviews, drawing inspiration from William Blake and Matthew Arnold.[8][2][9][10][11][12] One particular review in XLR8R was removed for racism for questioning why she didn't include more of her own heritage in her music, a question Nabihah noted would not have been asked to a white musician.[13] More recently she has undertaken a residency at The BBC Asian Network.[14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to lockdown in Pakistan whilst visiting her grandparents after her album was stolen by thieves. Whilst there she started a webseries documenting local plants.[15]

Personal life

After 10 years together, Iqbal married British menswear designer Nicholas Daley on 20 August 2022.[16]

Discography

Studio albums
  • Weighing of the Heart (2017)
  • Dreamer (2023)

EPs
  • 19 Jewels (2014)
  • Fate Xclusive (2015)
  • House of Silk (2016)

Singles
  • "Mystic Places / Lights" (2013)
  • "Chancer" (2014)
  • "Something More" (2017)
  • "Eternal Passion / Zone 1 to 6000" (2017)
  • "Is This Where It Ends" (2020)
  • "Elvis" (2021)
  • "This World Couldn't See Us" (2023)

References
  1. Dunn, Francesca (31 March 2016). "a lesson in throwing shade by nabihah iqbal". i-D. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. "Nabihah Iqbal: Weighing of the Heart". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. Savlani, Sonam. "Nabihah Iqbal on why we need more brown faces in mainstream music". Vogue India. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. "Nabihah Iqbal: 'What's the point being me if I'm going to keep quiet?'". the Guardian. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. "Making waves: The women of colour who dominated radio in 2020". Dazed. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  6. "Throwing Shade's favourite tracks". the Guardian. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. "Throwing Shade - House Of Silk · Single Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. "Nabihah Iqbal: Weighing of the Heart review – a thoughtful, immersive debut". the Guardian. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. "Nabihah Iqbal - Weighing Of The Heart · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. "Nabihah Iqbal breathes new life into the guitar on the Bauhaus-inspired Weighing of the Heart". Fact Magazine. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. "Nabihah Iqbal - Weighing of the Heart - Album review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  12. "Album Review: Nabihah Iqbal - Weighing of the Heart". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  13. "Nabihah Iqbal (fka Throwing Shade) calls out "racist" review of latest album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  14. "Nabihah Iqbal". BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  15. Ghosh, Ravi (30 April 2020). "Nabihah Iqbal: the London musician who got locked down in Pakistan". the Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. Hess, Liam. "Nicholas Daley and Nabihah Iqbal's London Wedding Was a Joyous Ode to Their Cultural Heritage". Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
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