Welcome to the Garden: Shaé Universe for The Culture Crypt Issue V
This is the tender story of creative dreams sown in childhood and chased until they came to fruition. Now, Shaé Universe is in full bloom. Here, the award-winning songstress guides us through a meadow of memories, culminating in a fulfilling truth—her realised dreams are just answered prayers.
The Culture Crypt Issue V: Shaé Universe. Photo by Radhika Muthanna.
On a Friday afternoon in East London, Shaé Universe and The Culture Crypt collide in a burst of colour. The set is self-made, like its leading lady. Surrounded by materials varying in texture, an array of flowers and a collection of nostalgic CDs, there stands Shaé: statuesque, with hair twisted into braided artwork, radiant amidst technicoloured hues.
"I never intentionally thought about wanting bright colours to represent me but when I really deep it, they do reflect my energy and my aura," she shares. "I want to be a light in the world and that's what I try to reflect in my music." This vibrant intention emanates from Shaé Universe just like the pink, yellow and orange tones that bathe her. In person and in art, she exudes a captivating confidence and a knowledge that she is meant to be here.
The path to the top looks different for everyone. In Shaé's case, her music career started with modest song covers posted online in the early 2010s. What Shaé Universe had to offer was unmatched; she sounded like no one, no one sounded like her. Her velvety vocals and slick bars drew attention amidst the clamour of a buzzing UK music scene—this was a talent that couldn't be ignored.
A steady stream of singles and features preceded her breakthrough track, "No Stallin'" in 2018, and then heads just kept turning, ears bending towards her rich, raspy melodies. Shaé soon found herself emerging as a pioneer of R'n'Drill. This unique blended genre tilted the axis of UK R&B. She became a trailblazer in the sound during an era spearheaded by her milestone single, "You Lose", and further exemplified in her 2022 debut EP, Unorthodox.
Today, Shaé continues to ascend as one of the UK's most precious gifts. Her catalogue traverses the realms of R&B and soul, infused with rap, spoken word and candid dialogue, but carried by the power of her voice. Her 2024 debut album, Love's Letter, is nothing short of a masterpiece and many artists who once inspired her are now her peers. Shaé's music is real and timeless; the whispers of her forebears ripple beneath the surface, but her sound sustains a unique individuality that makes her comparable to few others.
From performing at global festivals, including Glastonbury and SXSW in Texas, to smashing her first headline tour, winning two State of R&B Awards, being nominated for a MOBO, opening for the iconic Teedra Moses in London and taking on the world-renowned Tiny Desk and COLORS performances, Shaé Universe has truly flourished and it's a joy to behold.
Photographer: Radhika Muthanna / Creative Director: Ira Alecia Gardner / Producer: Niall Smith / Writer: Davina Nylander / Editor-in-Chief: Janan Jama / HAIR: Lauraine Bailey at Leftside Creative using Amika + Dyson Hair Pro / Makeup: Ella Carter-Allen As an independent artist who stays fiercely true to herself, there are very few layers between us and the hot molten core of Shaé's work. The music she makes today is as real as it was ten years ago—perhaps a little more polished and with plenty more stories to tell, but raw and authentic, just the same. "I write music from real-life experiences, and it really takes a lot to continuously pour out your heart and soul this way." But she sees her purpose as bigger than herself and thus Shaé keeps going, building her legacy as she pours into the dreams of her younger self.
Raised in a loving household as the eldest of four siblings, Shaé Universe had aspirations nurtured from an early age. She was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, before moving to the UK at the age of four, living in and around North West London, where she laid down her roots.
Shaé credits her mum and dad for embracing her creativity and overturning stereotypical caricatures of Nigerian parenthood; rather than suppressing her artistic spark, they chose to fan the flames. "I was very blessed because my parents saw the zeal, the passion and the calling in me, so they allowed me to study performance and music-oriented things. My parents have always been supportive, so I think that definitely shaped how possible I thought my dream was."
Alongside the gospel and African worship songs that filled her home, a matriarchal force governed the music that Shaé was raised on: "My mum was the one who set the tone. My dad listened to whatever my mum listened to." And so Shaé was doused by the voices of female powerhouses like Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey before growing to love the likes of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. The first physical CD she bought for herself was Usher's 8701. This blend of early influences subtly foreshadowed the R&B and soul-infused direction her future music career would take.
She recalls being "super shy" but, like the icons that filled her ears, young Shaé loved to sing. This passion, combined with a love of dancing and acting, eventually led her to thrive at drama school, but amid all the creative gifts she possessed, singing paved the way.
Her music career was born around 2013, when Shaé began to share song covers on Twitter, filming videos from the neck down with her face hidden from the camera. She reminisces, "At that point, I was just innocent, young, baby Shaé, singing songs that I loved. And then every single video would go viral. That's what made me realise that there's an audience for what I have to offer the world."
Set Designer, Art Director + Graphic DESIGNER: mobolaji Babalola / BTS: Ona Ngwuocha / Gaffer: Alex José / PR: Sope Soetan / Flowers: F for Flower / PR: Sope Soetan / SHAÉ WEARS: Mariia Ershova + Ivy J Studio FOR THE COVER + LOOK I, Issy Brightmore + Ivy J Studio FOR LOOK II + Yasu/Whekang FOR LOOK III Despite not knowing what she looked like, the richness of her voice would have audiences flocking in their masses to watch and share this faceless talent. But now, when it comes to her visuals, there's nothing to hide. In the strikingly beautiful album cover of Love's Letter, Shae is looking straight down the barrel of the lens, telling a story with her gaze and confronting us head-on. Finally, we see her.
When contemplating this visual evolution, Shae is moved by her own growth: "When I started out, part of the reason for not showing my face was because I just wanted it to be about the voice. It was also fuelled by a bit of anxiety because at that point, I was not the Shae I am today. I still had a lot of internal work to do, to learn to love myself, accept myself, be unapologetically myself. I was not there at that time, so if people were to nitpick or bully me or say anything hurtful, it would've really gotten to me. Looking back, I really do notice how much growth there has been because now it's me, front and centre, and now people put a face to the name, you know? To actually be a respected artist in my own right in the UK… The growth is real, man."
Shae's journey thus far illustrates the type of growth that can be measured from the outside, but is most sincerely felt within, rooted in the unshared secrets and quieter chapters of a story only truly known by oneself. But that journey was an uphill battle—with more success came more doubt. The younger Shae didn't have an ounce of pessimism in pursuing her dreams, but as her career took off, unwelcome negativity crept in through the same doors that burst open. Thus, her childhood optimism met its dark nemesis: the harsh reality of a cruel industry.
"As I've gotten older and deeper into this industry, I've learnt that the game is rigged in certain ways." In a moment of genuine candidness, Shaé shares, "This is just me being completely transparent with you—I'm realising that if I knew everything that I know now, I may not have pursued being a music artist as my main thing. Purely because of how much of a horrible place the industry can be, especially for dark-skinned female artists." But despite all that threatens to dim her light, Shae's passion continues to blaze. "Obviously, I would never quit. I've come way too far, I've done too many amazing things and I'm grateful for that, but it's just kind of shifting my perspective."
Stylist: Khurram Salim Rana / Style Assistant: Jazzy Newnham / Production Assistant: Grace Zadi / Set Assistants: Adeyinka Adeleke + Victoria Olawale / Records: Soul Brother Records / Creative Studio: Modem StudiosHearing about the struggle makes her journey that much more remarkable. Shaé Universe has built her legacy brick by brick with her own two hands, and therefore, she protects it like a fortress, maintaining her role as the master and architect of her own dreams. Beyond being a singer and songwriter, she is a businesswoman and an independent artist—wholeheartedly passionate about maintaining her creative autonomy.
"Being an independent artist means everything to me. Why? Because the whole infrastructure of the industry is not built to empower artists, it is built to keep us oppressed. It is built to keep us dependent on labels, borrowing and owing money and just stuck in this cycle. It's a capitalist world, it's a capitalist system, right? So being independent has literally saved my life. And it sounds so extreme, but it's the truth. Being independent has meant I've had to be hands-on with my own business and I've had to learn things for myself. There's no middleman. I'm there doing it all and I'm learning about everything.
I've probably avoided a good couple of contracts that would have finished me. You see the stories all the time. What has saved me is being an independent artist, knowing my stuff and being thorough with my business. And you know what? A bunch of people will probably call me difficult, but I'm only difficult because I know what I'm supposed to know. They want artists to be oblivious and just live in this creative la-la land. And it's like, yeah, be creative, of course. But man, being independent is something that I cherish."
What lies beneath these lessons, taught and learnt through intoxicating success and sobering disappointment? What continues to drive Shaé, even when she feels "a little bit insane" to be soldiering on? Well, above all, she's driven by faith: an unwavering belief in God intertwined with a steadfast belief in herself. She still waters those seeds of self-belief planted by her parents and stands tall upon the roots that ground her.
VIDEO DIRECTOR: Philip PattonIn her own words, this season of Shaé's life is all about: "Honouring the vision that I have in my mind, despite how the odds may look or whether it seems unrealistic or unachievable.” Shaé deeply believes that the dreams and visions we have are powerful. "You know, there's a reason that you see something for yourself—because it's attainable. Not everyone might see it at first, but that's why it's your vision… And don't get me wrong, it's a process. We're not always confident as human beings, but it's just about pushing through that. I think that's what faith really is."
These words of wisdom are reflected in her art, especially shown in her remarkable 2024 debut album, Love's Letter, which has etched itself, unassumingly but inevitably, into the bedrock of modern UK R&B. Reminiscent of the legendary, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in its cathartic power, Love's Letter is an extension and an expression of love in all of its iterations. Curated "as if love itself were to write you a letter", the album is a conduit through which words of wisdom bloom from lived experience and flow to Shaé Universe, who hands them, with care, to us.
“Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s talent, sometimes it’s strategy. But if you have something that makes you unique, you’re already ahead of the game.”
"I like to think of myself as a vessel. Sometimes being a music artist in this day and age can feel very egocentric, but this mission is bigger than me—it's about people really taking something away from the music. That was definitely my aim with Love's Letter and will forever be my aim with every body of work I release from this day until the day I die." This underlying vocation instils a deep intention and a timelessness in Shaé's craft—her art can sit within and transcend any musical era, wrapping itself around the listener's soul and the sound of the times, whilst taking up a space carved entirely on its own.
This is the tale of a self-made star with aspirations born in childhood and chased until they came to fruition. Indeed, when Shaé reflects on her journey, she realises that her dreams are manifesting all around her as we speak. "Honestly, a lot of the dreams that I had when I was young, I'm living them out now, which is crazy. Young Shaé would be very proud, she would feel very fulfilled. And I want to thank you for reminding me of that. Because it's so easy to lose sight of the fact that the things I'm experiencing right now are answered prayers. They are. It's a beautiful thing, you know."
And rightfully, after years of cultivation, Shaé Universe now shines bright on a global stage, ready to take on the world but remaining unapologetically herself, reaching back towards the shy young girl who grew up in North West London, filled with song and full of dreams.
Stream Love's Letter below: