Armed with only her unique voice and singing style, Mila.Akilah is calling out men who tend to boast about material wealth they do not actually have in her recently released single, ‘Broke’.

The artiste, given name Jamila Coore, told Observer Online that the song was not written to bash men but to highlight a trend of the more dishonest cohort of the gender who tend to flex as if they have money when they are in fact broke.

The 25-year-old uses a track that is fun and upbeat and is appealing to an audience who appreciates pop music, with a Jamaican flair. Mila.Akilah however, does not subscribe to one genre but dabbles in the varied forms music takes.

Here are seven questions with up-and-coming artiste Mila.Akilah:

1. Who is Mila.Akilah?

I would describe myself as an eclectic artiste, someone who is not afraid to try different genres or dabble in different sounds that are unique to the native or common Jamaican genres. My process [of writing music] is usually fueled by the instrumental that I get. Usually that’s what fuels the writing process and the overall creative process so it really depends on the energy or the vibe that the beat gives me.

2. When did you start doing music?

I would say officially in the year 2018 was when I really started to take things seriously. I was in high school before that and then I took a gap year and within that year, was when I really dived into music as a career.

3. Why did you choose this as a career path?

I felt like I was good at it (music) and knew I could become even better at it so I just decided— instead of not trying— to dive into the inner space to see where it would take me. My music journey has been going fairly good. The best thing about it for me would be networking because I have met so many talented people and I have worked with so many talented producers, singers and overall talented creatives. And I have received wonderful reception from people and a lot of opportunities from it.

4. What message do you usually promote in your music?

The running themes would probably be love and self-acceptance while not being afraid of vulnerability. I chose these because they are what I am used to. I am used to diving into those feelings or having those experiences so it feels very familiar to me or it feels like something that I don’t have to think too hard about when writing.

5. Female artistes often report that they are asked to do favours in order to make it in the music industry, has this been your experience?

No, I have not experienced this and I hope I never do. Because music is so male dominated a lot of them really lack integrity and they don’t understand boundaries. I personally haven’t met anyone like that but I have heard a lot of stories from other individuals in music of people who have gone through things like this. It is very unfortunate that it is something that happens but for me, because I have— miraculously, I would probably say— found a group of people who value professionalism I haven’t had that experience.

6. Where do you see yourself in the future as an artiste?

I definitely want to tour. I see myself blessing stages all across the world so I am focused on getting my music out there to the point where I get opportunities to leave the country and tour, to grow my audience within my niche and to have a solid fan base that will continue in perpetuity; that’s definitely my goal.

7. What next can we expect from you?

I just dropped a new single called ‘Broke’ so that’s the song I am currently pushing. It is not what people think it is; I am not bashing men. It is a social commentary about flex culture and men who are disingenuous about having material wealth. So it is not about bashing men who don’t have money, it is very specific. This is the single that I hope will get me to where I want until I drop another single and eventually my first official EP. ‘Broke’ can be found on all major streaming platforms.