Piwa, The Rockstar
Piwa is a multi-genre rock star hailing from Chicago, Illinois by way of Texas. With her family originating from Zimbabwe, her sound and story seamlessly blends her experience to cultivate her style and production habits.
In this interview, I sat down with Piwa at Buttercup in Uptown, near Green Mill Lounge, a place of significance for the artist. When she had originally moved to the Northside of Chicago, she felt isolated, being further away from the city than was initially comfortable. She found her footing at Green Mill, with her first attendance being that of a solo artist and new Chicagoan.
Since then, she has honed in on her craft, grown, and navigates the social scene in the city in a way that feels authentic to her and her values. Through collaboration and grace, Piwa is able to let us in on how she feels about her journey thus far, as well as where she is headed as her inevitable success awaits her.
On June 10, 2026, I had the pleasure of sitting down with PIWA following the release of her newest album, Rotten. Read on to hear us chat about genre bending, anamorphic tendencies, queerness within African context & more!
Piwa by Houston @hstn__m on Instagram.
____________________________________
I: Good morning Piwa!
P: Good morning Imani.
I: Thank you so much for joining me today.
P: Thank you for having me, honestly, it’s such a beautiful day in Chicago so I was so excited to get into it.
I: Me too, it was hot today!
P: Yes.
I: It was hot today, it was sweaty.
P: With the--[waves hands and inhales] the way that the clouds are kinda helping us out right now is beautiful.
I: Thankful to the clouds, thankful to the sun as well.
P: Come on, and the trees!
I: Yes!
P: And the birds!
I: Yes! Thankful to you as well ‘cause I really wanna get into asking you these questions about your album, asking you these questions about your artistry, your development. So, tell me more about genre, for you. I wanna know about genre. I wanna know about where you think you fit in, and what started you in the genre you think you fit into right now.
P: For sure. So, especially when it comes to the topic of genre I always having a conflicting time because I am a girl that sees herself in everything, in everywhere, and feel like I belong everywhere, in that sense. But as for the genre that I feel as if I've found--as something that I label as, “This is more so my world right now’” I would call it alternative hip-hop. I would say more, like, anti-pop, hip-hop, alternative. That’s like, the words that I usually like to roll around, because it’s such like a… I can’t just stick to… to, you know-- I feel like I have a lot of cadence within that resonates, of course, with my hip-hop start. But, you know, rock is something I really-- that was my baby growing up…
I: I hear that a lot, those themes in your music, even though it could be hip-hop it could sound more, of that nature.
P: Yes. No, like, I really do love to have that uh-- moment of just really, seeing those elements that I just loved hearing when I was growing up. Like I always give back to literally looking at like Lil Wayne: the fact that he was, legit, one of the first rockstars I’ve ever known, in my life, so. That hip-hop/rock combination--
I: He is a rockstar, not a rapper!
(in unison) He is a rock! star!
I: Yeah.
P: That’s it. [cut off sweep of hands]
I: Thank you for talk-- Thank you for saying that! There need to be more people who are, establishing black people as rap-- Or as, as rockstars and not rappers.
P: Come on! It’s like, it’s a beautiful combination of both. Like yes, Lil Wayne definitely is a rapper. He’s a [clap] rock [clap] star. He’s a rockstar in that. So, you know, especially when it comes to it, I feel like people don’t wanna give him that sometimes. When it comes to, like, black rockstars…
I: Give Lil Wayne his flowers, tee bee aitch [tbh].
P: Give him the flowers! Are you kidding? Do you not remember Prom Queen?
I: Come on!
P: “I’ma pick the world up and I’ma drop it on ya fuckin’ head!”
I: AYE! You’re lit! That’s what I feel (x2). I’m glad you can feel inspired by so many black rockstars and have them be modern, too. I feel, like, a lot of the time when we refer to rockstars we think of them as, like, a Prince, Michael Jackson, a little bit older.
P: Please! And those are the rockstars and things, but definitely when it comes to, you know, like, what I remember my, like, older sister putting me on to. You know? Older sister, you definitely wanna be like [visuals] older sister [smirking emoji?].
Piwa by Houston, @hstn__m on Instagram.
I: Older sister music! Yup!
P: And she was putting me on! She was putting me on to all of that, just like, you know, Weezer, when it came to it, “Pork and Beans” type shit, so.
I: Oh my gosh! [huge smile]
P: In that world, it was just something where it just came together so beautifully being like, “Yo, these are the rockstars I know.” Definitely did have that moment of like, tapping in towards, like, you mentioned, like Michael Jackson-- One of the first songs I remember, that just brought me to the table, for sure, was, like, literally, I would say, uh, it was We are the World, crazy enough.
I: Mmmmm!
P: We are the World was that song for me when I was like, probably, in elementary school…
I: Wow, that’s early!
P: ...that made me stop, and genuinely go [wide eyed face and pause] what is this? Because, you know, all those collective voices in there?
I: [nodding]
P: That’s how I found, like, Steve Perry, for one, is another artist that's like a rockstar in my book where I fell in love with his voice. You know? Like… Oh my gosh wait, I’m trying to think. Cyndi Lauper! Those artists, too. But literally just seeing…
I: It was packed in there.
P: [clap] Packed! Lionel Richie?! Like I… You already know in that household that’s where it really, threw down, for sure, and uh… Michael was the-- [hand gesture, two Italian fists from the brain to the table, signifying the foundation] but, yes. This is me like-- with the Lil Wayne world was moreso, like, okay, I’m finding [deep breath]-- I’m really establishing my own sounds, and this is where I’m going towards.
I: That’s the genre you fit into: Black Rockstars. Who can sometimes be mistaken as rappers! Rockstars.
P: Come ooon!
I: Yeah, I love that. So let’s talk a little bit about the (facial?*) distortions you use in your art. I really like that, when, your presentation about yourself and your identity, you use painting, you use modification, and you use animorphism, like turning yourself into an animal. I want you to tell me more about your experience using that.
P: For sure! Like really-- What it really does come to my visual world, I find that especially because I do happen to have my friends being the ones on this team with me, it gives me that freedom to feel like, “Oh, like this is a safe way to play. This is a-- And especially them knowing me, who I am, they know it’s what I wanna do, and that world of, you know, the-- my friends who have directed with me and we just sat, and talked for hours, of just where we want to go. We wanna-- We do get kooky in there because it's something where it's like, “When else will we do it?!” You already know, like, Halloween will come around, which is one of my favorite holidays…
I: You do Halloween whenever you wanna do Halloween!
P: I-- [two finger points] Exactly. Halloween whenever I wanna do Halloween. And I feel like whenever it comes to-- even when I think of, like, the first music video that really did, give that energy of like, “Oh, like, we’re shifting, we’re changing…” Was, um, No Fun, from my last project. And that’s where I really got to, you know, like, get my teeth knocked out. There was a lot of blood.
I: Yeah.
P: I [inaudible]-- just, warning! [laughs]
I: Warning! [sing songy]
[both laugh]
P: And those were all things where, at first I was very scared of being like, “I don't know, if, this is gonna read well, yall.” Like especially--
I: Or translate well.
P: Yeah! You know, it’s like, yes this may be fun for me, in the way where I’m like… You know I’m very comfortable, at this point in my life, as to, how I present myself because of the people I have around me that know who I am, as a person. You know I did have a lot of like, that, you know, syndrome of, “Everyone thinks I’m scary now! And like…” But, you know, it’s-- African kid. Of course, you get real scared of stuff whenever you see the relatives be like, “Yeah. I saw that.”
[laughter]
I: Yeah. Do your relatives have something to say about the art that you make? about these distortions?
P: You know, when it comes to it, uh, I did-- with my family, we have grown up very religious, very, you know, heavily within the church. And it’s something that I really do appreciate, of course, growing up into. But it is, when it comes to, you know, I-- like I mention with my visual world: Yes there is, like, a good amount of that, me being like, “I wanna play!” but there are portions of that that is like, “Well, there’s also meaning here.” And, you know, I would love to talk about it, whenever, being, [pause], asked? Moreso? And more in a like--
I: Not just like, unprompted?
P: You know? And those moments of being like, “I’m not really trying to like, overdo my explanation.” ‘Cause I know how sometimes that will, dep-- get me, moreso, and I like the idea of letting the viewer, take, themselves in that world, themselves. And, you know-- but I love the question. So it’s like, you know, when-- I feel like, my relatives itself, it’s always just like a, “If you ask me about it I’ll tell you what it was!”
I: But it’s not like, your necessary story.
P: Yes! [squinting smile]
I: I hear you.
P: Exactly. [voice relaxes]
I: I’m glad. I’m glad it doesn’t feel limiting or defining to who you are. I feel like it can for a lot of artists who are international, because it is limiting, but it’s such a piece, and it’s not a whole.
P: Yes! ‘Cause, you know, especially when it comes to people who are-- I feel like sometimes it does, get to that point of like, being a little intense and scary. ‘Cause i do, love the aspect of using,this art to kind of show, what it would-- Like the-- The trauma release, in a way. That makes it fun for me, looking at it sometimes and being like, you know, this was something that, you know, I had to sit with, before ever coming out. It’s all up to me which is nice, that like with the support I have around me. “Piwa if you’re not comfortable with something that, like, we’re about to release? Where you’re {or “were you”} taking a double step?” [shakes head] “Totally okay. This is about you and how you present yourself.” [construction banging but dinging like a bell]
And I-- I definitely sit with it.
[ding]
Because it’s times where it’s like, you know, I psych myself out--
[ding]
But then, it’s like, the universe pings [ding] to me like “hey…”
I: It grounds you.
[ping]
It grounds you.
P: Exactly.
[dings continue throughout]
In that way where I look at these like-- Even the cover for Rotten…
I: I actually wanted to ask you about that! Especially with Rotten, because, the sound of it, it feels a little bit different than your other works. The cover is a little bit more, intense, than your other works. It looks more, more dark. It looks a little bit less, of that fun animation and more of that animation that makes you think about different things.
P: Mhmm!
I: And I wanna know about how your artistry, your sound, and your connection, has changed from other works, for now to Rotten?
P: Ooh. I feel like, you know, I had that moment at the listening party just even just mentioning the first project I did, which is called Dead Ends, to now this project Rotten, and that [inaudible], you know like where-- “How do these ones connect?” Oh, it connects.
I: Oh, it connects.
P: Oh, it connects. You know? If you give me a whole day and then some, you know I can draw all these points out for you. It’s fun puzzle piecing as I go, because I know that this is my story, in a-- in a, coded way.
I: Yeah!
P: You know?
I: And you are the one to decode it.
P: Exactly. And it’s always just that thing of, you know, like I said before, like “Let me not overexplain myself because it’ll just-- there’s a lot.” You know that one picture from It’s always sunny in Philadelphia? Where the guy’s literally like [moves hands in a searching fashion] there’s just a bunch of things--
[both do the hand motions of referenced meme]
I: [doing identical motions] He’s tryna like, figure it out?
P: [laugh]
I: I think it’s Denis? Yeah yeah yeah. It is, yeah.
P: Yes! Literally. Like, Dead Ends, I feel like, was, that, part of my life where I was still trying to figure out what it was, that I would sound like. But still just like-- Moreso being like, “No, this is me having fun with my friends but--”
I: Right! Like you’re saying, that ‘play’ aspect.
P: Exactly. You know, especially coming from Texas at that point, this project, Dead Ends, was kind of like, an ode for me, but as the girl in Texas. And being like “Oh,” you know, “this is me writing about that life,” kind of thing, in the way where I’m, figuring out what my life looks like here.
I: And, I really wanna know about how that looks when you look at the industry. Because you’re saying you’re from Texas, to Chicago, who knows what’s next, you know? And, you have to keep true to your authentic sound that you did have. You know, for example, on Dead Ends, and now Rotten, which is, a piece of that authentic sound, right? So like, how do you feel you’re staying true to not only your values, but that sound? As you continue to grow and grow, faster and faster?
Rotten by Piwa, 2026.
P: Absolute. I feel like especially knowing that, that growth, it really is like the thing that kinda hits you [hands rolling forward]--
I: I mean, faster and faster.
P: And you just never expect it ‘till you wake up and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, the place I’m in right now, is…” you know? It’s something that I am only, oh so in love with, the rise in itself, of just seeing what type of artist I really am supposed to be in this world. And just like-- as the like connection of, seeing the other artists that we happen to just, see our worlds together in that way. And so, I feel like when it comes to just keeping true, it's always knowing like the people around me. The people around me are exactly-- Like, you are the company you keep.
I: [inaudible. undoubtedly?*]
P: The project I started there, Dead Ends, they’re still here with me for Rotten. Everybody, like, all those collaborators. It’s just knowing that it’s like, you know, I see that God’s plan, especially when it comes towards it, they're like-- These people we’re-- we’re riding together. Remember. We’re still here, like…
I: We’re collaborators, we’re growing, we’re-- Yeah.
P: Exactly! Like the Chicago city-- Like, you know, even comparing from Texas to Chicago. Texas is a great place, I love my home, you know? You can’t go better, bigger than Texas.
I: Bigger in Texas!
P: Of course. [thoughtful sigh] Chicago is a beautifully, crazy, world that I've just been so blessed to find, within a just, you know, like I said, the people have just kept me wanting to be here and getting up and doing the damn thing, so. Friends and family. I feel like they're the ones who really keep me to it, of being like, “Hey, we know the type of person you are. [points] You’re blessed.”
I: So, they remind you of who you are? So no matter where you go, if you’re around those people you are yourself?
P: Yes!
I: I like that.
P: That thing. And it's like, you know now that I-- I have been within this city, and meeting new people as we go, you know, I really had that moment of being comfortable with myself, especially living in a studio apartment for four years, by myself so far. It’s a crazy feeli-- You know, crazy feeling living by yourself. So, I think it was a beautiful combination, having the people I have around me, and having that space to sit alone, and really think to myself, like, “Who am I? What is this music thing about?” Like "What is we-- What are we doing here?”
I: It’s like your reflection chamber.
P: Yes! Exactly. That’s the perfect way of putting it. That’s what like-- I feel like especially with the project, Rotten, it was called Rotten for the base of being like, “I’m feeling like I’m Rotting in this room.”
I: You know what? Now that you say that, listening to your earlier works, it sounds like you’re like, expanding, like you’re almost at a concert always, and listening to Rotten, it does feel like you’re in a room, making music, and it’s-- it's like you're consuming all of it.
P: [quietly] Yesss.
And you're consuming yourself. It’s like-- like the best version, the sharpest version, of yourself.
P: (inaudible: fierce?*) That’s a beautiful way to put it. And that I-- I really think, you know, the incubator kinda thing…
I: Right! It’s, “I’m so sharp because I’m just, surrounded by myself, I am myself, I’m being myself, I’m with myself.”
P: Yes! No, that’s why I feel like, you know, Dead Ends, that first project, it really was being like “Okay, we’re figuring it out, we’re figuring it out, we’re experiencing--” I mean one of my favorite quotes I always keep in my head, from Lauryn Hill, when she's working through her own things, “Learning in mastership. Learning in mastership.”
I: Okay, well no, I-- I really-- I do hear what you’re saying about that and I’m glad that you’re able to, not only be reflective about the people around you, but you’re reflective within yourself. You’re constantly reminding yourself who you are. You’re not gonna forget. And something that I notice about you-- something that I feel about you, is that you're an inspiration for me as a queer black woman, because of how queer you are, because of how- It’s the oddities that you-- you like to focus on and bring out. And, I don't necessarily see you defined with queerness, like explicitly, but how does that play itself into your work?
P: Oh, when it comes to-- Like with regards to my queer world in itself, it really is just feeling like, I-- Like, especially how I mentioned how I feel within music and genre, that I belong everywhere?
[arms in a sort of shrug] I belong to everyone.
I: Okay, [shimmy] I belong to eeeveryone.
P: In the way of, you know, it really is that thing of knowing, for my queerness in itself, and my music, I am a very-- I-- I mean-- I see myself as, you know I-- I don’t think this moreso sort of matters itself, but, see myself as very much, a, masculine-holding when it comes to-- [screw face] Mm, let me take that back, because like I said it’s just that thing where it’s like…
I: It’s so complicated to define yourself, as a queer black person, because it's hard. Because they say, okay, ‘woman’. Being a woman is being a white woman, and I’ll never be a white woman. I’ll always be a black woman, which completely changes the way you have to identify yourself. So I see you trying to say, “I hold masculine I hold th--” Well, like I said in that (inaudible?*), all black people are non-binary, because we can never be women or men. So I really resonate with what you’re saying.
P: (inaudible?*) No, like-- I’m getting back towards it. I genuinely admire you and yourself in the way that, like, you genuinely-- Within our just, moment of walking itself, the way you happen to just present knowledge in such a beautiful way, the way your word…
I: [turns to camera w/ wide eye smirk] We talked about incels.
P: …is power. Oh my gosh. I’m bout to get into this obsession.
I: Yeesss crazy, crazy. Thank you!
P: But, that beautiful (inaudible) that just shines out and in. ‘Cause like, I just love-- I can’t wait to see (inaudible?*) how you got the camera up-- just the glow. I’m a black woman, come on.
I: Aw, collab! Collab of the century, like, this is amazing. Well speaking about-- more about black woman, I feel as if, you are an inspiration for people who are young, but also Zimbabwean women who are young. Black Zimbabwean women, who are young, in Chicago, like, it’s hyperspecific and there are women who are just, like, you, and are looking up to you. I want you to say something to them. I want you to feel with them, because you are them and I want them to be able to identify with you.
P: Nah, I say: Black women of Zimbabwe. The women of Zimbabwe, please. When it is the strength that is within us, it is something that is loud and needs to be heard, and needs to be seen more. Make people move to the beat of your drum! Literally don’t let nobody tell you that you don't belong where you don't belong. That's something I feel like has just been a-- a pushed on narrative when it comes to black baby girls and boys in this world. Where it comes to black Zimbabwean women, stand the fuck up and make it known where we come from! ‘Cause, that's the thing, they don't know enough about us here!
I: They don't.
P: They don’t know enough about the country! They don't know about us. We exist…
I: Tap us in, tap us innnn. I love that you said that. I love that you said that. And it really is about putting yourself in the place that people can see you, putting yourself in places where you're respected and adorned, because there is respect and adoration there. Yeah, I completely agree
P: It is! It truly is that thing of really being like, you know, the things that you seek out in the world, I feel like that’s prob- Those moments somethings where, like i said, the feeling, the notion of like, “I am not from here.” But it is also, you know, like, a thing where when I go back home they also say, “Oh, you know, you’re a product of the states, girl.”
I: Right! The belonging, yea.
P: And it's just that balance where it's like gosh, “I’ve walked my whole life not knowing where I belon--” [touch-slaps table] Oh no no no no no. Mama said get up!
I: You said, “I’m gon belong today. [double downward point]
[both laugh]
P: Nah that is a thing where that is a golden quote my mom put in my head, instilled it, especially when it came to Chicago. “Make them [clap] move to the [clap] beat of your [clap] drum.” Like, you know they feel that doubt on you. My mom only says those things of you know the-- the world-- they wanna get to you. Because she knows what it feels to be bit.
I: [shakes head] Mmm. Bit.
P: And she doesn’t wanna see her babies be bit! And I think it's like that thing for me and my mom where I’m now teaching her like, “Mom, we belong everywhere.”
I: [nodding] Okay!
P: if anyone-- so it's a healthy balance between us of knowing that like, “Don’t let them catch you slippin’, but aye--” [uses middle and index fingers to form a heart]
I: Participate. Heart emojis! [joins in] That Gemini, that-- That “Okaayyy one and two!”P: [golf clap] Come on!
I: I appreciate that. Okay well, now for the end of this, I always want to manifest. Like, I just love manifesting. Like we did it right in front of Green Mill earlier today when we took your photos. I want you to tell me where you see yourself in 6 months. That’ll be December, right, I want you to tell me what your December looks like. I wanna tell me what you want the first week, the second-- Like, I want you to live it out so when we get there we can see if it happened.
P: Planning tour. Not planning tour, tour.
I: Planning on.
P: December. Tour. It's literally like, I see it in my head of being like, okay, I've just come back from a few shows, now we're getting ready to do the second half of tour, literally next year, beginning 2027. And yea that's, like, literally something-- that’s a big dream of mine that-- You know my dreams come true, so--
I: Yes they do! Yes they do.
P: Big dreams of mine to go on tour with just--
I: Who’s opening?
P: …phenomenal people. [flustered] Opening?
I: Dream big! Dream big!
P: It's gonna be-- who's opening-- oh gosh-- those sorts of things are-- [high-pitched and frantic] I don’t even know, oh my gosh!!! uhhh
I: Jill Scott’s opening!
P: Jill Sc-- Awh my gosh no no no no no.
[I P and H all laugh)
P: No no no no no! I couldn’t-- [laughs again] That's the thing where I think of like, even just the person of just ope--
I’m opening. I’m opening!
I: “I’m opening! I’m closing, and then I’m gonna end it as well, yeah.”/s
P: Exactly. It’s either Doja Cat or 070 Shake or Little Simz--
I: OOOH!
P: or WILLOW. That's gonna be, you know (inaudible. takeover?*)…
I: Little Simz would be g-- I would be hyped for that! Little Simz plus Piwa?
[unison] Come on!
P: But I’m opening. I would gladly take that spot. ‘Cause I was like “Wait!” Who-- I don’t-- I don’t want them to open for me! I would be so upset. Jill… No, I could never open for Jill. It’s-- you know?
I: Tapped in. Tapped innn.
P: [points to I] Tapped in with Jill. Ooh…
I: I love that. I love that I just-- I like seeing it. Like, I like seeing you on tour in my head. I like seeing all these things. I'm seeing, like, the lighting. It's kind of, like, green, like… You know what I mean? I’m seeing it!
P: (inaudible) I just see myself as like, a baby of the universe and I-- You know I have so many friends have just, like, had that experience where they’ve been like “Piwa, you’re gonna love tour” and I'm just like-- [claws at table with excitement]. You know, the idea of just--
I: That’s your friends, again, manifesting and supporting you.
P: Come on! It's such a beautiful thing and it's just being able to like s-- Go around the world playing music and meeting beautiful new people.
I: Mmhm.
P: It’s just-- That’s, exactly what I've just, held out, so long in my head, and it's just been something where I’m like, “Oh yes, that would be, absolutely beautiful.” But I am already living the dream! So, you know, like I said, it will-- It will happen soon.
I: Yea, you gotta dream a new dream every single day!
P: Exactly!
I: Mmhm.
P: [squints and points] Exactly. 22:40
I: Yeah! Well thank you so much for chatting with me Piwa!
Piwa & Imani Warren by Houston, @hstn__m on Instagram.
P: [clap] Thank you so [clapping continues] much for having me Imani! You are an absolute joy.
I: Aw, thank you!
P: I love just, like, absolute energy in itself, the aura, (inaudible).
I: I’m so glad and it’s actually ditto. Your aura is kind of like-- [moves hands to frame shape] It gives kind of like this, like, purple, blue aura. Like lapis lazu-- Like-- You know what I mean? Something pretty bold…
P: [similar framing with hands, but fingers are dancing] I feel, like, a peach around you.
I: [grins] Really?
P: I feel like this--
I: [wide eye gasp] I saw a girl wearing a peach hijab today and I said, “I love your peach hijab.” She said “It’s good for summer, right?” and I said “Yes it is!”
P: Yes, please.
I: That is so cute! Well, thanks for joining us today, and tap in-tune for our next interview!
P: Please.
[waving and heart hands]
Follow Piwa on Instagram @bebepiwa to keep up with her work.
