Karima Francis

Blackpool-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work is grounded in vulnerability, emotional honesty and the freedom to tell your own story.

Across folk, soul, indie and Americana, Karima makes music that refuses to hide the messy, tender and complicated parts of being human. Their songs move through love, loneliness, relationships, mental health and self-discovery, turning deeply personal experiences into something communal, a place where other people can recognise themselves.

For NAFS, there is something particularly powerful in that openness. Karima’s music reminds us that self-expression does not have to be polished, performative or easily categorised. It can be raw. It can be contradictory. It can hold sadness and joy at the same time. And it can create connection between people who might otherwise feel alone in their experiences.

Since the release of their debut album The Author in 2009, followed by The Remedy and Black, Karima has built a career around that emotional honesty. Their distinctive voice and intimate songwriting have taken them from intimate venues to stages alongside artists including Patti Smith, Paul Simon and Amy Winehouse, as well as appearances on Later... with Jools Holland.

Their music continues to explore the interior worlds we often struggle to articulate, particularly the relationship between our emotional lives and the people around us. In that sense, Karima’s work feels deeply aligned with the spirit of NAFS: self-expression as a form of connection, authenticity as a form of freedom, and creativity as a way of making space for ourselves and one another.

Karima Francis is an artist who reminds us that sometimes the most radical thing we can do is simply tell the truth about how we feel