A Place to Breathe: Ady Suleiman in Zanzibar

After a long pause, Ady Suleiman is back, not in a rush, not in a hurry. Just grounded, present, and ready. 

Ady Suleiman is intentional. Known for his warm, playful, and meticulous approach to songwriting, the British-Zanzibarian artist has built a career rooted in emotional honesty and detail. Growing up in Grantham, East Midlands, the artist has followed a long path shaped by music and collaboration with a wide range of artists and producers including Joey Bada$$, Kofi Stone and Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn. He has consistently pushed himself to refine his craft. Now with the release of his latest album Chasing, he shares with us some time he allowed himself to take by disconnecting from the frenzy of London. 

His much-anticipated return comes with a visual chapter of his trip to Zanzibar, a photo diary that captures his creative shift, his honesty, and reflective moments. It is a reset. “Being in nature, on an island, really clears my head”, Suleiman reflects. While London remains his home, its pace can make clarity elusive. Away from the noise, this special place became a place to pause, letting his thoughts settle and his creativity realign differently. “My ideas felt clearer and more organised,” he says. At the same time, Zanzibar became the setting for two music videos: Brother and Miracle, both featured on the album, further grounding the project. 

With his recent album, that shift was already tangible: a clearer, more open version of himself stepping forward, built by time, distance, and introspection. Captured in natural light and surrounded by nature, the photo diary feels raw and transparent. The soft, nostalgic texture of the images gives them a timeless quality, as if they exist outside of time. Those elements, when assembled together, form the perfect formula for a transition that feels impossible to replicate elsewhere. Gathered, they tell the story of a man reconnecting with his roots, stepping confidently into his new chapter. Ady Suleiman is prepared for a return that feels fully emboldened.

1. How did it feel to return to Zanzibar after a long time away? 

It was incredible but I was definitely apprehensive. I’d been away for so long and obviously grew up in the UK, so I worried about how my family would see me, whether I’d feel out of place or not fully from there anymore. I don’t speak huge amounts of Swahili yet, which added to that.

Once I arrived, all of that disappeared. It was deeply nostalgic. I saw so much of myself in the people, and it reminded me of my childhood and of my dad when he first came to the UK. That first trip back in 2022 was really special - probably the best trip I’ve ever taken in my life honestly. 

2. You have described Zanzibar as a place of refuge. What did it allow you to feel that London doesn’t? 

I want to be clear. I love London lol and being British too. But London is a big city, and it can be hard to get mental clarity here. Being in nature, on an island, really clears my head.

Zanzibar is one of the most beautiful places in the world, genuinely. Waking up to the beach, the horizon and clear skies. It’s the kind of calm I’d normally have to visualise in a meditation. But there, I didn’t have to imagine it. Being away from everyday stresses like rent, errands and obligations gave me real headspace. My ideas felt clearer and more organised.

To me, the island feels incredibly tranquil and peaceful. As do the people. Even speaking to people about their faith and beliefs really eased my anxiety. I love both places, but creatively, I work best when my mind is clear, and Zanzibar really

gave me that. 

3. What do you hope people feel and remember when they look at these images?

I honestly don’t know what people will feel, and that’s okay. For me, the images hold a sense of deep nostalgia, humility but also a sense of fantasy and paradise. It’s home, warmth, familiarity. Other people might experience it differently, especially if they’ve never been there  and I’m happy to let them take whatever they take from it.

4. The image of you sitting before the tagged wall feels like a capture of an intimate moment. Can you tell us what that moment represents for you? 

That was actually from the last scene of the day while shooting a video for ‘Brother’. There was a calm that came with knowing we were nearly wrapped. Shoots can be rushed and intense, but in that moment I felt relaxed.

There were kids playing football nearby, which brought back memories of doing the same as a kid in Zanzibar. I remember feeling reflective  taking it all in, being back there, having the opportunity to create out there. It was a really special, grounding moment.

5. How important was it for the photo diary to feel natural rather than “performed”?

It’s everything to me. I’m not someone who feels super comfortable in front of a camera — some people just have that, and I don’t think I do. I can get self-conscious, so I don’t always feel like you get the real me when things are overly set up.

I prefer fly-on-the-wall, behind-the-scenes moments where I can just exist. I’m not trying to portray anything other than myself, good or bad. That honesty is what connects with the right people. I do want to get better and more comfortable with more performed shoots, and I think that will come with time, but naturally I’ll always lean towards something real. When you let go of overthinking, the work is better. 

6. Did having a photographer, Mvjor Plvg, with you ever feel intrusive, or did it become part of the journey?

I was apprehensive at first because I don’t naturally enjoy being on camera, but it never felt intrusive. Christian made me feel comfortable straight away. I think that’s a huge part of a photographer’s job creating a space where someone can relax.

Once I saw it as a team effort, it became much easier. We were working together to tell a story. The only difficult part was being in public haha having eyes on you, not just the lens. But overall, I genuinely enjoyed it and loved working with another creative to capture something honest.

7. Did Zanzibar influence the emotional direction of Chasing, or did it help you understand the album differently?

It didn’t introduce the emotions. Most of the songs were actually written before I went. But Zanzibar gave me the space to sort through everything and pull the project together. It helped me reflect.

Sonically, it became a backdrop. Waves, space, humility. I imagined myself on an island holding all these thoughts, then returning to London to tell the stories. Zanzibar became like a loading screen. A place of reflection before stepping back into life.

I’ve always felt my music had a worldly, island-like feel, even before I returned there. Being in Zanzibar made that make sense. The music is emotionally deep in some respects but sounds are light and that balance lowkey mirrors the island. 

8. Why was it important for you to shoot the music video of “Brother” in this specific city, and what did that setting represent within your artistic vision?

Honestly, it wasn’t. Brother is really about racial discrimination and systemic issues in the UK and west, and ideally I would’ve shot it in London. That’s where the song is rooted but it makes sense me being in Zanzibar because writing the song led me connecting deeper with my Black identity.

The truth is, I probably would’ve filmed it in London with city backdrops and community moments if I had the resources at the time. 

9. If you had to choose one song to describe this journey, what would it be? 

If it’s my own song, it’s Chasing. It’s about starting again, searching for clarity after a relationship ends that feeling of trying to understand where you’re going.

If it’s someone else’s song, weirdly, it was Rema’s “Dumebi” one particular track I played nonstop. I was driving around Zanzibar in a Toyota RAV4, blasting a USB full of music a bus driver in Mombasa had given me couple years earlier. That song always came on first so it became the sound track.

That song reminds me of confidence. That trip pulled me out of self-doubt and taught me to fight for myself. It still gives me strength when I hear it.

10. What did this trip and the photo diary give you, from the moment you arrived to where you are now, as Chasing is about to be released? 

I was reminded how much I love being an artist and creating. I’d lost that after being away from music for so long. Preparing the visuals and the world around the album scared me at first. I’d never really given myself credit beyond just the music.

But I realised I do know what I want. I know what I like. I’m capable. From the first photo shoot to now, I’ve gained a sense that no matter what happens  commercially or otherwise  I’m going to be okay. I’ve never really had that before, and it feels really special.