Ezinma releases her debut EP Classical Bae

Combining the worlds of classical and modern music, the artist hopes to bring about unity through her works. 

Photography by Karston Tannis

At the crux of modern music and classical ballads sits Nebraska native Ezinma, a classically trained violinist given the fitting nickname “Classical Bae.” She has previously worked alongside artists like SZA and Beyonce, lending her stringed skills to “All the Stars” and BeyChella. With the release of her latest EP, CLASSICAL BAE, Ezinma seeks to enthrall audiences with the grandeur and beauty of classical music.

Ezinma first picked up a violin at the age of four, quickly noticing the natural talent she possessed. “I just loved the instrument and was kind of natural with it and kept playing, kept playing, kept playing,” the artist retold. “I came to New York and went to The New School. I studied more violin there and then after doing all this classical training when I left school I just began to experiment.”

Using knowledge gained through a production class at Parsons, she began combining modern beats with classical songs. “It was one of those things where I had been so used to the tradition and so used to the rules and the expectations of what you do, why do you do it, and how you play it, and all of these things that you learn as a classical instrumentalist,” Ezinma explained. “To take the lid off of that container and just completely run wild was incredibly liberating but also scary because I didn’t know where it was taking me.”  

Once shared with the world, her experimentations took her to unexpected social media heights. The internet fame came quickly after posting footage of her playing her violin over Future’s 2017 hit “Mask Off.” “It went so viral,” Ezinma retold. “It’s crazy – the people and the response and also the opportunities that came. I had no idea what could happen with just one video.” 

Continuing to put herself out there, Ezinma was soon approached with partnerships that most would only dream of. “I started working with different artists like Beyonce and SZA and A$AP Ferg and Stevie Wonder,” she added. “It’s just something that I never could have imagined happening just because of the way that things came into my life, musically, and unfolded was just so organic and nothing was ever forced.”

Ezinma first started working with Beyonce in 2016 as part of her all-female band. She joined the legendary artists on her Formation World Tourand even performed at Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella set. This was a hugely pivotal moment in Ezinma’s career that she looks fondly back on. “Still to this day, I am like ‘I can’t believe I did that.’ I was there and I was working and recording,” she explained. “Even on her tour, that’s me playing right there in the recording of it. It’s just so cool to me to have been a part of that.” 

This experience opened another door for Ezinma, one that led to a recording studio with SZA and Kendrick Lamar, who were working on their hit single “All the Stars” for Black Panther. The two brought Ezinma on to provide a string arrangement for the track. “I remember I was so nervous walking into that room,” Ezinma retold. “You’re pinching yourself and then, you know, just realizing that you have to tap into all of the work that you’ve done, all of the studying you’ve done, all of the practicing – you just have to tap into that and trust that it will be there and you will deliver in that room.”

This monumental moment, this test of virtue, really cemented the greatness that is within Ezinma. By showing up and delivering exceedingly well, she fully trusted herself and her years of training and knowledge. “That was just something where I was hired to truly be a writer for that song,” Ezinma retold. “It was just a great and rewarding experience.”

Fast forward to 2021 and Ezinma is signed to Universal with three singles released thus far: “Beethoven Pleads the Fifth,” “Vivaldi Springs Forth” and her holiday single “Drummer Bae.” The first two tracks are featured on Classical Bae, along with other songs that fuse iconic and recognizable classical tunes with modern beats. 

“I was very intentional about picking the most common, well-known tunes that the average person could hum to and then just recontextualizing it for today,” explains Ezinma. “I want this project just to serve as a bridge between two opposite worlds and I think right now, more than ever, things are so divided and so polarized that I felt that my music would perhaps be something that could connect these two opposite worlds.”