By Olivia Judd (@oliviacjudd)
It’s a rare thing to walk into a release show and leave feeling as though you’ve witnessed the full spectrum of an artist’s inner world—but that’s exactly what happens at Driia’s EP launch for Butterfly to a Flame, held at The Forge in Soho on 24th April. From the Q&A that opens the evening to a magnetic live set and a final cathartic DJ session, Driia curates not just a gig, but a layered portrait of vulnerability, growth, and sound that doesn’t chase the algorithm—it glides gracefully beyond it.
A debut like Butterfly to a Flame might tempt an artist to perform behind the veil of mystique, but Driia does the opposite. She leads with context. Before a single beat drops, she invites the audience into the project’s architecture: emotional states, sonic influences, and the specific kind of loneliness that gives rise to transformation. That openness forms the foundation of a six-track set that unfolds like a diary you weren’t supposed to read—but were so gently handed anyway.
The opener, ‘MY LOVER’S MIND’, is grounded in breaks and inspired by skyline introspection—foggy and flirtatious in equal measure. It speaks to the duality of knowing better and choosing chaos anyway. ‘TRUTH DARES’, the EP’s focus track, follows in gentle contradiction: Dido-inspired production layered under the ache of trying to love someone emotionally unavailable. “It explores the confusion of never quite knowing how to handle when they leave or go silent,” she shares, “or if they don’t have the capacity to love you in that moment.” Toward the end of the track, the mirror turns. “I realise I’m also being avoidant… pretending everything’s okay in the relationship, when maybe things aren’t right.” It’s in this space—delicate production supporting thorny truths—that Driia thrives.
On ‘A LITTLE LIFE’, one of the night’s most affecting moments, Driia reflects on her sheltered upbringing and the disorientation of landing in London. There’s a sweetness in how she confesses to testing the track against Match of the Day highlights—a reminder that grandeur and ordinariness often co-exist in creativity. “Everything’s got its own little world,” she says—and it’s this worldview that makes her work feel so expansive yet grounded.
The title track, ‘BUTTERFLY TO A FLAME’, marks a sonic and emotional leap. Built from a place of experimentation, it’s bolder, flirtier, and made for movement—both literally (the visuals feature her dancing) and thematically. “A girl just wants to love and be loved,” she sings. Then comes ‘I’D DIE’, her love letter to drum and bass and artists like Goldie. There’s reverence here, but also a sense of discovery and identity—someone falling into a sound and realising she belongs there, too.
The closing track, ‘PURE LOVE’, points toward self-actualisation. It’s a high-vibrational anthem for the inner work: painful, liberating, and still unfolding. “A song I’d love to play at Glastonbury one day,” she tells the crowd—and you believe her. Not just because the song’s big enough to fill a field, but because her vision is wide enough to reach it. As she put it herself: “Butterfly to a Flame marks a very key moment for me as an artist—I’m crafting music that interests me, and that stems from a place of remembering and curiosity.”
What makes this night feel so singular is the sense of total creative ownership that radiates through Driia’s work. A classically trained pianist and vocalist, who began producing at 13 after her dad introduced her to Logic, she writes, records, and produces everything herself—from her bedroom. The EP merges jungle, breaks, DnB and trip-hop with dreamlike vocals and a Y2K soul, rich with textures and grain that nod to VHS nostalgia and musical heroes like Massive Attack, Moby, and Dido.
While Butterfly to a Flame was created in solitude, Driia’s vision extends far beyond the bedroom walls. Her 2AM edit of ‘A LITTLE LIFE’ recently landed a global Mugler campaign starring Hunter Schafer, and this summer, she’ll make her Boiler Room debut in Ibiza supporting Mike Skinner and Overmono. In her world, wellness isn’t just a practice—it’s a mission: her new sober rave series, Calm Chemical Club, launches next month with Ministry of Sound, aiming to shift London’s nightlife culture toward more inclusive, conscious celebration.
The Forge show isn’t just a celebration of an EP—it was a coming-of-age in motion. Butterfly to a Flame doesn’t ask for attention; it holds space for resonance. Driia may still be new to the scene, but her voice—both literal and artistic—is already carving out something rare: a slow-burning, soul-forward kind of legacy.
Butterfly to a Flame is out now on all platforms.
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