We Speak Music
Rare London shows with awesome Franco-Japanese artist Maia Barouh


Off the back of critical acclaim for her recent album release ‘Aida’, Franco-Japanese singer, rapper, producer, and musician Maïa Barouh will be heading to London this April for a string of solo dates across the capital which will show her performing both a full electronic and acoustic set.
“Aida” means “between” in Japanese: between France and Japan, between the mainland and the islands, between the ancient and the modern. The character for the word is 間, a sun caught between two doors and it also means “silence”.
Written, arranged, and produced by Maïa over the past few years, she has built a distinctive soundworld around her two main instruments, flute and voice. The resulting album is raw, spacious, and thought-provoking whilst also being playful, quirky, and sometimes disconcerting, for example when she explores anti-Asian racism and feminism.
Tracks like ‘TOKYO ONDO’ and ‘HAFU’ are fierce, bass loaded, explorations of unconventional beats and tasty Asian motifs that twist and turn embedding more and more in the psyche on each listen. Elsewhere on the album, Maia moves into more ambient cinematic territory with the intriguing & surreal ‘RINGO’ and the experimental flute-bounce of anti-Brexit anthem ‘EXIT’, with its loaded Theresa May sample and hook line “Do you wanna Brexit with me?”.
Embracing the challenge of combining her two native languages, Maia collaborated with rapper Elea Braaz to find the perfect French lyrics for traditional Japanese melodies and to find a Japanese rhythmic flow when rapping in French.
Daughter of French film composer Pierre Barouh, Maia comes from a rich creative lineage. Her lyrics and production take inspiration from the eccentric Tokyo underground scene, traditional folk singing, tribal grooves, French rap and electronic elements: a sonically and culturally blended album which fluctuates between roots and reinvention.
Maia Barouh April 2023 London tour:
21st April- Finnish Church
22nd April- Brave Poets, Cromwell Place
23rd April- The Tent At The End Of The Universe (with surprise full band show)

We Speak Music
Sophia Eleni stars with John Rhys-Davies in new horror film ‘Bone Keeper’

London-based actress Sophia Eleni has appeared in a number of popular TV series including ‘Call The Midwife’ and ‘Casualty’, and she’s soon to appear on the big screen as one of the lead cast members in horror film ‘Bone Keeper’. ‘Bone Keeper’ follows six young friends who enter remote caves and are hunted down by a mysterious creature. It also stars John Rhys-Davies, best known for portraying Gimli in the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Sophia talks about clambering through mud, pretending to rock-climb and why she loves horror films…
How exciting is it to be one of the leads in ‘Bone Keeper’?
“It’s amazing! Working with John Rhys-Davies was a blast – he’s full of wild stories and knows everything about geology, which was perfect for this film. There’s lots of buzz already about ‘Bone Keeper’, with a headline release in Variety, and the film went to Cannes this month. I play Nadia – she’s feisty, driven and determined to be the first to discover what’s really hiding in those caves. She’s conflicted between helping her friends, and chasing glory and fulfilling her ambitions. I loved leaning into her tough, tomboy energy – even if I had to fake being good at rock climbing!
“I seem to get cast a lot in these action-horror type films, which is funny considering I’m not exactly Bear Grylls.”
Was it a challenge to film?
“We were filming in wild, rugged landscapes – climbing through caves, crawling and slipping in mud… Halfway through shooting a lot of us got sick, which was intense but also kind of perfect – it mirrored the suffering and resilience of our characters. I love horror because it’s such a rich genre for actors. You get to explore every facet of human nature. ‘Bone Keeper’ really captures that in a raw and thrilling way.”

What are your favourite moments so far from your acting career?
“I’ve worked on some brilliant UK and US productions that I’m really proud of. In season 10 of ‘Call The Midwife’, I played Maria Kaufopolous – a feisty Cypriot woman who goes into labour on Christmas Day. She was such a fun character, with sharp one-liners and zero patience for her useless husband! It was fun making the character my own and bringing my own humour into it, and working alongside Jenny Agutter was a real honour.
“I also had a nice gig on ‘Casualty’ – I’d just passed my driving test and in the episode I had to film a full-blown car crash scene!
“And on the film side, ‘The Shamrock Spitfire’ was a standout project. It’s a WWII biopic, where I play a nurse who falls in love with the protagonist, though it is unrequited. She’s funny, compassionate, and deeply committed to his recovery. The role earned me five Best Actress awards, which was incredible. I’ve always had a love for that era of history and I did extensive research into nurses of the time because I wanted to honour the real women who lived through those horrors with such strength and humour.”
What’s next on the radar for you?
“Next up, I’m incredibly excited about an ‘AAA’ video game I’ve been working on with Frictional Games, where I play the leading role. It’s been months of intense voice and performance capture work, and I can’t wait for its release – it’s going to be a biggie!
“I’m also eagerly anticipating the release of the film ‘As Night Falls’, which has already had a headline feature in Variety. We’re premiering in Leicester Square this year, and I play the lead, Jane – who becomes the real emotional anchor of the story. It’s a tense, psychological horror set in an industrial estate, where a group of survivors are hunted by a dark entity that mimics people’s appearances, slowly fracturing their sanity and trust in each other. I’ve always been drawn to characters who feel resilient, complex and full of humanity, and I’m excited to keep telling stories that challenge and connect with audiences.”
‘Bone Keeper’ will be released in cinemas in autumn 2025.
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