Ilham's "never even know" Video Pays Homage to the Beauty of Black & Brown Women

"It’s important to amplify the voice and presence of brown [and black] women especially in the entertainment industry."

Rising singer Ilham has dropped the music video for her single “never even know.”

The video directed by Kajal, a female director and creative sheds light on the many faces of brown and black women. Throughout the clip produced by Dustin Cavazos, the Queensbridge artist is surrounded by a diverse assortment of women as she gives a rendition of the track from her 2019 album with time.

In Ilham’s own words “Never Even Know” is for “the people who are advice-givers or the shoulder to cry on and vent.” She also digs a bit further into how tough it can be to be this person, “Oftentimes when they’re hurting, the same consoling energy isn’t reciprocated. This song is a reminder to check in on your strong friends because even the strongest one needs a shoulder too.”  

When touching on the importance of showcasing variations of brown and black beauty in the new video, she shared, “It’s important to amplify the voice and presence of brown [and black] women especially in the entertainment industry, and inspire girls who might be a little unsure about where they stand in this world.”

with time, her latest EP is the follow-up to 41-10, a project which arrived in 2018. The former is a lush mashup of R&B tracks that further explore her songwriting capabilities. A few of our favorite tracks on it are “back and forth,” “run dry” and “never even know.” Back in October, she dropped the music video Ito her single "in too deep."

In a previous interview with HYPEBAE, Ilham touched on her origins in the industry. “I’ve always made music and knew I was going to be an artist at a very young age,” she said. “It was just a matter of how and when it was going to happen. I now realize that I was subconsciously manifesting my future.”

On exactly how she got her start she shared that after college at Cornell University she ended up interning at Capitol Records and eventually ended up in LA for the first time. She also noted “That journey was intense but life-changing. It was in that building where I met my manager, who took me under his wing and developed me.”

Watch Ilham’s “never even know” video below.