Ila Nia and We Are Nubia celebrate the power of connection with 'Healer'

The soulful Afro-pop collaboration finds healing in joy, creativity and the people who restore our energy.

Kenyan singer-songwriter Ila Nia joins Nairobi vocal duo We Are Nubia on Healer, a soulful Afro-pop collaboration that might celebrates connection.

Created during a studio session with Run, Healer brings together warm melodies, rich harmonies and an infectious groove to explore healing beyond romantic love. It celebrates the people, experiences and moments that bring us joy, restore our strength and remind us who we are. The collaboration began long before the song did.

Ila Nia first met We Are Nubia at a studio sometime last year. They exchanged contacts, and before leaving, Ila made them a promise. “I remember telling them, ‘Someday we’re going to work together,’ and they agreed,” Ila Nia says. “There was already such beautiful energy between us, even before we had created anything together.”

The song came together in a session filled with writing, dancing, laughter and the kind of creative freedom that cannot be forced. The energy in the room became inseparable from the meaning of the song itself. “It was honestly such a beautiful session,” Ila says. “We were writing, dancing, laughing and simply enjoying the music. The song brought so much joy into the room that we immediately knew we had something special.” That feeling followed them beyond the studio. After the session, Ila Nia and We Are Nubia went for dinner and played Healer repeatedly, already connected to the warmth and joy they had created together.

For Ila, that experience captures the heart of the record. “Healer is about beautiful souls, beautiful energy and the magic that happens when people come together creatively,” she says. “Healing does not always have to come through romantic love. Sometimes it comes through friendship, laughter, music or simply being around people who leave you feeling lighter. We are excited to share that joy with the world.”

Rather than presenting healing as something heavy or solitary, Healer finds restoration in connection. It is a reminder that the right people, the right moment and the right song can renew the spirit.

Ila Nia is a Kenyan singer-songwriter and performer whose music pairs a soulful voice with emotionally honest songwriting and an expressive performance style. Her growing catalogue includes Haya with Nameless, Wa Milele with Barnaba, Weche Hera with Ywaya Tajiri and Choosing You featuring Kahuti, the first release from the Spotify x ONErpm Fresh Finds Nairobi Sessions. We Are Nubia on the other hand, are a Nairobi-based vocal duo known for their warm harmonies, distinctly Kenyan storytelling and genre-fluid sound.

Healer brings both acts together at a moment of creative growth, turning the joy of their first session into a record about what becomes possible when people meet each other with openness, warmth and good energy.