Kenyan singer-songwriter Ila Nia teams up with Nairobi vocal duo We Are Nubia on Healer, a soulful Afro-pop collaboration that explores the restorative power of human connection. Rather than centring romantic love, the song looks toward friendship, creativity, laughter and the people who have a way of making life feel lighter.
Produced during a studio session with Run, Healer is built around warm melodies, layered harmonies, and an infectious Afro-pop groove. The song carries an easy sense of joy, but beneath its inviting sound is a deeper reflection on the different forms healing can take—and how sometimes, simply being surrounded by the right people can be enough to restore your spirit.
The collaboration itself was years in the making. Ila Nia first crossed paths with We Are Nubia at a studio session last year, where an instant creative connection led to an exchange of contacts and a promise to work together someday.
“I remember telling them, ‘Someday we’re going to work together,’ and they agreed,” Ila Nia recalls. “There was already such beautiful energy between us, even before we had created anything together.”
When they eventually found themselves in the studio together, that chemistry became the foundation of Healer. The session was shaped as much by the atmosphere as it was by the songwriting, with the artists writing, dancing, laughing and allowing the music to develop organically.
“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.”
The experience extended beyond the recording session. After leaving the studio, the artists went for dinner and played Healer repeatedly, reinforcing the sense that the song had captured something genuine about their connection.
For Ila Nia, that feeling is central to the record’s message. “Healer is about beautiful souls, beautiful energy and the magic that happens when people come together creatively,” she explains. “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.”
That idea gives Healer its emotional centre. The song does not treat healing as a solitary or complicated process. Instead, it finds it in everyday moments of connection—the conversations that bring laughter, creative spaces that spark something new, and relationships that leave you feeling more like yourself.
For Ila Nia, Healer adds another chapter to a growing catalogue defined by soulful vocals and emotionally honest songwriting. Her previous work 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 bring their own distinctive identity to the collaboration. The Nairobi-based duo is known for their warm vocal harmonies, Kenyan storytelling, and genre-fluid approach, creating a natural sonic connection with Ila Nia’s expressive style.
Ultimately, Healer captures the spirit of the session that created it. What began with a long-standing promise between artists became a record rooted in joy, openness, and creative chemistry—a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful kind of healing comes from simply finding the right people and sharing a moment with them.
