Offie Mag

BODUR releases SECOND LANGUAGE, the London artist following 2025’s MAQAM with a three-track avant-garde pop project recorded over a continuous 28-hour session at the V&A East Storehouse.

Released on 24th April, SECOND LANGUAGE marks a historic first. No artist has previously written and recorded a body of work live, within a museum setting and without any barrier between themselves and the audience. Developed in direct conversation with the space around her, the project culminated in a premiere performance during the opening celebrations for the highly anticipated V&A East building.

Originally conceived as a live installation, BODUR transformed part of the Storehouse into a temporary studio. Positioned in front of Picasso’s Le Train Bleu, the setting itself became part of the process, with SECOND LANGUAGE existing somewhere between performance art, live documentation and an experimental pop record.

“SECOND LANGUAGE is inspired by the idea that music is our first language - everything else comes after,” BODUR explains. “It’s about what connects us, beyond words.”

The release follows BODUR’s debut album MAQAM, a striking body of work that explored identity, ancestry and resistance through Arabic music theory and experimental electronic production. She used the maqam system as the foundation for her songwriting, translating tradition into something fluid and contemporary.

With SECOND LANGUAGE, BODUR continues to push the limits of her own creativity. She’s someone we’ve kept our eyes on for a while now, so it’s exciting to see more and more heads turning towards one of alternative music’s very best.

Words from Louis Rowland