Heidi Boualili has been building momentum as a singer-songwriter from Southend, collecting a devoted online audience of around 35,000 followers and earning early plays from BBC Radio 1 voices such as Jack Saunders and Clara Amfo. Her new record, What I Didn’t Know Then, is framed as a quiet dialogue between the person she was and the person she’s becoming. Across these tracks she translates private reckonings into public songs, inviting listeners to witness change without theatricality. The album is due to be released on 27 May, and in conversation she unpacks the anxieties and small victories that shape those songs.
Those songs confront difficult personal truths. As a child she was loud, certain and irrepressible, but adolescence brought shifts: changes to appearance, struggles with weight, and the slow, unnerving process of realising her sexuality. With a father who holds conservative religious views and a mother who has quietly held the household together, the emotional terrain was complicated. Heidi describes the moment of recognising her truth as a mix of relief and fear — the classic tension of coming out in a family where acceptance was uncertain. These songs are her attempt to soundtrack that complicated, evolving self.
Songwriting as a mirror
Bullying and being treated as an outsider left an imprint that she now channels into music. Growing up with short hair, a bigger body and an energetic presence made her an easy target, but the negative responses she faced sharpened her determination rather than silencing her. Posting performances online became a refuge and a proving ground: a place where she could reassert her voice and find an audience that recognised her. That experience taught her the value of resilience, and it informs both the lyricism and the vocal delivery on the record. The result is music that feels candid and direct, an account of identity that refuses quiet acquiescence.
Working-class roots in the songs
Representing the working-class perspective is central to Heidi’s outlook. She grew up in a household where her parents often put their needs behind hers so she could pursue opportunities, and she credits them with instilling a sense that ambition was allowed. Her mother is registered disabled and her father emigrated from Algeria as a teenager — details that shaped her worldview and drive. Financial constraints are not a small detail for her; access and resources affect whether ambitions can be pursued. Heidi argues that talent matters, but so does the ability not to be hindered by money, which is why working-class representation in the arts remains vital to her.
Family and musical influences
Family ties are woven through Heidi’s sound. She describes her mother as her confidante, emotional lodestar and enthusiastic supporter — someone who doubles as a self-styled manager. Sundays in the car with RnB and hip-hop blasting shaped her taste early on; those homegrown playlists seeded an affection for groove-led songs and bold storytelling. A youthful memory of standing up at school to perform a Biggie track captures how music became a public act of selfhood for her. This blend of domestic intimacy and early exposure to RnB and hip-hop rhythms is audible across the album’s textures and arrangements.
A message for young queer listeners
Heidi’s message to young LGBTQIA+ people who may be wrestling with shame or isolation is straightforward and urgent: you deserve to be seen and to speak your truth. She urges listeners not to dim themselves or retreat, insisting that everyone has a story worth sharing. The record is meant as evidence that private dreams can be turned into public realities — that a kid from Essex with a stubborn conviction can get heard. Her advice combines practical encouragement with emotional permission: keep pushing, seek community, and trust that possibility exists beyond immediate circumstances. Resilience and self-expression are the throughlines.
For those wanting to hear Heidi’s full chapter, What I Didn’t Know Then arrives on 27 May. The interview also highlights the role of community media: DIVA has long spotlighted work by and for LGBTQIA+ women and gender-diverse people, and the title now operates as a charitable endeavour under the DIVA Charitable Trust. Supporting outlets like this helps sustain platforms that amplify marginalised voices and gives emerging artists a better chance to be heard.