In a cultural landscape that too often sidelines the behind-the-scenes brilliance of women in music and theatre, a new wave of multidisciplinary creatives is quietly but powerfully reshaping the narrative. Among them, Tayhmie Black and Isi Bahks stand tall not just as participants but as architects of a new creative era, where music is not just a backdrop but a driving force in storytelling.

Tayhmie Black’s growing portfolio in African theatre reflects a rare blend of technical proficiency and emotional intelligence. As a co-composer and music writer for productions like Anna Hibiscus’ Song at Utopia Theatre, Motherland the Musical, Death of the King and Horsemen, and The Oluronbi Musical at Terra Kulture, her work is threaded with a sensitivity to narrative. Her music doesn’t demand attention; it earns it, settling into the fabric of each production like a memory you didn’t know you had.

There is something both grounded and transcendent about her musical approach. Whether she’s composing for a Lagos stage or curating sound for a British African theatre company, Tayhmie’s soundscapes act like bridges between the traditional and the modern, between story and soul. In a space where music can often be decorative, her work is structural. It shapes the emotional arc of each piece, anchors transitions, and gives voice to silences.

Her contributions reflect a deeper ethos: that Black women in theatre are not just performers or stylists. They are producers of culture, creators of sonic identity, and guardians of heritage.

Equally compelling is the rise of Isi Bahks, whose influence in live sound and studio production is increasingly impossible to ignore. A polymath in the making, Isi has emerged as a go-to collaborator for independent theatre, community shows, and rising Afrobeat acts, earning her reputation through a mix of instinctive sound design and relentless technical polish.

While Tayhmie works in musical composition and songwriting, Isi Bahks commands the mixing desk and sonic architecture. Whether sculpting sound for intimate fringe productions or engineering stage sound for larger ensembles, her presence ensures that every breath, every crescendo, and every quiet emotional beat lands exactly as intended.

What sets Isi apart is her ability to think both creatively and spatially. Her mixes don’t just sound good; they feel right, tailored to the acoustics of the room, the emotion of the scene, and the cultural significance of the moment. She’s not just mixing theatre. She’s mapping it.

Together, Tayhmie Black and Isi Bahks represent a generation of African women who are refusing to be boxed into narrow artistic categories. They are composers, engineers, producers, and cultural curators shaping what African theatre sounds like in the 21st century.

In an industry that often applauds the performer before the maker, it’s refreshing and necessary to honour the women crafting the textures beneath our stories. Whether it’s Tayhmie’s melodic fingerprints or Isi’s sonic signatures, these women aren’t just part of the story. They’re writing it.