Question: What happens when you blend Nu-Metal, Gothic Rock, Alternative Metal and Nu-Gaze, throw in the melancholy vocals of Evanescence, with the distortion and angst of Deftones?

Answer: You get the Heavy Music Awards 2025 Best International Breakthrough Artist nominee, Amira Elfeky.

Nu-Metal’s Revival; led in part by boundary-pushing voices like Amira Elfeky, the genre is undergoing a gritty, genre-defying renaissance. Following in the steps of Amy Lee, Cristina Scabbia, Morgan Lander, Lacey Sturm, Lzzy Hale, Courtney LaPlante and Alecia “Mixi” Demner, Amira is not only leading the charge in Nu-Metal’s revival but also paving a new path to make way for the new wave of female fronted heavy metal.

Finding inspiration from such artists as Deftones, Evanescence, System of a Down, Lana Del Rey & Lady Gaga, Amira has blended together a sound paying homage to the Nu Metal bands of the late 90s and early 2000s, while creating a sound uniquely of her own, filled with emotionally dark, and intense soundscapes with lyrics exploring themes of mental health, anxiety, toxic relationships and vulnerability.

Little is known about Amira, as she keeps her life private, but what is known is that she was raised in Simsbury, Connecticut and attended Simsbury Highschool. When she was 18, she and her family moved to San Francisco, California. Currently she resides in Los Angeles, CA. Her first song, a demo version of “Tonight”, went viral after she posted it to her TikTok account (@notamiraelfeky), soon after it gained enough popularity, she released another song titled “Coming Down” which garnered her more popularity after uploading to Spotify; eventually leading her to sign with Anemoia Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records.

At 23 years old, she has so far released 7 singles, and 2 Eps while signed under Atlantic, via Anemoia.

Singles:

• “Tonight (demo)” (2023)
• “Coming Down” (2023)
• “Everything I Do Is For You” (2023)
• “A Dozen Roses” (2024)
• “Lonely Day” (System of a Down cover, 2024)
• “Remains of Us” (with Scarlet House; 2024)
• “Will You Love Me When I’m Dead” (2024)
• “Death of Me” (2025)

EPs:

Skin to Skin (2024)
Surrender (2025)

Skin to Skin:
Released on March 24th, 2024, this is Amira’s debut EP under Atlantic. The songs on this EP are about her struggles with mental health, encompassing anxiety and hyper fixation, revealing personal vulnerability in her songwriting. The lyrics often address loving someone more than oneself. There is a lot of raw emotion, intensity and honesty in the music. Her vocal delivery, especially in songs like “A Dozen Roses” conveys a very intense emotional depth. The title track itself “Skin to Skin” delves into intimacy. The entire EP is an invitation to share in all these emotions and embrace human connection.

Surrender:
Released on March 28th, 2025, this is Amira’s 2nd EP under Atlantic. This EP only has 6 songs. Surrender explores themes of release, trust, and embracing vulnerability, moving beyond the concept of defeat. “Will You Love Me When I’m Dead?” This is the most prominent song on the EP with a 5/4-time signature and a moderately slow-moving tempo. The lyrics convey a strong desire for extreme emotional pain and sacrifice, questioning if love can persist after death. Much like in the last EP, Amira does not shy away from addressing her own struggles with mental illness, as addressed in songs like “Forever Overdose” & “Crossed the Line”.

Due to her unwillingness to use her mental illness as a crutch, she has been referred to as “The Queen of BPD”

As of now, she is currently on tour in the UK for the Download Festival, she will be returning the United States in September, opening for Bring Me The Horizon on their big North American Tour. You can also find all of her music on YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music. She’s an up-and-coming artist to watch out for, and I predict in the next year or two, she will be big!