Nabihah Iqbal celebrates friendship on «Heaven Can Wait»
Nabihah Iqbal marks her signing to Ghostly International with «Heaven Can Wait», a song about friendship recorded by musicians playing together.
Nabihah Iqbal marks her signing to Ghostly International with «Heaven Can Wait», a song about friendship recorded by musicians playing together.
A fresh chapter with Ghostly International
Inspired by summers in London and New York, Iqbal wrote the song in a small basement studio in Manhattan’s East Village. Rather than depicting the city as a lonely backdrop, she recalls the friendships that make an unfamiliar place feel alive.
Friendship between New York and London
The new-wave-leaning bassline and bright textures reflect the subject, according to the release notes. Just as importantly, Iqbal brought the band into a large live room to record together, hoping to preserve the interaction that can disappear when performances are assembled one part at a time.
After DREAMER: radio, DJ sets and strings
Following «DREAMER» (2023), Iqbal has continued her DJ and radio work with NTS, The Lot Radio and Public Records. Recent compositions for strings and electronics include «What Psyche Felt» and «Imagined, Eternal.». The single reconnects those explorations with the physical energy of a band.
The video and what comes next
Zayan Agha directed and edited the official video. The announcement confirms the Ghostly International signing but does not give a release date for a full album. For now, the single signals an outward-looking creative direction centred on togetherness.
The way the track was recorded reflects what it says
Recording a group together is not automatically better than working in separate sessions, but here it is an intentional choice. Iqbal wanted the band to respond to one another while performing, just as the song celebrates the energy of spending time with friends. Its new-wave bass pulse and bright guitar textures put a communal feeling into musical form, rather than treating friendship as a lyrical theme alone.
This outward-looking direction is notable after the more introspective atmosphere of «DREAMER» and a period spent moving between DJ sets, radio residencies and commissions for strings and electronics. None of those interests has disappeared. «Heaven Can Wait» simply foregrounds a direct, physical relationship between musicians.
The East Village of New York is an important reference because the song was written there, in a basement studio; London summers also shaped its imagery. Ghostly International is the artist’s new label, but this announcement does not establish the release date or title of a future album. Further information: Popstock! / Ghostly International.