Arlo Parks (2000, GBR) is a celebrated singer-songwriter and poet from West London, whose music and poetry have earned worldwide acclaim. She grew up in a multilingual family with Nigerian, French, and Chadian roots. As a child, she listened to her father’s jazz records, while also being shaped by emo and indie music. Around the time of her final school exams, she began making music on GarageBand. Not long afterwards, she released her first single, “Cola”, and signed with Transgressive Records.

In 2023, Parks made her debut as a poet with The Magic Border, a collection of poems, lyrics, and intimate photography by Daniyel Lowden. In both her poetry and music, Parks explores themes such as queerness, grief, trauma, and love. With great success: for an entire generation, Parks has become an iconic artist whose music, language, and subject matter are inseparably intertwined.

How you might know this artist

• Her third album, Ambiguous Desire, has just been released – and before embarking on her world tour, Parks is coming to Poetry International!
• Her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams (2021), was awarded the Mercury Prize.
• In both her music and poetry, she speaks openly about themes such as mental health, queer identity, and the uncertainties of being young.