Kalika didn’t build her career by playing it safe. Born Mia Kalika Rosello, the French artist first appeared publicly on Nouvelle Star before stepping away from that trajectory entirely. Instead of moving toward a conventional pop career, she chose to rebuild her practice on her own terms, developing a sound she’s since described as “pop trash”, melodic, but deliberately rough, and resistant to polish.
That refusal to smooth things over sits at the core of her work. Her music moves through themes of pressure, instability, and the expectations placed on women to remain controlled and legible. Even at its most accessible, there’s always something slightly abrasive underneath it. The team behind this project follows that same logic.
Developed as an all-female collaboration, her latest editorial is built around stepping away from performance. Kalika has been explicit about rejecting the idea of sexiness as something constructed for others, instead treating it as something more instinctive, something that doesn’t need to be explained or made acceptable.
That position isn’t new, it’s consistent with the way she’s approached her career from the start. Rather than refining herself into a fixed image, Kalika works through contradiction, allowing different versions of herself to exist at once. Her upcoming album Ma claque, set for release May 29, continues in that direction. Framed around emotional overload and the point of being “fed up,” it pushes further into that same refusal.
Credits
Artist / Model: @kalika
Photography: @lilaredares
Styling: @yolitaxo
Make-up: @chloe.kz
Hair: @zahrahairandmakeup
Cody Rooney is the Editor in Chief and senior contributor at liminul.
He is a PhD candidate, digital content specialist, writer, editor, multi-media artist, and photographer.