Her body and face covered with a long black Islamic veil revealing only her eyes, she escapes the attention of her fans and detractors alike.

"It's funny that people don't recognize me. They play my songs, but when I'm in front of them, they don't know it's me," the 22-year-old rapper told AFP. roof of a building overlooking the port megalopolis of Karachi (south).

Inspired by American rappers Eminem and Queen Latifah, she began writing lyrics in her bedroom, before posting her rap tracks on Facebook.

For fear of outraging her relatives, she secretly went to studios to record her compositions, on the pretext of going to study.

But when one of his brothers understood the scheme, his family did not appreciate, considering that this musical genre was not appropriate for a young girl and that she would have difficulty getting married in a country still deeply conservative.

"Later they realized that I was very stubborn, so they gave up. They understood that I couldn't be stopped," she laughs, adding that her mother is now by her side in the studio or in concert. to support her.

His rise to fame was accelerated this year by his collaboration with Coke studio, named after the musical program produced by Coca-Cola, one of the most popular on Pakistani television.

In the hit "Kana Yaari", a story of betrayal in love, she appears in a bright orange hijab, her face almost completely veiled.

The song has reached 16 million views on YouTube.

But unlike other artists who have passed through Coke Studio, she tries hard to escape her new celebrity.

"It's weird living two lives. People know me, but at the same time they don't really know me," she says.

She enjoys seeing herself nod innocently during conversations in cafes or at friends' weddings, when people talk about the latest pieces of Eva B.

The hijab, 'it's normal'

From time to time, people recognize her by her eyes, but she always denies being the artist.

"I'm fine the way I am. I can't take care of everyone," she said, thinking of the attention she would surely attract if her identity were known.

Even though in Pakistan, a conservative Islamic republic, most women are veiled in one way or another, few artists dare to wear the hijab on stage.

Eva B, new rap star in Pakistan, during an interview with AFP on March 9, 2022 on the roof of a building in the Lyari district of Karachi Asif HASSAN AFP

When she started going to studios, producers and music directors were initially "stunned".

"They reacted as if they were saying to themselves: + What is that? +", she says.

"But quickly everything became normal."

The veil has always been part of her identity as a Muslim, at the same time as it has defined her image as a rapper.

"Today I wear more stylish clothes for music videos, so people notice me. But I still keep my hijab," she adds.

But she now admits to getting tired of conversations about how she dresses.

"The media focused on my hijab rather than me (...) It's more media," she annoys.

"It's normal in my society. It doesn't need to be in the news."

On the other hand, she is delighted to receive messages on Instagram from girls who are delighted to see a singer in hijab representing them.

'Silence doesn't work'

"I am happy to serve as a source of inspiration for them (...), that they are proud of me", she admits.

But for a veiled rapper, disapproval from those who think she's not a "good girl" is never far away, she admits.

Eva B, new rap star in Pakistan, during an interview with AFP on March 9, 2022 on the roof of a building in the Lyari district of Karachi Asif HASSAN AFP

"There's nothing wrong with what I do. I sing songs and it's nothing wrong," she replies.

Eva B grew up in Lyari, a neighborhood of Karachi whose population is predominantly Baloch, and long notorious for its poverty and gang violence.

But the improvement in security in recent years has given free rein to creativity and hatched a hip hop scene.

"We didn't take lessons from prestigious musical schools, we learned everything ourselves, driven by our passion. So I keep putting Lyari forward and I'm proud of it," continues Eva B.

Lyari's rise to hip hop echoes the genre's birth in the 70s in New York's Bronx, with its street performances and lyrics evoking the harshness of life in urban ghettos,

The rapper does not hesitate to talk about the difficulties faced by Pakistani women, and to address themes such as wealth inequality in her country or the sensitive issue of corruption.

A street in the Lyari district where rapper Eva B. grew up on March 9, 2022 in Karachi, Pakistan Asif HASSAN AFP

Her favorite song, “Bayani Rog,” in her native Baloch language, chronicles her journey from shy and nervous teenager to the confident and outspoken woman she is today.

"I've come to realize that keeping silent doesn't work, so might as well speak up."

© 2022 AFP