by mariah estran
photo by renée meijer
When pausing an episode of How I Met Your Mother, Adura Sulaiman saw the words: “Future Husband” stretch across the screen. The singer jotted the phrase, saving it for a potential song title. However, now, it’s become the name of the band she has created.
“I realized I need to be my own,” she says about the name. “I liked the idea of naming myself ‘Future Husband,’ I want it to be me.”
She’s finding solace in self-reliance and doing so in her music. Releasing her debut single, “Ritual,” Sulaiman is letting go while recognizing the hurt that comes from a rocky relationship. Each emotive lyric bounces off the heavenly chords and cadence. An introduction to a story of love songs that will fill an upcoming EP.
We spoke with Future Husband to learn more about “Ritual,” the inspirations for the track, why she chose music, and what we can expect from the debut EP.
You have just recently released your debut single “Ritual.” What can you tell us about the story behind the track and how it came to fruition?
Future Husband: “My first relationship was pretty tough and pretty long. The process of letting that go was intense. So intense that years after, I even had dreams about it. Even while I was deep into the next relationship, I started dreaming about it again. At some point, I thought: 'I have to start writing some songs about this to let it go.' ‘Ritual’ is one of them.
I wrote ‘Ritual’ about the limbo between where you’re letting go of someone. You’re already kind of celebrating, but you’re also still hurting about what happened. So, I wanted the music to be happy and celebratory, but the lyrics were dark and intense.”
The song has such a heavenly nature, what was the process like while developing the sound for this song?
FH: “I wrote the demos in my bedroom. They were really dark and acoustic with a piano. Then, we went to a teepee tent in the village where we grew up (with four of my best friends). I went there because I didn’t know where to take the songs further. So, I decided to arrange them together with them. Because we were outdoors and in nature, it was easy to be apart from the real world. Which made it nice to look for sounds as close to nature as possible. As close to the feeling we had — also because our friendships were flourishing in that week developing those sounds.”
Who have been some of your inspirations while shaping your own work?
FH: “I really love the classic songwriters. So, Stevie Nicks, for example. More recently, what I am listening to is R&B influenced and soulful. People like Frank Ocean and Kevin Abstract.
More of the people I can hear also listened to those old classic songwriters, but also try to go further on that. What I really like to do is combine as much of those influences as possible. I think that a good song is always just bigger sounds. And the sounds are just what inspires you at the moment.”
You’ve spent time touring with other bands. Now, you’re starting your own project. Why was this the perfect time to pursue something of your own?
FH: “Covid made it so that we couldn’t really tour anymore. So, I was home a lot. That gave me time to think. I wanted to start this project for a long time. The name ‘Future Husband’ has been there since I was 20.
When Covid came, I had the time to develop the songs. Then, I realized I didn't want to go back to writing for other people because I fell in love with the process. Thinking of a concept for a record and going for it without any compromise.”
What’s the meaning behind the name Future Husband?
FH: “I had a bad day way back. I was watching How I Met Your Mother. I stopped the episode, got something to drink. I came back, and I saw ‘Future Husband’ in the subtitles. I was like, ‘Oh, this is very cool, it’s gonna be the name of a song or something.’ I wrote it down somewhere in a book. While I was writing the songs, I realized I needed to be my own. I was thinking about who I should be with. What is a better alternative to this terrible love I’m writing about? I think it's me.
I liked the idea of naming myself ‘Future Husband,’ I want it to be me.”
Music seems to have been a large part of your life thus far. But what made you want to become a performer and songwriter?
FH: “I kind of tried to get out of it for a very long time. I was always in these choirs. Music was a big part of my life since I was young. But I was scared of performing. I got close to being in this famous Dutch children’s choir. I came to the last round, and I was too scared to go on stage.
So, I thought, I can’t do it, I’m going to be a music manager. I started on this course to study business and music. After a while, I realized, who am I kidding? I have to go try this out. The friends in this band convinced me, ‘You’re not a tour manager; you should just go and sing.’ I auditioned for this music school, and after a while, I was like, okay, this is it. Now, I can’t think of anything else to do.”
I know this is just the beginning, but what can we expect from you next? More singles? What will those sound like?
FH: “Well, there’s a couple of singles coming that are a part of the full story. There’s an EP coming that tells the story of meeting that first love, which I’ve known since I was a kid. It starts at the end of the story and ends at the beginning. We’re going through all the emotions that I’ve had while trying to get over the breakup. But, also during the relationship, things that happened in between that. I really tried to grasp as much of the influences I could find, or that really spoke to me when it comes to love songs. So, it’s going to be very long love songs.”