India, May 2 -- It's 7:30pm when Tolou appears on the screen - at least, where she is. Across the call, its morning, early morning, in India when I tune in. Time zone differences, as it turns out, aren't new for this 25-year-old. It's been a chaotic few months for the artist. She's just moved to Los Angeles. She's just released her debut album. She's just performed at Lollapalooza India to an audience. That chaotic energy makes its way into our call where her microbraids pop in and out of the frame while she's apologising because her phone won't stop going off. "Sorry," she says, laughing. "I need to put it on do not disturb."

Born in northern Norway to a Norwegian mother and a Nigerian father, Tolou has been, since before she could art...