Award-winning Liverpool-based neo-jazz star Ni Maxine drops her latest single, ‘Time’ via Ripe Records. Fresh from being crowned Breakthrough Act of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards 2025 alongside pioneers Ezra Collective, Jalen N’Gonda and corto.alto, Maxine continues to establish herself as “a Black woman at the forefront of the UK scene” (Black Ballad), with music that is both soul-stirring and socially charged.

‘Time’ is an emotional unravelling after a heavy period of suppression. It’s a bold exploration of how society’s fixation on productivity and survival can strip us of our humanity. For Ni Maxine, the track began as a confrontation with the “Strong Black Woman” archetype and expanded into a wider reflection on capitalism and collective exhaustion.

“I hope this song will spark a movement,” Maxine explains. “It asks us to pause, to focus on our human needs, our feelings, our dreams. For me, it’s an act of defiance … an invitation to take back our time and reclaim our narratives.”