There are events you attend. And then there are events that attend to you. HOMEComing, the debut EP release concert by Barbara Alli, is unmistakably the second kind. Scheduled for April 14, 2026, in Vienna, it is not a showcase or a launch party in the conventional sense. It is something rarer: a public act of private reckoning, a creation built over years of loss, reinvention, and the slow, deliberate work of returning to oneself.
Barbara Alli has long existed at the intersection of fashion and music, two worlds she does not separate so much as she refuses to. For years, Vienna knew her through fabric, the bold, African-textile-rooted aesthetic of her fashion store, the one she had to close, and the one that, in its closing, cracked open something deeper. When the store ended, the questions began: Who am I without what I built? What remains when the structure falls? The answers did not come quickly. They came through travel — Bali, Lagos, Accra, Portugal, Greece, and beyond. They came through stillness. Through prayer. Through the kind of solitude that cannot be rushed.
What emerged from that process is HOMEComing: a debut EP that carries all of it. The grief and the growth. The belonging and the rootlessness. The Ghanaian heritage, the Austrian life, and the African diaspora community she has spent over 15 years quietly supporting through grassroots charity work with children across the continent. In a powerful full-circle moment, the evening of April 14 will bring together Ghanaian, Nigerian, and Kenyan community leaders, diaspora voices from across Vienna, and media ranging from Radio Africa to OKTO TV because Barbara Alli has never made art just for herself. She makes it as an offering.
FAB L’Style first sat down with Barbara in 2023, when she spoke about wanting to explore, to collaborate, and to be seen more. We return to her now, 3 years and a world of transformation later, to ask: what does it mean to finally come home?
FAB: In your interview with FAB L’Style in 2023, when we last spoke, you said, “I want to go out and figure out what’s out there… how to be more creative, and how to do more collaborations.” Looking at your journey now, how much of that vision has come to life, and how has it evolved beyond what you imagined back then?
Barbara Alli: When I said that in 2023, I was standing at the edge of something unknown. I had the desire to explore more, to collaborate more, to expand creatively, but I didn’t yet understand what that would require from me as a person. What followed was not just expansion; it was transformation. I travelled across different parts of the world – Bali, Lagos, Accra, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Luxembourg – and each place became more than a destination. It became a mirror. A reflection of who I was, who I thought I was, and who I was becoming. But at the same time, life brought me to one of my deepest challenges, closing my fashion store in Vienna. That chapter was not just a business. It was a part of my identity. And when it ended, I had to ask myself: Who am I without this? That moment almost broke me, but it also refined me. Because I realised I am not what I built. I am the one who builds. So today, I can say the vision didn’t just come to life; it expanded me into a woman who had to rediscover herself, rebuild herself, and stand even stronger in her truth.
FAB: You also spoke about wanting to be “seen more” and to take your work across the world. Do you feel seen today in the way you once hoped?
Barbara Alli: I feel more aligned than seen, and that is far more powerful. There was a time when I wanted to be recognised externally, to feel acknowledged by the world around me. But life taught me that visibility without alignment is empty. Today, I see myself more clearly than ever before, and when you truly see yourself, you stop negotiating your worth. Now, when I walk into a room, I don’t ask, “Do I belong here?” I carry my belonging within me.
FAB: When you started, using African fabrics was part of your signature. Now that it’s widely adopted, how do you protect originality?
Barbara Alli: I protect my originality by protecting my silence, my stillness, and my connection to myself. In a world where everything is fast, loud, and constantly being replicated, I have learned the importance of slowing down. Of stepping back. Of disconnecting in order to reconnect. There was a moment in my journey where I realised that 30 minutes with myself was not enough. I needed more. I needed time to breathe, to pray, to feel my body, and to connect to God before stepping into the world. Sometimes I would spend two hours in that space, not doing but being. And it is in those quiet moments that my originality lives. Because originality is not something you force — it is something that reveals itself when you are fully connected to who you are.
FAB: What does “being original” mean to you in an industry where so much is referenced, remixed, and rebranded?
Barbara Alli: Being original means having the courage to stand in your truth even when it feels uncomfortable, even when it is misunderstood. It means not shaping yourself to fit into spaces, but allowing your presence to reshape the space itself. Originality is not about trying to be different. It is about being honest, deeply and unapologetically honest.
FAB: Do you believe fashion today is truly innovative, or are we recycling aesthetics with better marketing?
Barbara Alli: Fashion today is evolving, but true innovation is no longer just about design — it is about depth and intention. We see a lot of repetition, a lot of recycled aesthetics. But what truly makes something stand out is the story behind it. The energy behind it. For me, fashion has always been storytelling, and storytelling will always be innovative when it comes from truth.
FAB: You exist fully in both fashion and music. Do you see them as separate expressions or as one language spoken in different forms?
Barbara Alli: They are one language, just expressed differently. Fashion is how I introduce myself without speaking. Music is how I reveal what lives inside of me. When I am on stage, they merge. They become one experience – one story, one emotion, one energy.
FAB: What role does styling play in how you embody your music in front of an audience?
Barbara Alli: Styling is deeply emotional for me. Every piece I wear carries meaning. It reflects where I am mentally, spiritually, and emotionally at that moment. It’s not about looking good – it’s about feeling aligned. Because when I feel aligned, I can express myself freely. And that freedom is what the audience connects to.
FAB: On stage, fashion becomes part of storytelling. How intentional are you about what you wear when you perform?
Barbara Alli: I am intentional, but I also surrender. There is preparation, yes. But there is also a deep trust in the moment. Because the most powerful moments on stage are not planned — they are felt. They come from a place where you are fully present, fully open, fully connected.
FAB: Let’s talk about your music career. When you listen back to your older songs, what do you hear—growth, nostalgia, or distance?
Barbara Alli: I hear a younger version of myself searching. Searching for identity, for belonging, for understanding. And now, when I listen, I don’t judge her; I honour her because she kept going. She believed, even when things were unclear, and today, I stand on the strength of that belief.
FAB: Do you think today’s music industry allows artists to be fully expressive, or does it subtly shape what gets heard?
Barbara Alli: The industry can shape you, but only if you allow it. I have learned that staying true to yourself is a daily decision. There will always be pressure to adjust, to fit in, to follow what works. But I believe the real power lies in choosing authenticity – even when it’s not the easiest path.
FAB: Is there a difference between making music for the moment and making music that lasts?
Barbara Alli: Music that lasts is music that comes from truth. Moments fade. Trends change. But truth – truth remains.
FAB: As a diaspora creative in Austria, do you feel truly integrated, or have you had to create your own sense of belonging outside traditional definitions?
Barbara Alli: To be honest, there was a time I felt like I didn’t fully belong anywhere. In Africa, I was sometimes seen as someone from abroad. In Europe, I was always reminded that I was different. And that created a deep question within me: Where do I truly belong? That question led me on a journey, a very personal journey. And the answer I found was this: I belong to myself. So instead of trying to fit into existing spaces, I started creating my own. HOMEComing is that space.
FAB: You describe HOMEComing as more than a concert but a space where music, identity, and purpose meet. When did you realise this project needed to become something bigger than a performance?
Barbara Alli: HOMEComing became bigger than a concert the moment I realised
that this was not about performing – it was about healing, reconnecting, and redefining identity. After everything I went through – the loss, the rebuilding, the questioning – this project became a reflection of my inner journey. HOMEComing means returning to a place where my heart feels at peace. A place where I don’t have to question who I am. A place where I am understood without explanation. A place where my story is not judged but embraced. For a long time, I searched for that place externally. But I realised: home is not just a place. It is a feeling. It is a state of being. Home is where I feel connected to myself, to God, to truth. Home is where my heart softens, where I can breathe, where I feel whole, and today, I carry that home within me.
FAB: Is this homecoming about returning or about redefining what home has always been?
Barbara Alli: Both. I am returning – but I am also redefining what home means to me today. Because the version of me now understands things differently. Feels differently. See differently.
FAB: You’ve lived across cultures for years. Does this project feel like a reconciliation of those identities?
Barbara Alli: Yes, deeply! For a long time, I felt like I had to choose between identities. Now I understand that I don’t have to choose. I can be all of it. And that acceptance brought me peace.
FAB: If Homecoming were a message to the world, what would it say?
Barbara Alli: Come back to yourself. Not the version the world expects. Not the version shaped by fear. But the version that is true. The version that is aligned. The version that knows its worth.
FAB: When people remember this moment years from now, what do you hope they say they experienced, not just what they attended?
Barbara Alli: I want people to remember how they felt. Because feeling is what connects us. Feeling is what stays.
FAB: Who is Barbara Alli when she is not creating?
Barbara Alli: I am someone who reflects deeply. Someone who observes, who listens, who feels. I am constantly learning about myself, about life, about people.
FAB: What fears have you had to confront to become who you are today?
Barbara Alli: The fear of losing everything. The fear of starting over again. The fear of not knowing what comes next. But I faced it – and in facing it, I found strength I didn’t know I had.
FAB: When your story is told years from now, what do you hope people will say defines your work—not the titles, not the platforms, but the truth behind it?
Barbara Alli: Not by titles. Not by achievements. But by truth. That I stayed true to who I am. That I kept going. That I created something meaningful not just for myself but for others. That I turned my journey into a space where people could feel seen, heard, and connected.
