London’s hottest urban talent was refreshingly down to earth, and spoke to us about second album, London Town, while having a lie-in…
So, MOBO nomination, second album…do you think you’ve changed as an artist?
I think I’ve got better, and my writing’s quite autobiographical, too – and I’ve done a lot of living since [first album] Home Sweet Home, you know! I’ve learned so much, and listened to a lot of different music.
It sounds like there’s quite a US influence on London Town, is that fair?
Yeah, I listen to a lot of US hip hop, so that’s in there. Everyone is influenced by other artists, but that’s good – and I hope I’m an influence on younger artists, too.
So how did it all start for you?
I suppose it was really the UK Garage scene, people like Heartless Crew, that got me started. They’d be making mixtapes and sending them round, and I wanted to get on those tapes, man! My brother got a pair of decks, I got a mic, and that’s how it started. We’d be in the playground battling each other!
Where was all this?
East London, it was definitely a London thing.
Is that important?
I think so, I wouldn’t be making the music I am now if I hadn’t come from that, because it was definitely a London thing – we came right from the garage scene using our own accents, that’s what made us different.
Would you still be making music if you hadn’t come from East London?
Yeah, I’d like to think I’d still be making music wherever I was from; it would just be different music. If I’d come from Cornwall, I think it would sound very different! [Laughs, lots, at the idea of a Cornish Kano.]
What was it like working with Damon Albarn on this record?
He’s a genius, everything that comes out of him is musical. But you have to record him all the time, ’cause he’ll do something and forget what it was, and you’ll be like ‘do that again!’ and he’ll say ‘do what? But it was great to work with him, he’s someone I really admire.
What’s the story behind working with your old school on ‘Feel Free’ (the track produced with Damon)?
The beat we came up with just sounded like something a lot of people could sing, so we got some kids from the choir. And it was good, I got the sound for my song, and I got to give something back – and they can look at the album and say ‘I’m on that’.
Do you do a lot of stuff with the school?
Yeah, they ask me to go down and speak – I did well at school, so they want me to remind them it’s always good to do well. I’m like ‘you might not believe me, but maths is useful in the music industry’! And I go to colleges, do music lessons – we’ll create a beat, and people can jump in with whatever they want. It’s different reading it in a textbook and doing it with someone you know is in the music business.
Do you think that young people, and young black people in particular, need some positive role models?
I think there is a lack of role models, yeah, and there’s a danger the ones we have might fade away. If your parents don’t tell you about them, in a few years people will be like ‘Malcom X what? Martin Luther who?’ And it’s good to have people to look up to; I think we definitely need more.
Do you think you’re getting the chance to do that now?
I’m not much of a talker, but people can look at me and think that you can make something out of not very much, whether it be music, or science, or football… It shouldn’t really be about what I’m singing all the time, either, more about what I’m doing: focusing on my career, making something of it and giving back at the same time.
Is going out on tour part of that?
Yeah, and I want to grow as performer too, I enjoy it. Don’t know about the travelling though, man…hate being on buses! No, but you never get real feedback until you go on tour, see how people react to your songs.
And what’s the plan for the future?
I might do some work with a new performer, an up and coming artist, you know? But really I just want to get back into the studio. I just want to keep making music.
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