Grammy award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from the UK, who made collaborations with artists like Frank Ocean (Blonde),Kendrick Lamar (DAMN), Jay-Z (4:44), and Beyonce (Lemonade)  with feature appearances in “Stop Trying to Be God” with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi on Travis Scott’s epic ASTROWORLD and “King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future from the chart-dominating Black Panther: The Album. Awarding the record a rare 9.0-out-of-10 score, Pitchfork concluded it one of“ Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014).”You’ve become one of pop’s most celebrated solo artists, carving an extraordinary and a unique musical journey. What made you want to become a musician and what are some of the highlights that were most significant to you in your career?

I wanted to be a musician as early as I could remember. I didn’t know it would ever look the way it does now, but I knew I wanted to play piano and sing. I just wanted to be like my dad, you know. He was going out and doing gigs and coming home and recording at home, and I’ve followed in his footsteps. Honestly in terms of highlights it is hard to pick. I’d say playing the DMZ birthday B2B with Kode9 was a highlight, just being trusted in that club by Mala Coki and Loefah on that level at that time was one of my favorite moments of my career. Then later meeting Beyoncé for the first time and hearing Blue Ivy sing my song back to me ‘ cause she liked it ‘. The years I’ve been able to make music with my best friends, Dom Maker, Kalim Patel, Josh Stadlen and Jameela have been the best times too. Without them I wouldn’t still be in this industry. I might not have found my way back to the joy in it! But here I am.

Congratulations on your new album Friends That Break Your Heart, already your 5th so far! Alongside the album, there are also two videos “Say What You Will” and “Famous Last Words”. In GQ magazine you mention that it’s a project relevant to the moment, where most people have to deal with friends that were not getting what we need out of them or they were moving on without us. In your words, what does every song represent to you and how was the creative process of the overall project?

Thanks! The whole album can be divided into a few themes really. Either songs that represented the heartache of losing a friend or being betrayed, or finding solace in the people I can trust and being grateful for them, and then the mental health challenges and breakthroughs along the way, whether that be comparison culture or general mental health during the pandemic, and self esteem.

What is different about this album compared to the others and what do you think is new? 

The themes are different on this album. A lot of the other albums have focused on dynamics around romantic relationships heartbreak, whereas this album focuses on what I just mentioned. You might think that makes it less relatable but to be honest I think the pandemic has made a lot of us rethink our friendships or move on from some of them, and I think that’s probably been net healthy.

In your experience, what were the things you would remind yourself of in moments like these and what advice would you give to people that are relating to this situation? 

To be honest I took a while to deal with the issues I talk about on this record so I’d say firstly forgive yourself for not just getting over it straight away and don’t feel gaslit by the general perception that losing a friend or moving on from an important friendship isn’t that big of a deal. It can be a huge deal. Sometimes it needs to happen but it doesn’t make you weak to feel toppled over by it for a while.

You’ve recently done your North American tour, how do you feel about it?

That tour was the best one I’ve had in a long long time. Maybe the best tour ever for me! To end in Atlanta the way we did topped it all off. It was up there with the best shows I’ve ever played. I love playing there every time but there was something special about that one. JID and SwaVay coming out and nailing our song ‘Frozen’ I’ll remember forever.

How would you describe your creative process when laying down new ideas and how would you describe your workflow from start to end?

My creative process changes all the time really. I get bored of processes easily, so I like to switch it up. Sometimes it starts with a piano/vocal loop taken from a longer improv I’ve done, sometimes Dom will bring in a sample he’s created and we’ll start there, sometimes it’s a drum loop I can play synth to. In the case of ‘I Keep Calling’, Erick The Architect had made an entire house track with a choir sample and a Charlotte Day Wilson sample, and I essentially rebuilt the choral sample using my own voice and rehanged the other sample until it turned into a song for my Before EP. There’s examples like that where without collaboration a song just wouldn’t exist.

What does your studio look like at the moment? Did you add any new synthesizer or instrument by any chance?

My studio is currently fairly small and I’m surrounded by drum machines, synths, modular gear and microphones – it’s a little bit cluttered but I’m enjoying writing here.

What are your plans for the near future?

My plans for the near future are to write for film, go on tour, and make some headway with a new record.

In moments of artist block, what do you do to pass time?

In moments of artist block I turn inward emotionally and look for anything that might be stressing me out or keeping me in a repressed state. That’s usually it. I don’t usually get ‘writers block’ so much as ‘life block’.

What does balance mean to you?

Balance to me means dialing back the easy but ultimately unfulfilling dopamine hits a little bit. Phone apps, sugar, alcohol, retail.

Credits:

Photographer: Max Montgomery
@instamaxmonty

Director and DP: Matilda Montgomery
@mattiemonty

Stylist: Soaree Cohen
@soareestylist

Grooming: Candice Birns
@hairbycandicebirns

Casting @timiletonja

Music Editor @joiah

Fashion assistant: Lauren White
@thisislaurenrocket

Interviewer: Joiah Luminosa