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6 May 2024

Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with London artist Kemi Sulola to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I was born and raised in East London and still living here. I have been in music since a young age, always singing and writing songs with friends, to joining different choirs. But I would say just before I released my first e.p back in 2015 was when I felt I could pursue a career in music, I’d say – I wasn’t sure how, but I knew it would play a big role in my life.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Ah this is a hard question as there were and are so many influences for me musically. Growing up, my dad would play a lot of Reggae e.g. Dennis Brown, my mum too with some Motown e.g. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. My brothers played a lot of American hiphop and Rnb – Im talking Nas, Talib Kweli, Donell Jones, Musiq Soulchild. All of these had an influence on me. Lastly for myself I was a bit of a girl’s girl and I loved Alicia Keys, Destiny’s Child, The Spice Girls… So many others I couldn’t name them all. Today it’s pretty much the same and with some new heads like Solange, Cleo Sol and Venna!. But as I’m an independent artist, I am around so much new music daily, much from other indie artists like me, so there are a lot of great new sounds to take in!

How would you describe your sound?
I would describe my sound as rooted in soul and R&B, so there may be certain chords, melodies or arrangements I use to give it that feel. But honestly it’s also very open sound and can cross into other genres too, e.g. reggae but it’s more like a reggae R&B/soul, or rock like my song VTGO, but it’s like a rock R&B/soul rock, if that makes sense. But ultimately my sound is me, which can be similar to others in ways but it’s unique and different just as we all are!

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest single is called T.I.M.Y it stands for Till I Met You. It was influenced by a Motown Band called Platinum Hook who had a song called Till I Met You. After hearing their song sent to me by an old music friend, David Peyton, I wrote my own version of the song to the hook, which I literally fell in love with. It was the saxophone and smoothness of the song that drew me. After that I found the original writers who were happy for me to make my own version. From there I put together a session with producer duo Manny Talvez and Alae, as well as saxophonist Emma Rawicz who all helped bring the song to life!

What’s your local music scene like?
I’m from East London and there is always something musical happening or around. From a host of studio spaces, to live music venues hosting open mics or other live shows. There are also spaces to develop talent too, so yeah the local scene is good.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
There are a few things I’ve been working on. But overall the plan is to excel my artistry and share more music with the world.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I would love to work with Raphael Saadiq one day! Him aside, I want to collaborate with more core musicians who also produce, they tend to have a different ear because of the music theory/instrument knowledge which can give their production a deeper edge.

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
There are few and probably more than I can remember. But one that comes to mind, was when I was performing at a Christmas event and a drunk lady came to the front and was screaming at me to stop while I was singing a Christmas carol – she wasn’t a Christmas fan evidently. Everyone else around me was smiling and singing along. I just carried on at the time and some people came to take her away. I know it could have potentially gone really bad and maybe at the time I was like ‘what on earth’, but looking back now I kind of found it funny as it was so random and she came out of the blue almost like a figment of my imagination.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I want readers to know that I am out here trying to do my best to contribute to the world through my music and creativity to live my purpose – my Ikigai.

Upcoming live dates and performances
You can find out more via https://www.kemisulola.com/shows.

You can find out more about Kemi on her website or via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, SoundCloud, Spotify, Threads, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.