Music is food for the soul and is also a sonic entity that brings emotions out of people; be it joy, rage, awe or sadness. People who master this are called artists and can hold power over the hearts of their fans. A lot of these artists however venture into music for multiple reasons. Some are entranced by the money, power and fame, and are therefore in it for superficial gains, while others just delve into it to test out how far their talents can take them. There are artists, on the other hand, who just want to use their gifts to heal the world and create an outlet for people who can’t seem to escape their daily struggles. One such person is the soulful and unconventional artist, Azekel.
Born in Nigeria and raised in London, Azekel has always had a knack for music. With his parents being music heads, he got exposed to a spectrum of genres, both local and international at a very young age. He also developed a sense of spirituality by tapping into the music in Church, gaining an understanding of love; love for music, for people and himself. Growing up in a very rich and diverse cultural haven in South London, he got to indulge in various sounds by people from varied races and backgrounds and attune himself to create sonic masterpieces that appeal to a wide range of people. “Being in a multicultural environment allowed me to travel without traveling..”, he says in conversation. He also seeks not to box himself into one genre or style, but instead, to create and develop sounds that will liberate his people; African people.
Speaking to iMullar, Azekel talks to Frederick Adjavon on his background, artistic style, evolution and exploring different sonic genres on his new project, “Sonic Incense“.
This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
I want you to introduce yourself. Who is Azekel?
Azekel is Ademola Ezekiel Bamidele Adesiri. I go by the name of Azekel and I’m an artist, songwriter, and producer. I’m based in London but I was born in Nigeria. I got into music, a lot of it was through church. So I would say I was a very spiritual person. So I’ve carried that on in my life and it’s a central point in who I am and what I do. I’m also a father and I incorporate these kinds of things that are in my life, into my music and in my work. I have a lot of interests. When I say I’m politically minded, in a way I’m interested in just the liberation of people. I’m very much against the suffering of people, especially my people, Africans. I’m a big supporter of Africa having no borders as well. These are the kinds of things that I guess make me who I am.
Growing up in two worlds, how did your ethnicity and your environment influence the style of music you’re doing now?
I grew up in East London. It had a big, diverse community. In my class, there were white people, Asian people, and Indian people and because it was a multicultural society, the music I was hearing as well was very multicultural. I was listening to all different kinds of music. I guess what inspired me and my sound was that growing up, my parents had a really big sound system. They had different kinds of music so I grew up to a lot of music growing up. My mum liked a lot of R&B and also a lot of music from Fela and Juju music, King Sunny Ade, Lagbaja and just different kinds of sounds. My dad and my mum used to play a lot of music in the house and the car. I guess a mixture of that and music from the church and my environment. Being in a multicultural environment allowed me to travel without traveling because I was hearing music from all over the world in that space.
How would you describe your current sound and style?
I don’t like describing the sound. It’s a difficult thing to get and do but in terms of the inspiration behind it, it’s soulful, it’s who I am. That is the music and that is the style. It’s African, it’s soulful, it’s spiritual, it’s sensual, it’s classic, but it has a modern kind of sound to it as well. I’m into things that are of the old and things are of the new as well. That’s how I would describe it. There’s a healing aspect to it. That’s a big part of what I do with my music and for my last project as well. It’s conscious music so you know, it promotes conscious activity and mindfulness. A big aspect of that is love; love for yourself, love for your people, and self-love.
Do you feel like you’ve evolved as an artist, and as a musician? And how do you see evolution?
I’ve evolved. I’ve evolved in my craft so that I’m a better artist, but I’m also understanding myself, my limitations and my strengths. There’s an evolution in the sound as well. Just being like a constant sponge, always taking up new inspiration from my surroundings and what is happening in life. I think that has played a part as well in my evolution. And obviously, the people I meet who have influenced my life. I wouldn’t say I’m the same person musically as I was when I first started my debut in 2015.
You’re approaching 10 years from your debut album “Raw Vol. 1“. What did that project mean to you?
It was a liberating project. It started me off on my journey in music and it’s a project that’s very dear to me. It’s a good project. I enjoy it. I would say I’ve evolved a lot from there, but I enjoy it and I appreciate where I was and who I was at that time when I made it.
What’s the thought process, creative process and mindset behind releasing the projects from “Raw Vol. 1” to “Analyze Love”?
It changes project by project. I think this project, a lot of it is based on what’s going on in my life. I’m vulnerable and very open in that sense. There’s openness to it. I think the creative process changes over time. Sometimes it’s very insular; I do a lot by myself, then other times, it’s more collaborative. It changes depending on the music.
What inspired you to have a collaborative project after two solo albums?
I got used to doing everything: making music, producing, and mixing it by myself. Once I had some sessions, collaborating with different producers, musicians and artists, I enjoyed the process. Doing it by myself, after a while, it can become a bit boring really. It’s cool to bounce ideas off of people and to create something in that way rather than just being solo. That’s what happened with “Analyze Love”, the last project, where I started being more collaborative.
What was the inspiration behind dropping a solo debut project? Was it confidence? A point to prove? Or was it that you felt you didn’t want anyone to dilute your message?
Confidence was involved but to be honest, it was more out of necessity. I didn’t have anyone else. No one else could help me. I learned to go and do it myself, and just be self-sufficient in that way. I just wanted to get started. I didn’t want to wait on anyone. I’d worked with producers before, I mean, I started as a producer, and it was just easier to just do it by myself, rather than wait on anyone. I enjoyed doing it by myself, to be honest with you. For that period, it was good. I’m not saying I would never go back and do it, it was just, you know, in different periods, you have to try out different things. For “Raw Vol. 1”, it was a solo endeavor and I did that because I could. It was a point I wanted to prove; to do something that was made by myself. A lot of the artists I respect, like Prince, played a lot of the instruments and produced the music themselves. I didn’t want the sound to be diluted as well. That’s one of the things, having a fresh sound and making it sound exciting. That’s kind of why I didn’t do it with anyone. I just did it solo.
You also mentioned that you started as a producer. Was that way before you became an artist? Or was it during the time you started as an artist and producer?
It was during the time before I released my first project in 2015. I was making music with my friends. It was my entrance into making music. I was making beats first, or attempting to make beats and working with singers, and I was always making music by myself, in my solitude. I would sing and play guitar or keys. It worked out that it was my music that grabbed people rather than just my beats.
You featured Kwesi Arthur on “Analyze Love”, the song “Dupé”. How did that collaboration happen?
We had a mutual friend who would share his music with me. I think he must have spoken to Kwesi about my music. So we followed each other on social media but then afterwards, there was an interview that we did for BBC World Music, and they put us on the podcast together. We also got to talk through that experience. We were just talking on social media. He’s definitely like the prince of hip-hop in Ghana, but he also has a really good ear for music. He loves music. I don’t think a lot of people know that, but Kwesi is a big fan of all kinds of music. It’s not just Afrobeats or HipHop. He loves good music. He asked me what I was working on. I sent him some music. He loved “Dupé”. I also told him, to speak Twi on it, speak your language. I’m saying Yoruba, he’s saying Twi as well.
This year, you’ve released “Smooth”, “Love Potion” with Falana and “Soul Searching”. Where are you artistically, judging by the three songs?
For this last project, “Sonic Incense”, it’s definitely a progressive Afro sound. That’s where I’ve been artistically and that’s why I’m making music more sensual and progressive. It’s progressive Afro music but also soulful music as well. It is just around AfroSoul and just experimenting within those kinds of boundaries; experimenting with the Afro sound, and with soul and just mixing them. We have some cool songs on there that we’ve experimented with and we came up with new sounds and vibes. That’s the sound for “Sonic Incense” that we’ve been working on.
Can you give us a sneak peek into what’s in the project? Possibly the message behind it?
It’s a collection of songs that I’ve been working on over a period of time and they kind of formed into their own self. The project is called “Sonic Incense” so you know it’s sensual, spiritual, dark and beautiful; It has those undertones. It’s a good project and I’m proud of it.
We got “Love Potion” with Falana. Unlike the other project, “Sonic Incense” doesn’t have too many features on it. Most of the songs are just me and myself. I’ve just been playing around the ideas of spirituality or God, but at the same time, sensuality and love. Playing around with these ideas of God being love, and also the love that we have romantically and sensually. These were the songs that I made around that time I was making inquiries about these things. “Smooth” is on the project which I released already, which is Afro-Electro, Soul, but also experiments with Amapiano on it as well. It feels like a new-age African Soul record. I’ve got another record called “Love Potion” with Falana. I reckon that’s more like a clean-cut Afro-Soul record. There are other records on there, which have a dirtier and addictive sound. We have a song called “Jarrah”, and that’s again, a progressive Afro sound, but it has gyration in it. It was good to go and work on the project. I finished it this summer. It was good to eventually finish it and to get it out.
In your entire discography, if you were to give someone a 10-track playlist to introduce them to your sound, which are the songs?
I like “Analyze Love”. I’m proud of that project. I think that’s a good project. It will probably be my latest stuff. I’m probably biased, but it will probably be that. It will be all the songs on “Analyze Love” and all the songs on “Sonic Incense”.
What message do you want to give to everyone reading this?
To listen to the music and to be open to the sound. Take in the music, vibe to the sound and enjoy it.
Would you potentially do shows in Africa soon?
Yeah, I’d love to. Definitely. I did a show in Lagos around this time last year for Rx. I enjoyed going back home and doing a show there. I’d love to go and do more. Ghana as well. I’ve been to Accra so many times and I think I’ve done a show. I did a quick performance there, but I’d love to go back to Ghana and do some shows there as well.
With Amapiano and Afro-Electro sound in your next project, will we also see a South African show soon?
I’d love to go to South Africa. In terms of that electro sound, I started experimenting with dance music, so that’s why I have the song “Soul Searching” that came out. It’s just experimenting with house music, AfroHouse. When I was out in Accra and Lagos, I saw that there was a big community in both Accra and Lagos that liked dance music. They like club music as well. It’s not just Afrobeats. It showed me that there’s a scene and people that want to hear new music there as well.
Can you share with us your plans for the rest of the year?
I’m in LA right now. I’m working on the next project, working on some new music. I look forward to getting “Sonic Incense” out and promoting it, and people hearing it and performing it live as well, and touring it. Looking forward to coming to Africa and touring it as well.
