One man , six tracks and all on the strikingly heavy movie-like package that is Call Me When It's Over. The British singer and rapper hailing from North London has made mighty strides this year with a commendable run on popular songs like the upbeat Brazilian funk electro-dance jam 'Got You' featuring Monét and Kway. The hard hitting R&B ballad Disrupt with George Hard also is a must listen . Black who has been receiving gaining industry nods and spins from BBC Radio , Reprezent Radio and NTS all vouching for his talent and work. As heard on his recent songs all featured on the newly project . He notes this as " A vulnerable, world-building tale of love and loss over eclectic instrumentation " On this sonic-adventure Kwoli Black yet again shows his flourishing art both as an artist and as one to watch in the now popping R&B genre which is doing majorly well. Kwoli and producer JSTRNGS spoke more about making the EP together. To stream the full EP below click here
1. Kwoli Black what a year you’ve had with the run up to the lift off with your EP, it’s
been a whirlwind of road for you. Call Me When It’s Over, a victorious project. how does it feel to finally release this body of work?
Kwoli : Ah man, it’s surreal. A year and a half in the making, all the time, money and effort, countless sacrifices. It’s finally here. It’s like my baby, I’m so proud and excited. Truly.
JSTRNGS : I'm happy it's out, it's been on my hard drive for a minute so I'm happy everyone can listen, hopefully, they love it a much as we do. It's a different angle when you're a producer, you're essentially a creative but you're also providing a service so to be able to work on and release a product that everyone involved is happy with is a proper dope feeling.
2. The six tracked package featuring production from the main man JSTRNGS who’s also the master beat maker behind your recent singles Disrupt, Got You and pretty much every sound on your EP. How was the process making this fully loaded work, what was the dynamic like working together?
Kwoli : Working with STRNGS is easy. He’s my right hand, my brother, my friend. We have this weird synergy where things just make sense and land whenever we work together. A lot of ideas begin in my head and are simple sounds or rhythms and STRNGS is just able to find what matches that. Then it’s all about layers. The process was emotional, tiring, but fun. We spent 3 nights in the studio at one point. Little to no sleep but we made it happen.
JSTRNGS : It was a lot of collaboration. I listened to what Kwoli wanted, I put forward my own ideas, and we kind of went back and forth on a lot of it. When I couldn't deliver what I heard in my head I reached out to other talented musicians in my network so you hear Kobla The Expression playing percussion on 'Got You' and you hear EJ Imho's Bass, Keys and String arrangements throughout the project. The production on the EP is quite layered overall, I really wanted it to have a cinematic feel and help portray Kwoli's story.
3. Now this isn’t just any EP, it’s centred around a creative character, Blue travelling the different experiences and motions he goes through within the project, what made you go this route with this style and how did this affect how you made the EP ?
Kwoli: Well, it’s almost autobiographical. In fact, it is. Blue is inspired by so many things. Jaden Smith (B L U E in SYRE), Moonlight (“in moonlight, black boys look blue”) and my favourite colour. Blue also represents this theme or journey of self-discovery, love, healing, pain, and release.
I chose to create a world rather than a moment, as something for me to expand on and grow from. I want to be recognised as a true artist in that sense. Someone who creates and executes these beautiful, ambitious but real concepts and eventually there will be a universe in which my music resides.
4. You have a great run with every single featuring artist like George Hard, Monét , Kway and sonically sharing a lot of strong, sharp, open emotions especially with these excellent talents, what was it like working with them and how would your music to be felt from blue’s view?
Kwoli : First, huge, huge thank you to George Hard, Kway and Monét These three are some of the dopest people I know and are incredibly talented. Thank you for blessing me with your voices and your energy.
This EP wouldn’t be the same without you. Working with them is so much fun. Honestly, they have so much talent and I learn more working with them. They helped me to really expand my approach to music and think outside the box. I think Blue would listen to my music and think it was the soundtrack to his life, because it is! He’d be listening to it during a late-night drive or looking out the window of the train at night-time. Super in the feels you know.
5. You have a static versatility with your rap talent as well as a singer out of the two art forms which do you enjoy most?
Kwoli : I don’t have enough of a voice to call myself a singer. I can hold a note, but it takes a lot of warming up my voice and learning to be in the right key for me to be half good at singing but don’t worry, I’m coming for that R&B title! No but I love to rap. I love both the down tempo melodic and pensive rap but also the straight bars. A lot of people don’t know how lethal my pen game is. I can spit. I could probably give a few rappers a run for their money but TBC !
6. Thanks for sharing an amazing project will us, you’ve had a very bright year, In the new year do you have anything your supporters can watch out for ?
Kwoli : Of course. After the heartbreak…well let’s just say we have more music coming. We have a universe to build. Time to expand this world. For now, I’ll let it breathe, but just know I’m loading up more. Clip never empty! But to my supporters, I genuinely love and appreciate each one of you. I cannot do this without you, and I can’t wait to continue to grow and exceed your expectations. For the ones already buckled in and those that will join the ride down the line, thank you for rocking with me.
JSTRNGS: More music! It's different from a producer's view I can't just go blurting out other artists' release dates but I've worked on a variety of genres and projects so hopefully, you can hear some of that soon.
What an unforgettable moment for the UK upcoming star whose singles have been travelling all across the radio stations and the net. Kwoli also premiered his gift of a music for his single Disrupt. Starring MaryAnn Ofunneamaka Ezeh and directed by duo Oye2.0 ( whose credits include BET, Shae Universe and Adidas) and takes you into a fruitful and marvelling ride throughout the video with an adventure of emotion of love and loss.
As Kwoli has said you can stay tuned for a lot more to come from the British and North London star who is soon to be recognised be many more real soon. Be sure to connect with him online for shows and updates to be announced .
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