Get to know the artist…
Katherine: Dani, have you heard of One Acen? He’s talented you know. Heard him feature in a song with Tion Wayne. His voice and rhythm is different to what I’ve been hearing from the UK music scene.
Me: Oh really. Lol, I’m not on job I’ve actually never heard of him before.
Katherine: Defo check him out. Tion Wayne posted one of his songs on Instagram actually…Psychic. Yeah, it actually bangs. His flow is mad, it’s playful and the story he tells is really relatable. He’s got potential. I’ll play it for you…
Me: He’s got mad potential. I’m loving this ‘playful vibe’ it’s refreshing. The lyrics are catchy as well which is an added bonus.
Katherine: Yeah, he’s really doing it differently. A lot of UK artists have that Afrobeat-influence in their songs which is cool…but he’s going for a more hip-hop/R&B kinda thing. You can really see that coming through in his songs.
Me: Yeah I see that. Though, this infusion of cultures and genres is working for a lot of artists right now as well.
Katherine: Yeah true. I think his old school R&B vibe is really cool though. He’s mixing the old with the new and he’s doing it well. Here’s another track I think you might like…
Me: Yes. Rolling again is another good one. The sound is different to the other track as well. He’s versatile. It looks like it comes so easily to him…you can see he’s got raw talent.
Katherine: Yeah. He’s just having fun with it. He’s in his own lane. Later check out Pattern too. His songs really have depth. Beneath is a really meaningful track… like I think he might have lost someone close to him (I could be completely wrong though). He makes a reference to the way he moves as well when he says “I’m just tryna lay low…”. You can tell he’s just on his grind. He’s dedicated to the music.
Me: I like that… it’s almost a reveal into the ‘person behind the artist’. It’s got a bit of an old school UK garage feel to it as well.
Katherine: Yeah. He’s reached 3k on Instagram now which is great, but his talent deserves 10k minimum man. I personally don’t think he’s out there enough and you actually can’t fault his material. You know them artists that completely switch up the vibe of a song they feature on…yeah that’s him. He’s in my top five artists and that’s alongside J Hus, Drake and J Cole…
Me: I hear that. There are definitely a lot of artists that need to be heard. I heard that Nipsey Hussle reference in one of his songs so you know I’m sold. Lool.
Katherine: He’s got a mad vibe about him. No shade but some artists have come out with songs that can’t even touch his flow or lyricism…he’s doing throwback feels man. I’m a 90s baby we need to bring them vibes back!
Me: Loool, yeah I defo agree. Well you know I’m about to rinse all them songs you gave me. Psychic will get rinsed on the way home…I apologise in advance but it has to be done loool. Well let’s see if I can get an interview with him. Maybe we can spread the word…
Introducing One Acen…
First off, why One Acen?
Random lol, used to be called “Youngace” which turned into “Acen” somehow, then eventually “One Acen”. Like, there’s only One Acen.
What is your opinion on the state of the UK grime scene today and which artists do you look up to?
I think the scene is in an amazing place. So many different artists with different styles…easier to hit the mainstream and artists can make more money than ever before, sick!
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
In the next five years I wanna be two or three epic albums in lol, definitely want to be considered one of the best to come from our scene, if not the best.
What advice do you give to young musicians and entertainers struggling to break into the music industry?
Don’t settle for anything less than amazing, work on your craft, once you start releasing…be extremely consistent.
Word. What life lessons have you learnt along the way that would be useful to the readers?
Things take time, even when you don’t want them too. You NEED good friends that will always tell you the honest truth…not the things you wanna hear.
Is there anyone you would like to collab with?
Artists? Erm, Avelino, Giggs, Donae’o…
That’s a good mix and Donae’o is a great pick. Funkyhouse should definitely make a comeback. Psychic was a dope track. Very relatable and different. What was your inspiration behind it?
I had a completely different hook and topic on the beat before. I ended up rewriting it all and I got the whole Psychic idea from the “I see the future it’s me & you whipping them foreign’s” bit in the bridge.
Beneath had a lot of potential! What can we expect from you in the future? What themes or ideas are you planning to address in any upcoming songs or your next project?
100% more good music. That’s all I care about if I’m honest. I just wanna make music that people feel in their SOULS loool…with sweetest melodies ever! Defo gotta put a project together sometime soon though. I think I owe it to the people…
You can keep up with the artist’s music journey on his social media:
INTHEWRITERSMIND 