AN INTERVIEW WITH SINGER AND SONGWRITER KEMI SULOLA
Kemi Sulola is a London-based singer and songwriter who was raised musically on a fusion of reggae, afrobeats, gospel, motown and jazz. Loving music from a young age, she transitioned from documenting her life in diaries to expressing herself with poetry, lyrics and using her voice as an instrument and a vessel driven by a faith, hope and ambition that is bigger than herself. Kemi uses music to visualise universal messages, they may not always be her personal experiences, but her lyrics tell stories that can always be universally understood and felt. This conversation goes into the depths of Kemi’s past, present and her future…
Daniella: There’s so many articles about how the music of our childhood really shapes who we are and how we feel the attachment to it even as adults. It sparks this emotional reaction in us when we hear music from our childhood that holds such a powerful nostalgic moment for us. I love that there are both radio and written interviews where you talk about growing up around music. What songs and genres have defined music for you as a child and why?
Kemi: Great question! The first thing that comes to me is reggae, because my dad had a lot of vinyl and still does now. I think just hearing that around the house and also when he’d pick me up or drive me to school playing those songs in the car, as well as this after Saturday school and performing arts school I used to go to. This definitely informed how I hear music and the type of sound I enjoy. And my brothers too, they would play a lot of R&B and hip-hop in the house. My mom would play a lot of gospel, Motown and early Afrobeats. Those merges of sounds were always around me.
Daniella: Love that you grew up around a lot of music with black roots, especially. Something I find really interesting is when you see interviews with musicians talking about why they wanted to make music and it always varies. You have some artists that will say they’re just in it for the fun of it, or it just happened and others who are more focused on leaving a legacy in their music. I believe neither is right or wrong, as long as there’s respect for the art form, the history and the people that came before in that genre. With that being said, what does being a musician mean to you?
Kemi: For me, it means a few things. One of the first things I would say it means is ‘Melodies From Heaven’, that’s the best way I would describe it. Especially for me as a songwriter, sometimes I just get melodies and song ideas and they literally come out from nowhere. I don’t have to be listening to anything or hearing anything for a melody concept to come to me. For me that definitely comes from above. That comes from God. Being a musician is about listening to that inner creativity that wants to come out that inner melody that has just come to you.
I also think being a musician means trying to find your voice and that can be difficult sometimes. Especially in this day and age where you’re surrounded by social media or you see certain things being promoted more than others. You always feel like maybe I need to be like that. But, it’s about finding your true voice. I do think being a musician is also something that you need to train as well, so whilst you have the natural elements, which are your voice, something that might come to you from God or whatever you believe in from above. You also need to channel it, look after it and make it the best it can be.
Daniella: That’s a great perspective. While you were talking about training, I was thinking about the videos that you have on your Instagram where you’re doing vocal warm-ups. I really like that, because it shows, it’s not just about singing for you. It’s about nurturing your voice. Like Lalah Hathway said, ‘your voice is your instrument.’ I can see how much you care for your voice even on a health and wellness level.
Kemi: Thank you. And I’ll be honest, that wasn’t even an intentional thing. That was because of my health journey. I’ve got a condition called Neurosarcoidosis, which is a condition I’ve been dealing with for a few years now. It has affected my voice a lot and I get a lot more tired. My voice is a bit drier and more fatigued than it used to be. It’s something that you learn to deal with and you’re like, okay, how do I balance looking after my vocal health, but also just being human and interacting with people? So, I have to be very intentional with when and how I use my voice. Vocal care is something so dear to me. The more I learn, the more I get into it, the more I’m trying to be the best I can be with that. It’s a journey and it’s something that is never-ending, you’re always learning different things. So, that’s why the voice is a very special instrument that we have to take care of.
Daniella: I really appreciate you sharing that. My next question was actually going to be about how you’ve navigated your passion for singing, while also navigating Neurosarcoidosis. Firstly, I wanted to say that the Instagram post you shared about the condition was extremely brave and inspiring. It’s also great news to read that you’re in remission as well. What was that period like for you, going through that pain, especially as a musician? How were you able to hold on to those creative parts of yourself as well as your faith and keep pressing forward?
Kemi: Faith.
That was definitely one of the biggest elements that helped me push forward. Believing that whatever I’m going through is temporary and that, it’s for a reason. Even though in those moments I might not have understood why, I suppose whenever you’re going through a hard thing you don’t always understand the reasoning behind it. But, I think that’s what faith is. You don’t really need to understand. You just keep walking in whatever it is that you feel God has aligned for you. So that’s what I’m continually trying to do. That time was definitely very difficult. Even whilst I am now on remission and in a better space with it, I’m able to do a lot more like travel and do things independently.
But, it still kind of has had a bit of an after effect and I think that’s another journey now that I am trying to understand and navigate. I really just feel like music is my thing. Everyone has their thing in life that you just gravitate to and enjoy. You just feel comfortable in it. And I find whatever I do in life, wherever it takes me, that comfort is always there. For me it’s one of the safest, most assuring and liberating forms of expression for me. When I’m singing and writing, I can just be myself. I feel the value of why I’m here on earth. That’s what keeps me going. I always lean back to music. It’s a part of me.
Daniella: That’s beautiful. So, there’s artists like Sza, who many people have described as an artist who captures the voice of a generation with her lyrics. Hearing you talk about music as a form of escapism makes me think about how different artists use their music as a diary. I imagine this isn’t always easy to do. How and when did you become a songwriter? And when did you get to that place where you felt like you could really vocalize your feelings in a song?
Kemi: I don’t think I’m completely at that place. So, when I was younger, I used to write diaries and they were very literal daily diaries. I’d be like in the morning, ‘I did this and at night time I did this.’ I was very detailed. From there, I started to write poems and then from the poems I started to write songs. But it was just that moment of expressing my thoughts and my reflections on paper. Being surrounded by music, that and my reflections kind of tied together to become songs.
Sometimes getting those songs out is not always as easy as people would think. When I was in hospital I actually wrote a whole project which I still have and it’s still on my computer. When it first happened, I was like okay wow I’m going to share this and then afterwards I found that so difficult. Whenever it came to me recording or getting to the next stage for the project, I just felt like I couldn’t do that. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but I suppose as a songwriter sometimes you might write the song for someone else. You can kind of distance yourself from the situation and change the words to feel like someone else, but it depends on the song. Sometimes it can be a direct story of what I’m going through and I can write about it. Other times it’s hard. I actually think it’s a matter of timing and I believe one day I will release those songs, because it will be at the right time. I’ve got songs where I’ve written half of it and then months later or years later I’ve written the other half, because a situation has triggered it. As much as I’m the author of the pen, I just have to allow myself to be a vessel for when it’s ready.
Daniella: That’s an honest approach to songwriting and I love that you’re not interested in forcing creativity, but allowing time to reveal things to you. A song of yours that I enjoy listening to is ‘If’ and I especially like the feel of the music video and how you spotlighted some of the most prominent skaters in London. How did that concept for the video come about?
Kemi: It was kind of exactly what I wanted. The song just had that summery open vibe and it just gave me a love story. So I just wanted that sort of feel. Growing up in Stratford, when I used to walk past the shopping centre, I’d always see the skaters pass there. I just loved their freedom and their fluidity. They were just in so much control of what they were doing. So I was like, I want that element in my music video, because I felt like it just fit with the vibe. The video was done by North Greenwich and they have this area where literally all of them hang out. I went there that day and I did actually reach out to the skaters beforehand, so we could plan it properly. But when I went there, there were so many other people there that some of them even joined in. It was such a nice vibe and a nice day.
Daniella: That’s so cool and organic and your song ‘T.I.MY (Till I Met You)’ has such a soft smooth melody to it. It’s a really beautiful and also very emotional song. I saw the video that you posted of the song being played at a wedding, which is such a beautiful thing to see your song resonating in the outside world and marking such a special occasion. What was the story behind the song and does it draw from anything personal to you?
Kemi: This song, ‘Till I Met You’ is not actually from a personal experience. I feel like a songwriter is a bit like a script writer, you can write loads of plays and stories, but you don’t necessarily have to be the one that’s gone through it. But I feel subconsciously you have these experiences, then you add it with other people’s experiences and you’re just able to write what other people may be feeling. That’s what I enjoy about songwriting. You can kind of look back and see what’s happening and make your own story. But the song actually has a sample from a Motown band called Platinum Hook. A guy that I know called David Howard, he used to be a producer, he sent me just the hook of the saxophone. I immediately fell in love with that and I just wrote the whole song around it. And I was like, ‘my gosh, I love this song, but I can’t actually use it, because it’s a sample and it’s not a full song.’ Then long story short, some years down the line, I met some other producers called Manny Talvez and Alae who are amazing. They helped me produce the song fully. And then I got a saxophonist, a lady called Emma Rawicz. She’s really great. We had to interpret the saxophone, the original demo version and we got to do that. Then I had to seek permission from the original writers as well to use it and I reached out to them with the song and they really loved the song. So, I was really excited about that.
And then I had to go through the official stuff to get it cleared and we managed to get that sorted and that was just a big achievement for me on that level. And I feel like the saxophone had that moody sort of ’90s romantic feel. And so that’s how it just inspired the song. I remember as soon as I heard the hook, I just wrote the whole song straight away. Funnily enough the artwork for the song, it’s got the lady and the guy with the beard. That was by a lady called Lou, she helped me create the artwork. We made this at least two or three years ago. But as I said, I hadn’t released it yet. And then this year, my brother got married and he met his wife probably about two years ago, the artwork existed before this time. But if I show you a picture of those two together, the artwork is literally them.
Daniella: That’s so cool!
Kemi: Yeah, my brother’s wife sent me a picture of them the other day from their wedding and she said, “Wow, it’s like your song manifested our love.” I don’t want to sound all crazy spiritual, but I was like that is kind of crazy how music can kind of be like a premonition sometimes. That’s why I think it’s more than just from me it’s from God. This is why I’m trying to be very obedient to my songs when they come, because I don’t know, maybe they’re trying to tell me something for later on.
Daniella: Wow, that’s deep and an amazing message, thank you for sharing that. I also wanted to just touch on the fact that Janet Jackson reposted a video of you singing her song ‘Together Again’. And I just wanted to ask you what it was like being acknowledged by such a legend in the music industry?
Kemi: At that time, a lot of us were stuck in the house and we couldn’t go out and we couldn’t perform. Also, prior to that, I was just in the hospital and it was probably some of the worst years and moments of my condition. I was feeling all over the place and just to get that encouragement from her, not only for her to repost it, but for her to say, ‘keep singing’ as well. Every now and then when I’m feeling like this is difficult, I’m like, ‘yo, Janet told you to keep singing.’
Daniella: Yeah, no one can tell you anything after that haha! So, I like to ask musicians this next question, because I feel like the answer is always different. But for people reading this interview and who may be discovering your music for the first time, where would you say is the best song or place in your journey to start with?
Kemi: I love that question! I think for me, I’m a person that loves growth and journeys. Because of that, I would always say start from the beginning. That’s where you can understand and see where things grow from when. It’s like looking at a plant, if you really go from the bottom to the top, you can see where the growth starts from the seed. It’s marvelling to see that. So, my first project was ‘Fallen For You’ and that’s actually my first full project that I’ve put out so far. I’ve got other ones I haven’t yet released. Because it’s my first body of work, I think that would be the best place to start.
Daniella: Interesting! So, for those who don’t know, you actually have your own studio in East London. For musicians looking to get to that place of having their own studio and space where they can freely record, can you share how you were able to make this possible for yourself? So, the budgeting side of it all and the plans you have for your studio in the future?
Kemi: A lot of the things in the studio are kind of accumulated over time. For example, I remember, a few years ago I did a music competition and I won the keyboard that I currently have. I invested in getting a new computer, but for a while it was sitting in my room for ages. So, it’s not like I was like, okay I’m going to make sure I buy all of these things. It just goes back to listening to yourself. I’m glad I listened to myself that time and got the Mac because I wasn’t thinking, I’m gonna need it for a studio. But later on when I got the studio, I realised that I needed it. Sometimes you look back and you realise you have everything you need already. Also, some friends gifted me things. The M-Audio keyboard which goes into my computer, that you can make beats on, my friend gifted that to me. Another friend of mine gifted me a mic stand too. My uncle gifted me a guitar and my granddad gifted me a drum. So, I think that element of community and having people around that want to sew into me is important.
Another way is funding. I got funding for my speakers by an organisation called Help Musicians. There is help out there as well if you really want to get something and you look out for it. There’s someone that’s giving away something, deals happening or there’s a fair that you can go to. A combination of these things allowed me to build the space I have.
Daniella: Community is so important and I hope what you’ve just shared resonates with anyone looking to grow their community or an idea. So, are there any singers, producers, instrumentalists or even bands that you would like to work with in the future?
Kemi: That’s a great question. There’s so many people that are just doing their thing and the more I’ve been in this industry, I’ve met so many producers. I’ve always said Raphael Sadiq. I think he’s amazing, one of the greatest producers ever. Then there’s JAE5 too, he’s really dope. D’Mile and Rodney Jerkins as well, he’s a legend. There’s a lot of great talent.
Daniella: Yes! You should also check out Emil and R-Kay too. Two great London-based producers.
Kemi: I will do.
Daniella: Finally, what’s next for you? What are you working on at the moment?
Kemi: I feel like I’ve been in my health journey with music and now I’m getting to the other side of it where I get back to myself. To where I was before, which was really releasing, recording and writing songs. During that time, I lived a lot of life and there’s a lot of things I want to talk about, a lot of things I’ve seen. And now the process is really getting that out there. This year, I really want to hibernate, write, record, channel my inner self again and really grow in that sense. I need to hone it in and discipline myself. So, that’s my real aim, to get that restoration. I feel that’s coming back to me. I really want to develop myself as an artist.
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