South London-based artist DREWMULA has just released his most accomplished project yet, a nine-track EP that confidently moves between UK RnB, pop and afroswing. We caught up with Drewmula to talk about his new body of work.
AC: Let’s talk about your new EP Chemistry. What does this body of work mean to you?
DREWMULA – So, they say that in the science of songs: music can affect your body, mentally and physically in so many different ways. Classical music tends to make shoppers want to buy more. Gentle music can cure insomnia.
I wanted to make something that makes you simply feel good, songs that make you want to move and vibe, and most importantly a body of work that will make you want to revisit it over and over again.
Chemistry is a mixture of songs with elements from different genres that have heavily influenced me from the early stages of my music career. I’ve grown to fall in love with the sounds from Afro-Swing to UK RnB to Pop and Dancehall and I believe that my debut EP represents that.
My sound generally tends to be easy on the ear, so I wanted to make a body of work for the people who love to get up off their seats at every function they attend, or for those who love to vibe whilst cruising in their car on a hot summers day, or for those who daily commute to work. This is who and what the EP is for.
AC: In the studio, do you have a fear you’d like to conquer?
DREWMULA – I don’t know if I’d particularly call this a fear of mine, but recently I’ve been trying to master the ability to know when to let go of a song – knowing when to say, ‘that’s it, this song is complete’. Creating music is like putting together a jigsaw piece; each layer, each ad-lib, every single element contributes to another, and at times I can find myself overthinking some of the key elements to a song – trying to over perfect it, which can sometimes even lead to a totally different result if you’re not careful.
AC: What about outside of the studio?
DREWMULA – [Laughs] Anyone who knows me can answer this for you.. I need to overcome my phobia of dogs! I’m talking Rottweilers, they’re just so beastly and always looking like they want to eat me for some reason.
AC: Where does the creation of a song begin for you?
DREWMULA – Always begins with the instrumental for me. I have to really feel the vibe, before I know it I’m mumbling flows that eventually turn into lyrics.
AC: Who do you feel inspired by in the music industry?
DREWMULA – Any artist I’ve ever listened to have inspired me in some shape or form – to create anything isn’t an easy task and I think the way in which artists make the process look so effortlessly, is a skill in itself. It has been so satisfying to see a fresh emerging sound coming out of the UK; the likes of NYJA, who is a cold Afrobeats artist that I’ve been playing a lot recently, and the artists that I’ve worked with so far inspire me loads. I’ve also been playing a lot of Junior, Afro B, Cáido Del Cielo and Darkoo too.
AC: As a music artist, what are you still trying to learn?
DREWMULA – As an artist, I am continuously learning to manage my time and energy around the right people, correctly – making sure I am constantly creating something new with my team and experiencing many different adventures. The more I experience the easier it is to put that energy into my music.
AC: How important is social media to you right now?
DREWMULA – I tend to have a love and hate relationship with social media, mainly because I can’t tell what’s real or not on there. I try to use it as a tool to benefit what I do and I’ve made some great relationships along the way, but I’m also aware that it can be very time consuming for many and the scary bit for me is that this is slowly looking like the norm in life. I’m a strong advocate for balance in life – too much of something is never good anyway.
AC: Ahead of a gig, do you have any pre-show rituals?
DREWMULA – A big pre-show ritual ahead of any gig for me is that I have to try the best chicken wings in whichever town I perform in. I’m addicted to wings and every city has a special chicken wings combo meal!
AC: What do you want the world to look like in 10 years?
DREWMULA – I would love to see a world where my people are no longer murdered due to the colour of their skin. Sometimes I wonder how a whole human race who claim to be so advanced, can’t even get along in the year two thousand and twenty.
AC: If you had the chance to put something on billboards worldwide next week, what would it be? Or what would it say?
DREWMULA – If I had the chance to put something on billboards worldwide next week, it would simply read ‘Black Lives Matter’.
INTERVIEW: ADAM CROOKES
