Ikes talks new single ‘Pray For Me’ and his secret love of One Direction
I wrote “Pray For Me” when I decided to take on music as a career full-time. So I felt like I was making a transition from one person to another, going on a fresh new journey.
And wow, the video is immense. Are you a big Luther fan?
Huge Luther fan, cannot wait for the new season I saw a few months ago that they began filming! A lot of people outside the UK love it too; now it’s on Netflix it’s really become a thing!
The video symbolises a new start for you – what does that entail?
Yeah so as I mentioned the new start was embarking upon this journey of becoming a full time musician. It was really scary but I had to focus on one thing to see any kind of progress and also to work on mastering my craft.
What sounds can we expect from your new EP?
It’s predominantly hip-hop, but has a lot of electronic sounds and synths in there also. We really tried to set a tone atmospherically, which created an appropriate bed to tell the story I wanted. We hear it is the result of an interesting collaboration.
Can you tell us more?
It was worked on by myself, my good friend and producer ‘One Black Russian’ and Edward Nixon; a well respected and Grammy Award winning Engineer/Producer. Edward’s part of the production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and has worked on everyone from Paul McCartney to Kanye West and Hudson Mohawke. He hardly works indie projects, but as we developed more of a personal relationship through the music, we just clicked. He’s a great dude and someone I really admire.
What was the biggest inspiration behind the project?
I think the biggest inspiration was defining my sound and direction in where I wanted to live in the industry. I mean I’ve put out mixtapes and other projects in the past, but with this project we knew we were working on something special, hence how meticulous we were with every song, every drum beat, every bar or break.
What is the biggest guilty pleasure in your record collection?
Anything One Direction! I know I’m meant to be cool and somewhat ‘gangster’ but damn do they make great pop songs or what?
What was the last thing you prayed for?
My uncle; he was unfortunately a victim of an armed robbery and attack at his home back in Nigeria which left him in the hospital fighting for his life. I think he’ll pull through, but I prayed for his health and family’s safety.
With the new single receiving a lot of love in blogosphere, can we expect a live show soon?
Yes! I’m performing at XOYO Sept 16th, opening up for Vinny Chase who’s coming over from the States! I’m also planning a launch for the project when it’s released where I plan to perform the whole thing with my live band!
Do you get more of a kick from composition or live playout?
As much as I appreciate the studio process and the finished product live shows bring me to life the most; I’m about touching the people so I feel closest and can interact with people during a performance.
Lastly, tell us one thing nobody else knows about you…
I’m also a topline songwriter, currently writing some records for some major pop artists right now! Nothing I can speak on currently, but do watch this space!
“Outside|In” is out September 18th and you can pre-order it now and get “Pray For Me” right away.
