Meet Konyikeh, the rising soul star with a sound that will stop you in your tracks
Konyikeh's incredible voices is a unique melding of musical worlds...
By Nick Reilly
Take one listen to Konyikeh‘s latest EP, Cinere, and you’ll find yourself floored by a piercing voice which takes in classic soul stylings, but uses them for songs which tackle the most modern of dilemmas. The stirring ‘Buyers Remorse’ is a unique rumination on self-worth, while ‘Miserere’ successfully aims for an epic sound which borders on orchestral.
It couldn’t be more apt. The London-born soul riser achieved their musical education in classical circles and conservatoires, before a chance discovery of Kendrick Lamar on Spotify as a teenager made them realise that it was indeed possible to blend multiple words at once.
Now, it’s resulted in a sound that might just stop you in your tracks.
Read our interview with Konyikeh and listen to ‘Buyers Remorse’ and ‘Misere’ via our Play Next playlist on Spotify below.
Your latest EP is called Cinere, a phrase which means “from the ashes” in Latin. How does that idea manifest itself on this body of work?
Well, making this EP was a process of self discovery and I was rebuilding myself from situations that I’d gone through, so I felt it was quite apt to reflect that. Life had been lifing and not always in the best ways. I had to make a very conscious decision where I knew I could either wallow in this or push through and find joy. I had to develop a much stronger sense of self. I became more resilient and writing these songs became my form of release. It was very cathartic.
There’s light and dark on this EP too. Big ballads, but also some fun moments. Does that reflect the duality of everything you were going through?
100 per cent and I’m glad that you picked up on that. I feel like this has an A&B side. The first three tracks are very full and dramatic and then the last two songs are a lot more stripped back. Even though it’s about a dark subject matter, it’s a bit more hopeful. I put ‘Miserere’ on there so it acts as a palette cleanser for the listener.
Let’s talk about ‘Buyers Remorse’. What does that title reflect?
It’s about the way I feel as a Black woman who plays classical music but listens to a lot of other genres from electronic to rap. I’ve been told I’m interesting as a person, but I feel like people don’t always get seen as a real human and it’s about that idea that if I do let someone in and be completely vulnerable, will they have remorse buying into me? Whether that’s investing in a financial sense through my music, but also investing into me emotionally as well and friendships and relationships. It’s about deconstructing myself as a concept and a proposition and how people see me as a human being.
That’s a hard thing to navigate in an industry where, fundamentally, you’re asking people to listen to you.
It’s something I’ve only just definitely realised because I’m such a purist and I do sometimes wonder that if people see a fracture in the constant idea of you that that they’ve painted in their head, then suddenly things could go sideways.
What’s your own background in music, Konyikkeh?
I’ve always like been surrounded by music. I feel like every musician says that, but music and the arts are something that was really important growing up, even though my parents aren’t in it. I went to a really tiny primary school and I signed up for violin lessons and it turned out I was good at them.
My teacher introduced me to the world of conservatoires, I auditioned for a bunch of those and got in. I studied violin and for 10 years that really was my world. I was performing not only as a solo violinist but in orchestras. It was streaming that really opened my world up. I remember that the first song I downloaded was ‘Broccoli’ by Kendrick Lamar and that felt like my Rosetta Stone for listening to new things.
The EP highlights your incredible voice too. Is there any you’d model your vocals on?
I still do get Nina Simone comparisons, and I used to be very self-conscious of that because Nina Simone is an icon and to me an untouchable force and she’s done everything. I’m very conscious to learn the difference between referencing and copying, because this is just the way I sound and in classical music you teach your muscles all of the stuff you need to sing classically. So that and and singing the way I sing now are two very different things.
But it genuinely is just the sound that comes out of my voice I’m not really referencing anyone.
And what’s your next steps?
There’s a lot more on the way. I have a real passion for live music, so everything is written and recorded with a live sound to it. I’ve got my own headline show on July 8 and I’m super excited about that. I’d just come off tour with Jalen Ngonda when I made this EP and it solidified the fact that I just love to perform live.