SEKOU – Bio 2023
Already tipped by the BBC as an artist to watch with a Glastonbury set under his belt, all without an official song released, there’s no doubt that Sekou has monumental heights in sight. Discovered in 2021 by the founders of Good Soldier Records via a video he filmed singing in a car park and now releasing music via Island Records, 18-year-old Sekou Sylla is already one of the most anticipated debuts of the year.
When he was first discovered with stellar single ‘Better Man’, there was unsurprisingly a pressure to jumpstart his career straight away. His rich, bass-filled vocal is one of the most unique to emerge in recent years, and it stuns with raw power and emotion over the striking yet stripped back piano arrangements. But instead of jumping in at the deep end, Sekou and his team dedicated more time to the creative process to ensure a quality body of work could follow and set him up for an explosive future. “That process has been so important,” says Sekou. “Everything that’s happened in that space of one year has been wild and it doesn’t happen for a lot of people, so I feel so grateful.” And after immersing himself in the sparkly world of music to find his sound and hone his pen with some of the best minds in music right now, he’s never been more ready to step out and introduce himself to the world.
“I always liked being the centre of attention”, he laughs as he recalls a childhood spent between church and performing in weekend stagecoach and after school clubs. As an only child, raised on a diet of classic power vocalists such as Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan, music always served as a place of imagination and catharsis for him, even before he knew what that meant. “[At the start] I was just writing love songs and heartbreak songs, even though I’d never been in a relationship before! I think I was just going off what I’d heard other people saying,” he remembers. Nowadays, the therapeutic purpose of his art is clearer, “sometimes I find it difficult to explain how I feel but then when I write something, it’s completely different. I feel like no one’s gonna judge me as much.”
Growing up in the small town of Ashby in Leicestershire, it wasn’t always the coolest move to go against the grain and dream big in the way that Sekou still tends to. While his peers were listening to music that filled the charts, he was diligent in uploading covers and immersed in the world of old school music, imagining himself on stages. “I definitely feel like I’m 18 most of the time, but older the remainder of it,” he jokes. As a result, he’s both completely grounded – even shy and quiet in person – whilst simultaneously reaching for the stars. When I ask what his career bucket list includes, he instantly answers headlining the Super Bowl (“you can’t get any bigger, it’s the biggest stage of all time”). Then in the same breath mentions returning to his hometown to tour as just as important and surreal. After his signing, when he had attempted to put on a show back at home it sold out in just 32 seconds. “It was crazy, I said I was going to perform two songs with a guitarist outside, but they had to shut it down and I couldn’t do the show.”
But even with all that, nothing could have really prepared Sekou for the response he’d get to his own voice once people caught wind of his talent. Selected by Arlo Parks and supported by presenter Dean Jackson to perform in their BBC Introducing stage line up, Sekou was billed for Glastonbury 2022 in what will no doubt stay a career defining moment for him. “That was my first ever show! I’d done four or five days of rehearsal before but there was no music out, there weren’t even many songs to put in the setlist. But we all pulled it together and it was one of the best experiences of my life, especially to do so early before anything.” Warned ahead of time that the crowd had been small throughout the festival at around 50 people, by the end of his set the crowd was spilling out of the tent in their hundreds. Elsewhere, he’s received a video message from industry mammoth Quincy Jones expressing his admiration and excitement for his future, and he’s collaborated with the likes of Pharrell, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars already too. “I think that’s the most surprising thing is how shocked musical people, songwriters, and producers, were with my voice. I’m hearing it every day and there’s so many great vocalists in this world, but the response has been crazy,” he says.
But it’s no surprise the impact that Sekou’s voice has on those who listen. Between his soulful mahogany tone, raspy passion and instantly affecting, addictive nature of his songwriting, his potential to join the big leagues of British pop stardom is significant, especially at such a young age. Pulling from soul, gospel and pop spheres across the EP, the exalting lead single ‘Better Man’ was the culmination of what Sekou describes as a “terrible session” that lasted over 7 hours in his first ever trip to the US. It ended with him sitting down at the piano alone and pouring out most of its lyrics, before tweaking for 15 minutes with the producer. “Growing up I had a really bad relationship with my dad, but I never knew I could write a song out of it. I wanted to write half of it to myself, telling myself what not to do but then also telling my dad a message as well. It was so early [in the process of writing] that that was the only thing I could really relate to and be honest about.” The result is a strikingly simple confessional on being determined to be better, trying to heal and dealing with a lack of closure, as he bellows through broken breaths, ‘I made my mind up to rise up and then, I made my mind up to be a better man’. Goosebump-inducing ‘Too Young’ proves that lightning can strike far more than twice for the Leicester-born London-based artist. On this ode, Sekou outpours a brutal heartbreak over delicate keys, ‘I’m so scared of getting older, and you’re scared to stay the same, a heart ain’t too young to love, if it’s old enough to break.’ Inspired by a lengthy, painfully complex entanglement, the track was his way of saying goodbye to a love that wasn’t serving him.
But it’s not all gloomy in the world of Sekou by any means. Alongside his heart wrenching ballads sit these cinematic and energising poppier moments too in ‘Forgiving Myself’ and ‘Lovin You Lovin Me’. As someone who’s still incredibly young and who loves to dance and have fun, ensuring his music allowed him to do that and felt true to his personality was crucial to Sekou: “I wanted to do something where people weren’t going to compare me to anyone else. And I’ve always wanted to dance, I always imagined having a great time with the crowd.” Finding his crew in Sounwave (6LACK), Al Shux, Dixon, Yakob, Labrinth and Sam Dew, Sekou managed to tap into a super refreshing new take on classic pop songwriting. “I wanted to work with someone who could help me but also not someone who has done this so many times that they’ve already done everything that I’m trying to imagine,” he explains. “So we really wanted to work with hip hop producers instead of pop producers to keep the coolness.” ‘Lovin You Lovin Me’ channels a Freddie Mercury-esque theatre equipped with choir harmonies and a thumping drumline. Originally produced by Labrinth, this was Sekou’s opportunity to reclaim his power, he explains, “I wanted it to feel safe and to have fun and feel a little bit sassy. Like a side eye. Just telling somebody that you don’t need them. It’s one of my favourites. When people get to know me a lot more, you’ll understand why that song happened. It’s so camp! ”
In all things Sekou, he wants people to expect the unexpected: “I really want people to think I’m gonna go in one lane but then to absolutely gag them! [laughs]” He had dreams to push the boat out within his visual world and dipping into the depths of fashion too. He talks about things feeling ‘camp’ and jokes that ‘weird’ is his favourite word. “In my opinion, I think this industry needs people who are willing to try other things and willing to be different and not feel like they can’t step outside a box because it might not work. I think this world needs more entertainers.”