Artists To Watch: Papa

A musician, a writer an NFT designer, Papa uses the full extent of his creativity to bring together a well rounded vision of what an artist can truly be. Like many he found his strides as a young musician in front of the piano. Scales and finger practice lead him to pick up the guitar and thus the artist known as Papa was born. In his own words, Papa is a creator blending ideas, inspiration and connections which are transformed into art, music and writing. His work speaks to the desire to document connection, whether good or bad Papa speaks honestly of heartbreak, love and friendship. His music is both catchy and compelling and we were quite excited to come across this amazing artist. 

Photo credits: Tom D Morgan

In this article we talked to Papa about his inspirations, his process and the little things that keep him going. 

How did your artist journey begin?

Slowly. Being forced to play piano as a kid, by my insanely patient mother, feels like the beginning. If I were her, I would almost certainly have given up, had my child been found hiding in a tree bawling their eyes out at piano practice time. She is so very prescient - I love it now! The classic Ray Charles metamorphosis then ensued. From playing other people’s material, to then writing my own. However this transition took place on the guitar over a decade later. This came easier. My first song was about a group of friends from a place called Gonville. I ripped each of them to shreds in rhyming verse. Still chasing the high from those laughs.

Who is Papa? How do you define yourself as an artist?

A simple boy from Nairobi who could easily be characterised as an empath, a dreamer, and an afro-optimist. Also a British-Kenyan singer-songwriter whose music beams with afro inspired gospel, and latino rhythms alongside that europa spiritus animus. From choir in church; to learning flamenco in Andalucia; to wading knee deep into that swampy Louisiana blues, funk, jazz and soul! To busking on the streets, performing with an improv band of 2 up to 20. I am wistful, hopeful, motherland idealism personified.

What inspires your music?

I struggle to communicate emotionally in any other medium. For the “Distance” album the sentiments exploding out of me were pain, grief, and shame with songs about unrequited love (“wait”); love at a distance (“smile”); and quixotic chivalry (“the journey”). That album was a bit all over the place thematically as alongside the more sombre tones there was an epic amount of brightness celebrating the cultural capacity of being late (“i’m on my way”); doe eyed romanticism (“if she does” + “changed my mind”); and youthful exuberance (“the best is yet to come”). I Was really pleased and excited to collaborate with Zubi too on a country/bass banger (“The Map”).

For the “Legacy” album we honed in on a cohesive sound and aesthetic. It explores the responsibility we bear as stewards of the heritage our forefathers (and mothers) have bestowed upon us. Specifically, the choice we have, through our actions (or inaction) in deciding what is passed on in our remembrance. 

We’ve definitely been more experimental e.g. with songs like “Narcissus” [07.01.22] representing the pride and arrogance that can easily boil over into without the humility to keep the ego in check. This can be the difference between success and self-sabotage. There’s a collaboration across four artists here, each with their own take on this phenomenon. Really proud to have worked with Kallay Saunders, anatu, and Gabriel to bring it to life.

Photo credits: Nala Ayieta

What is your creative process like?

It can be chaotic, haphazard, and unintentional mostly. It is highly dependent on emotional states, triggers or muses that then inspire intense periods of creation. For the most part I am not at all switched on (at least consciously) in terms of making new music and prefer instead to go over classic stuff. However in those moments when inspiration strikes, ideas flow out on bicycle rides or whilst walking and I just do my best to ride that wave before the internal maelstrom goes calm again.

I wrote the song “the one” on the Djembe for instance, and only really had a sense for the beat plus the lyrics. After presenting it to the executive producer for the album, anatu, we went through a fair few iterations to get to the finale. It was really special to be able to work with the award winning multi instrumentalist producer Rory Simmons. An absolute legend I feel unbelievably blessed to have involved in the project. At one stage he brought in a three piece orchestra, then we shifted to one of countless artists and session musicians on his rolodex, all in service of the songs. Champion.

Or the song Black Man was written in the immediate aftermath of hearing of George Floyd. In the wake of surges in racial injustice across the world it is an allegorical tale written not to incite guilt or to admonish, rather to convey understanding and sympathy. To seek empathy and awareness of the conditioning which exists (both overt and covert/subtle/subliminal); serving to manifest and exacerbate the status quo.I was really inspired by Keedron Bryant’s song “I Just Wanna Live” and the communality that sprung up around that sentiment. It was an honour to work with the absurdly talented, and highly venerated, producer Tania Ilyashova who was meticulous in helping shape each and every element of the song. Harnessing her synaesthetic sensibilities enabled us to achieve the unnerving juxtaposition of a warmth that feels chilling.

What's your favourite song of yours that you've created and why? What inspired its creation?

“Fed Up” is a favourite on many levels. Firstly the inspiration for the song is about a breakup,. Being the active listener that I am, in that heightened emotional state, I then wrote the song in one long voicenote walking home. A few days later I was fortunate enough to have the idea to connect with a friend, performer, and producer called KRINKS (Will Lowes). 

It was so fun for us to get stuck into his garage studio; messing around with all manner of weird noises and synthesisers. He really is a wacky genius. The dojang team then helped with executive production, where we ended up having to decide between three different versions of the song. Then the music video, with an old buddy and videographer Anton Denny-Browne, which we shot in Greenwich based on his impeccable direction.
“Fed Up” [18.02.22] is a snapshot in time to a moment most will sadly inevitably go through - the juncture at which a romantic relationship comes to an end. It typically happens slowly - then all at once. This time I listened to feedback, took notes, and shared them verbatim.

Photo credits: Tom D Morgan

Who have you been listening to lately? Who's on Papa most played artist list?

The artists on the dojang label are really exciting. Gabriel just released “i’m lost for words” which I love amongst many others. anatu’s collaboration with Zubi, as well as his personal releases as Azedia, are phenomenal. I am a huge fan of artists like Jon Belion, Nviiri the Storyteller, Darassa, Oladapo, Youngr, Bernhoft, Judith Hill, PJ Morton, Jacob collier, and Newton Faulkner.
I also have a huge amount of love for podcasts, and probably spend as much time listening to them! Some great music based ones include tape notes, music business worldwide, and fresh air’s interviews with artists like Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Keith Richards, Brian May, Al Green, etc.

You've recently released a series of musical NFTs. What inspired this and what was the process of creating them?
The inspiration was threefold,namely, experimentation with emergent technology, greater engagement with the creative community and the hopes of discovering greater economic opportunity.

To create music NFTs I engaged with groups (DAOs) like songcamp, songaday and the Venice Music community (who now distribute my music). I then partnered with a platform called Tribly to bring them to life with the capacity for collectors to earn ownership in forthcoming projects we are working on as well as collectively co-developing future works that are impactful.

What have you been working on lately? What projects can we see from you in the near future?
My latest album “Legacy” was released Friday 7th October, with a final song release called Ghost! I also aim to have a Book of Poetry out this year, and we are working on an animation I am truly very excited about. 

Check out what PAPA is up to at this link