Things start off for people in distinct yet similar ways. And with artists too. For some, their first contact with music was an unofficial tutelage from parents who were either artists or had their hands in the music business. For others, it was by becoming active members of their local church choir. But for Kemuel, it was his undying love for musical instruments.
Kemuel is a fast rising artist who has put in time, energy and resources towards harnessing his artistic talent. Having released multiple singles and a debut EP, he crowns them all with his latest offering; Clouds, a project which is a quintessential example of how much of a detail-oriented person he is. From curating the songs that made it to the project, to subsequent roll out plans and an eventual release date, he made sure to align with the vision for this new body of work.
In our recent interview with him, we talked about this project, and when we asked what he wanted listeners to feel when they listened, his words were: ‘I want people to feel less alone’. We also discussed what drives him to remain unfazed in spite of life’s challenges, the essence of being a visionary, and how heartbreak might be a prerequisite for stardom.
Was music always the plan?
Well, the way music started up for me was from being an instrumentalist, and that’s all I loved. I enjoyed playing instruments because I loved the fact that I could connect with other people with just sounds, and everyone understood what I was saying. Music is a language, that type of thing. So I fell in love with speaking a language through instruments and not exactly through recording or writing music. That gradually led to me being interested in rapping, and that’s where this whole thing started from.
I started off rapping, which was only possible because of the COVID-19 lockdown and the amount of free time I had from school. One day, a friend jumped on a song and rapped, and was like ‘bro, check this out, you are good with poetry, it will not be hard for you’. So I tried and I enjoyed it. It was very expressive and I could say so many things in one sentence and everyone would understand, and have their own interpretations of that thing. Finding rap was a beautiful moment for me.
During that time, I got heartbroken. It was my first heartbreak and it was tough for me, so the only thing I could express all that emotion through was music. I dumped rapping, tried melodies one day, and I enjoyed it a bit more. Then I realized it was time I started putting poetry into melodies, instead of just rap. That’s how music started off for me.
For many artists, there’s a certain level of pressure that comes with the release of a sophomore project, especially when the debut was a commercial success. Did you ever feel that way creating Clouds after Escape EP of 2022?
No. That thought never crossed my mind because I don’t compare projects. This is because they are not in the same sonic universe or the same realm. Although, they are a bit similar because I am the vessel, and you can’t have one without the other. I have never felt that way about dropping music because you might drop a song today and a 10-year old listens to that song, then you drop another, 2 years later when they are 12, and when they listen to the new one, they will be able to gain different things or experience different feelings as a result of listening to those projects at various times in their life. So every project has its mission. That’s how I see it. I never compare, and I don’t panic about the fact that I might not be able to outdo the previous one. The music is always going to get better because I am growing everyday, that one is for sure.
What do you hope people feel whenever they listen to Clouds?
For the entire project and every project that I drop, I always leave a lot of things to help people do a bit of self reflection. Because if music isn’t helping you feel something, it is not music. I want people to feel less alone. Sometimes, I say a lot of honest things and I realize that when I am vulnerable with my music, I notice the reaction of listeners and feel like most of us have lived the same lives, through different eyes. It is funny how I sing about something that happened to me and it turns out to be the reality of so many people that have been through that exact same thing in the exact same way. I made this project with the intention to make people know that they are not alone. That’s what I wanted people to see through Clouds; that as much as we are different in personalities, we are one.
What were the specific elements you looked out for while determining the songs that made it to the EP?
When I hear a song, I know the project it belongs in. I wouldn’t want to seem like a workaholic, but I have a lot of unreleased projects. Yet, I believe I have to take my listeners on a journey. Music is the only thing I feel is immortal in the world because, even when you can’t find a piece of the music, it still exists in the subconscious of every human that might have heard it. So we do not do the bulk of listening to music, our soul does. What we experience when music touches us is our soul reacting to it because music is the language of the spiritual realm, and the language of gods.
Every song and project has its timing. For the project Clouds, we carefully selected songs, because my team and I were super in sync, and that’s how we have been from the jump. We selected the songs very carefully. So all the songs in that project could have only come out in that particular project. There were so many other songs that I thought were good picks but didn’t make it through. It depends on the general message of the entire project and how the project feels. A song might feel like it should drop in 2025, and a song might feel like it should have dropped in 2021. I believe everything will perfectly align, as long as you stay through to your vision. It’s the vision that helps me decide songs.
Which song connects with you the most on the EP?
For me, since there are 7 days in a week, I could give you a song for each day off the EP. Alone feels like a Friday night song, Focus feels like a Monday song, GLNT feels like a tuesday song, Wednesday feels like you are getting closer to the weekend, so I would say 234, Thursday is so close to Friday, so I am most likely gonna slide in Water, then Saturday feels like a Find type song, cause the week is ending. Then Sunday is for Polo, because “kumbaya” means harmony. So every song for me has a different day and different feeling, and it’s hard to pick a particular song.
Was there a reason for making a solo EP or it just happened?
It actually just happened. I have made music with many artists from 2023 till date. So I honestly allow music to do its thing. I allow music to even guide the vision for who could end up mixing the project and just let the music do everything. Because music will find its people. All we can do is just try our best to put it where people can see it, but the music does the finding.
If you had the opportunity to collaborate with three artists you genuinely want to work with right now, who would they be?
I am looking forward to working with Fireboy, Amaarae, Tems and Wizkid. I am just curious to see what we can create.
Do you plan to have a solo show/concert in Nigeria this year?
Yes. I actually want to do that because I want to have a very intimate moment with my fans, listeners and supporters. I need to give them bragging rights because there’s so much I am capable of doing that my fans don’t know. I want them to see the things I am capable of doing right now and watch me grow to do the things I didn’t know I could possibly do. I want to grow with my fans. I don’t want to wake up one day and just be the best, without taking them on the journey with me.
Chukwuebuka Mgbemena is a writer focused on the Nigerian & African entertainment industry. He loves fashion, art and is a staunch chess player.
