Having already established himself with a wealth of riveting releases these last few years, London-based rapper Eneeks now makes his eagerly-awaited return to deliver his shimmering new single 'What It Feels Like'.
Featuring additional vocals from MOBO finalist Zitah and taken from his soon-to-be-released album 'G.I.N.A', 'What It Feels Like' makes for an incredibly impactful listen throughout. With his smooth and vibrant flow layered across a progressive production from start to finish, we can't wait to hear what this new full-length has in store for us as well.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
To be honest the first instrument I fell in love with was my voice. As I was known to be always humming to some melody or song. But technically outside of my own voice lol, the first instrument I fell in love with was a piano. My parents bought one for me and my brothers when we were younger, and we were always messing about on it. Playing to songs on the radio was always a favourite pastime, but I never took the piano seriously until much later in life. I realised after a while how much I was drawn to songs with emotional keys regardless of the genre.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
There was a range of music My household played that I fell in love with. My dad had a deep vinyl collection of classic Soul, RnB Reggae, Lovers Rock, Rare Groove and Jazz. My older brothers then introduced me to hiphop, and as a result I can feel and identify the instant connection between these genres as the music evolved through various samples used from older records.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I think the first album that I personally owned was Snoop Dog - Doggystyle. I couldn’t play it too loud as my parents didn’t like the profanity. But it was definitely an album that captured my imagination and shifted my musical perception.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
I wish I wrote two songs Nas - I give you power and Common - I used to love h.e.r. To me these songs are lyrically entertaining and insightful. I would go as far to not even write these songs, but at a minimum to be in the same creative mind space of writing a song so detailed oriented and entertaining. I give you power is a song about Nas imagining himself as being a gun with the trials and tribulations he goes through when used to kill somebody. While Common’s song - I used to love her is all about him talking about hip hop as if it was his girlfriend.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I don’t have habits or rituals that stand out to me, but when I get hit with an idea or a concept that inspires me to write, I allow myself to breathe within the moment of that rhyme or idea. Sometimes I can write an interesting thought down and leave it for a couple days untouched. Other times I can write all night, it just depends where my mind is at that moment.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I tend to have a rotation of artists that I listen to. Right now I’m listening to SiR, Ari Lennox, Robert Glasper, Cleo Sol and Venna. As far as rap right now I’m listening to Nick Grant, Kendrick Lamar and Nas.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
This is such a hard question because there are so many! I think I would love to open up for D’Angelo as he is my favourite artist. He’s amazing and so musical that opening up for him would be a dream come true.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
I think the most rewarding thing about being a musician is processing the ability to connect to a wide range of people. To me I feel that the very concept of making music which comes from a very intimate personal space can be given to the world and interpreted to others in a way that can be also intimate and personal, but also very different. This made me realise how everyone has their own filtered concept of their reality, and you as an artist have no control over that once your music is out in the big wide world. What once was yours is now in the procession of the people or fans free to do as they wish. I think that’s a concept I’ll never be bored of.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I guess the most frustrating thing is the constant politics within the industry. Not being recognised as an independent artist due to the fact that you are up against a machine that rolls out and over other artists. I am a human being and secondly an artist who strives to live with in my own truth, so when I witness an artist getting attention on social media and through out the industry for the wrong reasons whether it is intentional or not, it makes me question why do we as musicians so desperately want to be part of system that clearly focus on the wrong things. It gets to a point where it’s not even about the music anymore which is sad.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best price of advice I got was when I was told that the goal of an artist is to live life through your passion of creativity, and if you’re willing to do this for free you are halfway there. I was also told to have the confidence and ability to get out of your own head when creating, while at the same time know when to listen to your intuition and follow your own gut. Be comfortable in your vulnerability and others will seek refuge in your music.
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Eneeks' new single 'What It Feels Like' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.