Nigerian artist, producer, and songwriter Kemuel is more than just a rising star – he’s a genre-bending innovator. Blending R&B, pop, and afrobeats into a unique sonic tapestry, his highly anticipated sophomore EP, “CLOUDS,” promises a captivating exploration of love, heartbreak, and healing.
We sat down with Kemuel to delve into the inspiration behind “CLOUDS,” his creative process, and what it means to be pushing boundaries in the ever-evolving world of Afrobeats music.
Pinch Of Sol: Your sound blends R&B, pop, and afrobeats in a unique way. What initially drew you to explore this fusion of genres on ‘CLOUDS’?
Kemuel: I originally wanted the songs to feel like home, a feeling that’s not easily forgotten, so I know I had to fuse a couple things together, a bit of nostalgia and melancholy. I just wanted something the people could feel immediately on first listen and fall in love with.
Pinch Of Sol: What personal experiences or observations inspired the themes of love, heartbreak, and healing in your songwriting?
Kemuel: I was in a relationship back in ph city when I was schooling in university of port harcourt, it was what you’d call a serious relationship, everything went south during the lockdown and that scared and changed me for life, I also conceived the concept of hustling from a young age so I use use work to distract myself from pain or heartbreak. Music slowly became that Escape, so now I pour everything into my music.
Pinch Of Sol: You tell stories “without words.” Can you give an example of how you achieve this in a particular song on ‘CLOUDS’?
Kemuel: I think I achieved that best with ‘POLO’ the music itself takes you on an addictive journey with the chords the bass and even the sounds layered on the beat, it tells an exciting story that you can’t stop listening to and reliving.
Pinch Of Sol: How has your production style evolved since your debut project, ‘Escape’?
Kemuel: I’ve gotten more confident in volume, I’ve gotten more comfortable doing the weird out of pocket things, I delved into pop sounds more after ‘ESCAPE’ it was an exciting experience for me honestly, watching my sound grow and expand just from stretching myself on one genre.
Pinch Of Sol: ‘234’ uses Nigeria’s country code as a symbol for an unreachable connection. Can you describe the emotions you wanted to evoke with this symbolic approach?
Kemuel: ‘234’ in a nutshell is a scenario that could happen to anybody, our network providers don’t always come through so you’re bound to have network issues, 234 is more about the girl than the country code tbh, I’m calling her 234 cos I’m the 1 for her, she just doesn’t know it yet.
Pinch Of Sol: ‘GLNT’ explores overcoming struggles, and ‘Focus’ is about perseverance. How do these tracks connect thematically to tie a bow on the overall message of ‘CLOUDS’?
Kemuel: Yes ‘GLNT’ and ‘FOCUS’ are link the backbone on the concept behind “Clouds” originally the reason I names the project “Clouds” is because just like the clouds above us are always there no matter the weather, that’s the same way I want this project to be for everyone. A project that will always be there. Songs like ‘GLNT’ and ‘FOCUS’ are songs that we all need, to stay focused and gallant in all we do day in and day out.
Pinch Of Sol: Can you share your vision for how you want listeners to experience the EP as a whole?
Kemuel: I want them to experience music from an honest point of view, every lyric and sound came from my soul, I want the listeners to experience soul with a little depth and self discovery, it’s all about the moment for me, and this project is a part of me, so as much as I want them to experience Kemuel, I know they’ll find pieces of themselves embedded in the project.
Pinch Of Sol: Are there any new musical directions or genres you’re excited to explore in your future work?
Kemuel: There’s so many different ways to approach sound, sonic waves and everything that makes up music, there still so much untapped and unexplored. So I wanna dedicate my next phase to digging for new pockets and sound design just for fun.
Pinch Of Sol: Is there a dream artist from any genre you’d love to collaborate with on a future project?
Kemuel: I’d love to create music with Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk, The Weeknd and SZA, I honestly can’t begin to imagine the music that would come out of working with these artists and that’s why it’s a dream of mine to work with them.
