Damola from Dublin, released the impressive and emotional EP, 'Safe' at the end of last year. The release followed a man struggling to cope with the fine lines between good and evil, Damola's lyrics captured that struggle and journey in both a captivating and emotive way. Luckily he has followed up from the impressive release, with an incredibly smooth new single called 'Wrong Appeal' and was great hearing more about it all.
What was it like after releasing the EP ‘Safe’ and kicking on with the next chapter of your music?
The project was very experimental. I played around with various production styles from tomek zyl and Xavier Jordan and also tried new ways of being a vocalist by Combining complex flows with melodies. People who have been rocking with me enjoyed the release and appreciated the artistic experimental approach. The project is still being enjoyed a year after its release and I look forward to dropping another project in the future!
Looking back on Safe (it’s a great listen I would like to add!), how do you feel about the lyrical context from it now and has the meaning of the release changed since recording it?
There is a bit of a dark and sad theme in safe. 'Gave myself' speaks about a confused man looking for guidance. While 'Critical' shows the behaviour of a boastful man and the final track titled 'Follow', speaks of a man who has found the light but is finding it hard to stay on the right path. I think the track 'follow' is where I'm at at the moment, so there might be more content like that in the future and definitely a lot more happy stuff.
Now the latest single release is the cool and amazing, ‘Wrong Appeal’. How was it written and what was it like working with and having production done by, Flowers in Narnia?
The beat was already fully made by Flowers in Narnia. It was sent to myself by a friend by the name of Max Macken, we were working on a few songs late last year and had writing sessions. I heard the beat at a writing session and I freestyled melodies on it. I saw Max's reaction when he heard the freestyle so I recorded another freestyle on my phone.
During lockdown, I later laid down vocals on the beat using the exact structure and melodies I had freestyled earlier at my writing session with Max, the song was recorded in my bedroom as usual. I didn't bother writing the lyrics, rather I just freestyled the lyrics as I wanted it to be raw and not rigid.
Is this song personally a reflective or observational take on loving something or someone that is not good for you? Is your lyrics generally one of them or both?
Haha, at the time when I recorded it I wasn't experiencing anything like that. I have however experienced this in the past. I took myself back to previous experiences in order to put the song together. I also used my observation of a close friend's previous relationship as inspiration.
For you, how would you describe the hip-hop scene around Dublin? Also did the city, for example specific people or venues, played apart in how you have learnt your craft?
Its evolved so much and keeps evolving. The growth is amazing. Ireland is blessed because it takes from so many different cultures so there is a wealth of creativity in the scene. From drill to rap, afrobeats, gospel influences, grime, trap, R&B, it's all a vibe.
Writing your own music must be a great sense of escapism and release for yourself, do you have anything in mind in what you want listeners to take from your music?
It all depends. Sometimes I create to educate people. Sometimes it's to encourage. Sometimes it's just to flex. Sometimes I create just to see if I'm capable of creating a certain type if sound and sometimes I just say what's on my mind because I feel like talking haha. I also write a lot from my imagination as well as from my observation of other people's experiences.
Is there any current music that has inspired you recently or think is the top of the heap right now??
There is a lot of beautiful R&B in Ireland that I'm really enjoying at the moment. That's what I'm on these days .
What can we expect from Damola in 2021?! I hope you and everyone around has been safe and well too!
I will be releasing a lot more singles throughout the year. There will be a lot of genre blending stuff. Project will come in the last quarter of the year!
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