Byron Biroli is a London-based singer-songwriter taking the music world by storm with his unique take on soul music with an indie African twist which reflects his native Uganda where he learned traditional music. Byron and I speak at a busy time in his career as he has just released the follow up single 'Kings' to his critically acclaimed debut 'So Naive
' which was pounced on by tastemakers. We discuss Byron's sound which he has coined 'Noir Wave' and the fact he could have gone down the Afrobeats route which is ever so popular at the moment, but he says his music is more "indie, high art, cerebral, electronic music".
He continues, "the lane we're in, there is much more to the contemporary African music landscape."
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We discuss music coming out of the UK at the moment, Byron says, "It's interesting what's going on in urban culture, the streets are a massive melting pot and it's interesting how the industry hasn't quite caught up. Afrobeats and artists like Fela Kuti have been kicking off for a decade but it's only just now getting into the mainstream. You don't have to sound like an American, it's our chance to celebrate the language people speak on the streets, an amalgamation of the all the cultures we've got."
Byron is very passionate about making music, but of course, it has its challenges. He admits it's hard "reaching the right kind of fan base. The music industry, as we know, there is a lot of great music out there, so much choice. The music fans themselves are looking for the next big thing. We have to stay strong and ride it out until such a time that momentum does and will kick in." Byron has taken risks along the way by borrowing money and doing everything himself with an entrepreneurial spirit and drive. "It's incredibly challenging and you do want results, but when we get into the studio we make a sh*t load of good music." He admits, "I'm a music fan myself and interested in quality and content. I wanna keep it really simple."
Byron might only have two singles out in the music stratosphere, but he has been recording an album for the past year and has about 30 or more tracks all ready to go. He works with George Bird, a music producer who is a multi-instrumentalist and vital to the process and he loves collaborating with musicians who are also exploring African vibes. Byron says he writes in three different styles, African, soul and rock. "It's about the song first and foremost and if we can develop it into a certain style." His plans going forward are, "Mid next year I plan to release a full album - a journey between worlds, some are typical African some are not. Essentially they are all me so I'm the common denominator."
Byron's writing process is fairly simple but builds up with various layers. He says, "I have an obsession with the possibilities and the sounds and the syncopations of African music. We translate them into that mix of Western song structure, riffs and drum patterns inspired by Eastern and Southern music."
Another subject close to Byron's heart is cultural appropriation. He got attention last year when M.I.A. retweeted one of his tweets about the flack she was getting from Afro-Punk fans when she dropped out of the Afro-Punk Festival. He said, "I'm really interested in the whole argument - all culture is a fusion of other ideas" and "There is no such thing as quintessentially black or white culture.. cultural appropriation is a necessary and beautiful part of all creativity. The beef I had with M.I.A. haters was so big that it got written about in the press."
'Kings' is Byron's second single and it is uplifting in sound and spirit due to the East African guitar but is also raw and heartfelt lyrically. After speaking to Byron and knowing how he writes his music, the layers become more transparent, but it really is a rich and eclectic mosaic of textures, genres and instrumental motifs which ebb and flow. Following his debut 'So Naive' Byron decided for the next single, "let's make it a bit moody and darker, more Radiohead. Bob's your uncle."
"Didn’t want to be king
But you made me the king
But you made me the prince of your heart
A white knight led you to the dark
And the shadow of myself
Couldn’t fight so I let down my guard
I was a fool till you made me the king of your heart"
Speaking about 'King's, Byron states: "I was learning a really famous Soukous song from East Africa called ‘Sina Makosa’, I got obsessed and developed the technique to make the ‘Kings’ introduction.
Working with my producer George Bird, we created the rest of the song after listening to what Diplo did with Bieber. Believe it or not, that album is heavily influenced by Nigerian pop. The words are about my struggles with drug addiction and self-confidence." He says it is also "a love story, about me and my partner and the way I feel about myself."
For the music video, Byron collaborated with an artist based in Belgium called Nicole Twister. Visually it reflects the themes of the lyrics and also conjures up new ideas.
Despite having a catalogue of songs all ready to go and a passion for music all his life it seems Byron is still at the early stages of his career as a solo artist. He is not afraid to speak his mind about what he believes in and he's not afraid to create a sound that is different from what everyone else is doing which is refreshing. As he says himself so eloquently, "it would scare the sh*t out of me if I wasn't in music."
