If you haven’t heard of Kwabs (born Kwabena Adjepong), 24, flip out your moleskin and take note. 2015 is Kwabs’ year; he was announced as one of 13 British acts in BBC’s Music Sound of 2015 and his debut album Love + War (which features collaborations with Cass Lowe, Al Shux and Royce Wood Jr.) is arriving on 18 May 2015.
Ahead of the album release, Kwabs has released a single. Perfect Ruin is a heart-wrenching ballad, heaving with bewilderment and sadness and showcasing Kwabs’ brooding baritone. That sense of melancholy is ever-present in his songs: “I love the contrast between those two sides, the light and the dark, the gloom and the hope. It’s a necessary part of life for both things to be there.”
Described as being able to transition seamlessly between music genres, it remains to be heard what sounds the album will comprise of, but for Kwabs, that’s part of the journey: “Any style of music is on the table.”
Having studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and with connections like Austrian producer SOHN (who produced the haunting, futuristic gospel-soul of Last Stand), we think BBC has pretty much got it right – Kwabs is one to watch in 2015. He’s apparently pretty excited too: “There’s gonna be an album… This is crazy…”
Crazy awesome, Kwabs. We’ve bookmarked 18 May.
Check out the inimitable Kwabs on Walk: