After his previously shared single 'Young Professional' garnered huge support across Spotify and at BBC Introducing upon its release, London-based artist and producer Joe Khalique-Brown aka J.K.B looks to continue his upward ascent as he delivers the dreamy new effort 'RUN'.
Capturing more of that warm and vibrant indie-pop direction he is known for, 'RUN' makes for a wonderfully sweet and breezy listen. Channelling the same woozy textures as acts like King Krule, his newest delight cements him as a brilliantly alluring name on the rise right now.
So with the new single available to stream now, we say down with him to find out more about his background and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I would have to say the guitar - I played the piano and the sax from when I was a kid, but the guitar was the first thing I taught myself. I was really into guitar music when I was about 12/13 and I just got obsessed, I’d play for hours every night after school.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Probably an unexpected one here, but I was really into metal! I still love some of it, Wait And Bleed by Slipknot is one of my all time favourite songs.
Other than that I was always really into electronic music, I discovered Daft Punk when Kanye sampled them for Stronger and that kicked off a lifelong love affair.
I first got into hip-hop in Year 9 — someone showed me Triumph by Wu-Tang and it blew my mind, the opening verse is just insane and I’d never seen anything like the music video before.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Tough one! I definitely had a CD by The Automatic, who were an indie band in the 00’s who had that song Monster… apart from that, I know for a fact the first song I bought on iTunes was Crank That by Soulja Boy, a certified hood classic right there.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
There are quite a few songs where I just think, “how the fuck did a human being write this?”, so it would have to be one of those… I’m gonna go with A Day In The Life by The Beatles. Or Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Or Revolution 1.
I’m a John Lennon fanboy, what can I say.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Definitely. I don’t really “try” to make music in the strictest sense, it’s more like I try to get myself into the zone and then the music just comes out.
To get myself in the zone, I try to be around people, spend time in nature, play guitar just for the sake of it, try new things, meditate, reflect on life… basically just trying to be in the present moment as much as I can. I find that if I do that, the music comes out when it needs to.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I really like SAULT at the moment, super funky and they just have that Black church music vibe nailed. I also love Wesley Joseph, love his overall vibe and MONSOON is such a banger. I actually met his mum at a soul night in Birmingham and she showed me his stuff!
My favourite band at the moment is Chappaqua Wrestling - I went to uni with one of the lads and I’ve been a big big fan since. It’s insane to me that they aren’t the biggest band in the UK at the moment.
Also been banging a lot of Ninioh (favourite Brum rapper) in the gym.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
I know Peace are doing a tour this year, and it would be crazy to support them in Brum for their homecoming gig - they were the biggest thing in my life when I was 16 so that would be a sick full circle moment.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
It can be easy to get caught up in wanting to blow up/make it/make a living from music, but ultimately just connecting meaningfully with one listener is the biggest reward I could ask for.
I also find it quite jokes when people come to see me play live, and say to me afterwards, “yo, you were actually good”. A lot of people don’t expect much from seeing some random unsigned artist play in the back of a pub.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I hate waiting around on the day of a gig. When I’ve been preparing for ages, I just wanna get on stage - driving all the gear to the venue is hella stressful, especially in London, I thought driving in Birmingham was bad, but this city is on another level!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Yeezy - “I don’t take advice from people less successful than me”.
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J.K.B's new single 'RUN' is available to stream now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.