More about: Joel Culpepper

The latest soul-funk musical release from Joel Culpepper is, as ever, raw, delicate and compelling. ‘Poetic Justice’ is the newest addition to the long-awaited forthcoming album Sgt Culpepper by Southeast London’s Joel Culpepper, who in his calm yet assertive voice tells us he's “been overwhelmed with some of the feedback” for the track.

Released on 13 January, ‘Poetic Justice’ was written last year before the coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise, with the mix and master finished during lockdown. Nu-jazz musician and fellow Londoner Tom Misch infused his characteristic production style into the track. “I’ve been a friend of Tom’s now for just over a year,” says Joel, "We came together on this after I laid down some backing vocals for Tidal Wave on What Kind of Music. His musicality and what I was humming was pretty instant.”

One of the most interesting aspects about ‘Poetic Justice’ is how Joel compressed the meaning of the song into such a specific and evocative title. “There’s a few reasons,” says Joel when we ask him why he chose that name. “I felt like the tune was to do with the fact that sometimes justice comes in a form of poetry. Especially in certain relationships, you can’t really see the reasons why certain things happen or relationships don’t work at that time. But then in hindsight you’ll be able to have that sort of clarity and I think some of the lessons that you learn from those relationships and those experiences ironically shape who you are.”

For the visuals, Joel joined forces with Julian Knox – also known as Julianknxx – the poet, artist and director who pieced together the autumnal, seventies-inspired shots creating an impactful effect. The colourful yet soulful sequences mirror Joel’s alluring vocals to perfection in a hypnotising pairing that culminates in lyrics of heartbreak and hope. “I saw a video that he directed called IN PRAISE OF STILL BOYS and it was just shot beautifully and I wanted to work with him and he heard the music and was into it,” Joel tells us of the Sierra Leonean artist.

All told, the 'Poetic Justice' release alone shows just how Joel Culpepper works. That is: as a visionary and perfectionist. "I wanna get better" he sings on the single, referring to relationships but highlighting a clear aspect of this artist's way of working.

And now, with his sights set on the future, Joel longs for the day he is back on a stage with “the energy and transference among yourself and the crowd”. While live shows may take a while to return, the singer-songwriter already has someone in mind for a potential collaboration. “I would love to work with Alfa Mist, I think we'd come up with something cool,” he says. “I love the production of knowledge and Dave Okumu too.”

Joel, whose hit song ‘Woman’ has reached more than 3.5m streams on Spotify, says he has “a few” projects in works: “I just can't mention them all just yet!" But first: his debut album arriving this summer: a release that looks to be an amalgamation of his neo-soul leanings and a bold first statement from an artist you shouldn't take your eyes off. 

More about: Joel Culpepper