More about: Psykhi

With a great ear for melody, a fresh sound that splices up hip-hop cadences with grunge rock instrumentation, and naming Robert Smith of The Cure as his dream collaborator—21 year old Psykhi is an artist fit for our miscellaneous modern age.

A Ghanian upbringing and a move to London in his teens might be one of a few reasons why the artist, whose name stems from his desire to “be synonymous with psychedelia and the human psyche” has a natural tendency and eagerness to play around with established genres. 

Having heard highlife and gospel from a young age around his village in Ghana, to then being exposed to more modern pop and rock sounds courtesy of living now in the English capital city, there are elements of all of those important early experiences in his recent singles “White Picket Fences” “Rat Poison” and “See Me Clearly”. He adds “My mother taught me religious songs, that placed an emphasis on raising the soul. When I moved to London, I listened to the most popular songs, what was on the radio; I can see both reflected in my music now.”

Keen to have a hand in all aspects of his creative representation, he explains “I want my visuals to provoke thought among my audience and an artist I feel it’s important to interested in all forms of art” adding that “Inspiration can come from anywhere!”

“I was and still am on a mission to create my own world of sound” he simplifies, when speaking of the double-edged sword of the streaming generation. The cost of having an infinite library of music available at the touch of screen is the danger of diluting by overexposure, and he feels more comfortable trusting influences closer to a personal experience “Streaming has definitely enabled us to explore music like never before, however there is so much noise, so many new sounds and so I try and let my subconscious take over and hear things through friends and word of mouth”.

The three aforementioned singles will form part of his upcoming EP Youth, to which Psykhi explains he can’t wait for it be playable from start to finish, along with two unreleased tracks and a cover of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”, and will be released by Globe Town Records

Issue Two of the Gigwise Print magazine is on sale now! Buy it here.

More about: Psykhi