10 Questions with Novelist
They say it’s all in a name, and when it comes down to Novelist, it seems that’s true: the Lewisham born-and-bred MC’s power lies in his words. Innovating grime for his own tastes, he won’t be put in a genre box now: his influences range from the Pet Shop Boys to Japanese jazz and his deep appreciation for the diversity of music shines through all that he creates. Dropping his new album, Novelist Guy, it was self-written, self-produced and self-released: a literal bedroom project, is exemplifies Novelist’s raw talent and understanding of music.
Keeping his lyrics strong and his messages clear, the album exemplifies just what he stands for, and that message is at its clearest in ‘Don’t Kill the Mandem’: a track commanding the end of gang violence and police brutality against black people, speaking to young men and the authorities alike. A Labour Party member and supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Novelist has spoken out on Twitter and in an essay to endorse the Labour leader, writing “the mandem need you” and that “Corbyn possesses a sense of decency that I rarely see in politicians…He doesn’t try to confuse the general public – he connects with them.” And that’s just what Novelist does with his music: using his platform for good and his words for unity, he’s just the voice we need right now. We catch up with
How would you describe your music in three words?
From the heart.
Who’s your greatest influence?
Jesus Christ!
Who’s the last person you called?
My mum – my manager innit.
What did you talk about?
We were talking about modelling and dreams… having dreams.
What’s one album you couldn’t live without?
I think it would have to be my own [laughs] I literally couldn’t live without that one. There’s so much music out there and I’m a musician so I may as well say mine because I wouldn’t be the same guy I am today if I hadn’t had dropped that album.
What’s one item of clothing you couldn’t live without?
A simple tracksuit, you know what I mean?
What can we expect from your show at Lovebox?
Rhymes! Straight Rhymes! It’ll be the first time I’ve played a UK festival with the songs from my album. It’ll be cool to see who’s listening to it and responding to it – I wanna see the reaction from people in my home town. When it comes to being at home: it’s where it all started.
What does London mean to you?
London is a really up and down place, it’s got so many different towns in it. For me London is like a sporadic place man, anything can happen: anything really bad or really good.
What does music mean to you?
It’s an important thing because it’s one of the greatest catalysts of change in the world. People can contemplate lyrics and how it sounds and is so important when getting a message out.
Finally, what’s next from you?
Much more expression of art. Not just in music but in lots of different things. I’m working on a couple of different things. I’m really looking forward to saying what I wanna say with my art.
Novelist’s debut album ‘Novelist Guy’ is out now. Follow Novelist on Instagram here and Twitter here. Novelist plays Lovebox on Saturday 14th July 2018. Get tickets here.
