Following the release of this third studio album, This Is What I Mean, U.K. rap star Stormzy has sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an exclusive interview on what the future holds for the 29-year-old musician.
After much anticipation, Stormzy’s latest album dropped last week. He kicked off the album campaign with the no-holds-back “Mel Made Me Do It” visual, which, unfortunately, doesn’t feature on the album. Soon after, Big Mike dropped “Hide & Seek,” the album leading single that taps into past romantic affairs and his rocky relationship with unrequited love.
However, since joining the 0207 Def Jam family — the label fellow rapper Wretch 32 is Creative Director of — Stormzy has expanded on a lot of the gospel, and heartfelt feelings that were explored in his past two albums. The latter mainly focuses on Black excellence and how those of color are represented in the media. But along with this, he also deep dives into the ton of expectation that has been left on his shoulders, and what he intends to do to stand up for what he believes in.
This Is What I Mean as a whole is also a very low-tempo record, something different to the two previous LPs — with the last albums featuring hard-hitting and club-ready tracks such as “Wiley Flow” and “Big For Your Boots.”
But, with this in mind, Stormzy’s exclusive chat with Zane Lowe breaks down why this is the case, along with what the future holds for him as a musician. Furthermore, Stormz also comments on the physical and mental strain it takes for him to make music and how he doesn’t think he will be able to do it forever. Speaking to Zane Lowe, Stormzy said:
“What it takes for me to make an album is so emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing that it’s unsustainable. So every time I go to make an album, I’m going to get in this hole of depression, overwhelmingness, and pressure.”
You can watch the full interview with Stormzy and Zane Lowe above and in other news, listen to Stormzy’s new album in full.
Tagged: entertainment blog, music, music blog, UK