At just 20 years old, North-West London hailing musician Kamal. is on a rapid trajectory. A multi-instrumentalist, Kamal. is Ivor Novello-award nominated, has collaborated with Dave, and amassed an awe-inspiring 250 million streams.
On the horizon is his newly announced ‘so here you are, drowning’ mixtape- which is set for release on March 17, 2023 - Kamal. shares his second offering from the forthcoming project - an addictive and emotion-riddled cut titled “Free Flow”.
Accompanied by a Tyrus-directed visual that sees Kamal. receiving numerous lyrical stick and poke tattoos, new single “Free Flow” muses on the extreme emotion you feel when you first start dating someone; wondering where you stand, painting a picture of yourself, laying yourself bare. Kamal explains:
“Free Flow” is a reflection on extremes in the early stages of a relationship; delicately positioned between excessive displays of adoration and deep insecurity. The video's depiction of stick & poke tattoos is a symbol of this intensity, and its permanent effects.”
Earlier this year, Kamal shared “essential”, the first track from the forthcoming mixtape and his fastest streaming song to date, currently at 800K streams in just three weeks. Produced by J Moon, the single was tinged with Kamal.’s usual romantic sentiment; however it focused on the ending of a deep love - a love that you thought was essential.
Kamal.’s new music is a lyrical development from last year’s “nowhere to hide”- an addictive sonic with a poignant lyricism that spoke on the notions of materialism and fulfillment. Kamal. after taking some time out to write music and focus on his craft, has reached his 2.0 era. ‘so here you are, drowning’ is the result of almost two years of writing and documenting the specific feeling of trying to stay afloat; the tensions between codependency and martyrdom in a relationship, and ultimately drowning in it all. It’s title was inspired by Caleb Azumah Nelson’s phenomenal novel ‘Open Water.’
Kamal.’s music chronicles both the highs and lows of life. His lyrical content spans romantic relationships, the seclusion of your own mind, the repetitive, the mundane, and even derealisation and anxiety. Often relating to the more complicated yet familiar feelings, Kamal.’s lyrics have the ability to hold the listener’s hand through shared experience. He is a truly exceptional storyteller.
Whilst the new music is a developed sound from Kamal., it also weaves a cohesive thread with his back-catalogue. Kamal.’s music has always been a dose of sweet honey vocals, offered on a sharp knife of realism and honesty, and since his highly anticipated debut EP ‘war outside’ at the end of 2021, Kamal.’s new music has followed seamlessly in the footsteps of previous offerings, including the ethereal cliff-top soaring single “lose”, Billie Eilish endorsed “blue”, fan favorite “homebody”, and of course, the Top-40 single “Mercury”, his collaboration with Brit Award winning rapper Dave.
Kamal. was always destined to be a musician. A skilled pianist, his early influences were found in the likes of Maxwell, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Bill Withers. Formulating his own sound, he first began to compose tracks to his ukulele and in 2019, uploaded his first recorded song -“smilingdownthephone” on soundcloud. Since then, he hasn’t looked back - garnering co-signs from the likes of NME, British GQ, British Vogue, i-D, Dazed and more.
The voice of a generation, Kamal. moves with the vision and presence of someone much older than his years. A truly unique artist, his innate musical talent has placed him firmly on the map.