New Wave Magazine Issue X by New Wave Magazine

FOUNDER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Derrick Odafi

FASHION DIRECTOR Jessica Rushforth

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS

CURATION & PRODUCTION

Lewis Robinson Yaqine Hamzaoui Cameron Ugbodu

New Wave Studios

FEATURED MODELS

MUSIC EDITOR (s)

Raquel Quitirna Ruben Madelon Sabrina Williams Monique Newman Dani Sousa

Sophia Hill PJ Somervelle

FASHION EDITOR Charlene Foreman

MAKE UP ARTISTS

WRITERS

Blessing Kambanga Lauren Webster Rhian Webster Mandy Lubasa Tamara Gocharenko Naomi Waku Jazz Khalifa

Sophia Hill PJ Somervelle Charlene Foreman Blessing Borode Olive Oberoi Sam Wootton Fatima Sheekhuna Hiba Hassan Keisha Asamoah Shenead Poroosotum Coraly Langue

HAIR STYLISTS Rhian Webster Laura Kourouma The Golden Giraffe Ashley Lee Pereko Makgothi Samantha Russell

PHOTOGRAPHY Cal Mcintryre Ray Napoles Kemka Ajoku Lewis Robinson Diego Chacon Martinez Chris Lee Cameron Ugbodu Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle

SET DESIGNERS Charlotte Loon Rita Ade Lucy Ann-Fraser Sophia Mpana

STYLISTS

SPECIAL THANKS

Symone Keisha Malcolm Yaeng Imy Moore Paola Maniglio Kate Housh Lyncia Froidmont Amanda Breukink Eva Betonville Sara Luna Johanna Sen Tian Millie Duyile Gloria Iyare

AIX Capital Grace Zadi Sean Van Echelpoel Demi Bailey-Paul Themis Gkiosasi Shorayi Mauluka John Serunjogi Oana Ancuta Briciu Santino Gomez

ASSISTANTS

MCQ

ADS

Sami Zubri Lyncia Froidmont (Styling) Amanda Breukink (Styling) Eva Betonville (Styling) Naomi Bruintjes (Styling) Tyler Pennington Vernetta Chukwu (Set Design) Miatta Coomber (Styling) Joy Appiah (Styling) Peter Phan (Styling) Tameisha Edwards Astride Migan Joy Appiah (Styling)

COMMERCIAL DIRECTORS Roberto Rudie Olga Kublik

FINANCE OFFICERS Dr. Jack Darby Harbinder Sigh

CONTACTS CREATIVE PRODUCERS

info@newwavemagazine.com London, United Kingdom

Dalila Morais Aki Alles Alyshia Carmen Christian Long

PARTNERSHIPS CONTACT roberto@newwavemagazine.com olga@newwavemagazine.com

COVER Creative Director - Derrick Odafi Photographer - Kemka Ajoku Stylist - Symone Keisha Stlylist Assistant - Miatta Coomber MUA - Blessing Kambanga Set Designer - Sofia Mpana Set Designer Assistant - Vernetta Chukwu Production - New Wave Studios BTS - Tameisha Edwards

SOCIALS Instagram: @nwavemagazine Twitter: @nwmagazine Facebook: New Wave Magazine Spotify: Newwavemag

WEBSITE newwavemagazine.com

CONTENTS 01 Shaquillie-Aaron Keith 02 Ray’s Corrupted Mind 03 Raleigh Ritchie - Cover Story 04 Independence Editorial 05 Roy Woods - Cover Story 06 Portraits 19 Editorial 07 Gabriel Moses 08 Omah Lay - Cover Story 09 Henock Sileshi 10 Architecture Journal 11 Rimon 12 Distortedly Editorial 13 The Art Of Indie Films 14 Dreamer Editorial

EDITOR’S LETTER

The significance of the number 10 has been prominent in our daily lives since the beginning of time. The number marks the turn of a new decade and in some senses a transitional period. During the production of our 10th issue of New Wave Magazine, we wanted the outcome to exemplify our roots as a creative platform. Close to the completion of this issue, I took the time out to understand the significance of the number 10 and why it felt right to use Independence as a theme. Delving into the numerology of the first double-digit number, it’s meaning symbolises: An independent person with enormous potential. This number helps in bringing projects to completion. The number 10 is comfortable with being alone (like the number 1), and it recognizes the need for individualism while being part of the whole. The number 10s reminds you to be aware of moments where you might exclude others or assume their ways are best. This description validated our direction for this issue in an almost ethereal way, as though it was meant to happen, orchestrated by the deepest part of our subconscious. The word independence is extremely important to us as we take great pride in our DIY attitude that many creatives and our audience identify with. For this issue, we thought big and trusted ourselves as a team to produce our most exciting issue to date, from conversations with the multitalented Shaquille Keith about his independent style of art to discussions with Brockhampton Art Director Henock Sileshi about his love for grime. On this issue we also get a breakdown of films from the amazing early career of Director Gabriel Moses, With each individual, we tried to explore our theme from a level of craftsmanship as well as a personal perspective. Our cover features for this issue are another example of the alignment of our theme. Featuring Raleigh Ritchie, also known as ‘Jacob Anderson...or Grey Worm to the Game Of Thrones fanatics, our deputy editor PJ has an open conversation with the multidisciplinary artist about how he finds freedom through music, what he aims to convey with each character he portrays on screen and his thoughts on the age-old battle between signing to a label or staying independent in the music industry. Another exciting cover feature we present to you is the rapidly rising Afrobeats star Omah Lay. After going through various heights in the past year, our journalist Blessing Borode spoke to him about his early beginnings, writing poetry, his breakout EP ‘Get Layd’, and what independence means to him. Last but most definitely not least we had the pleasure of featuring the extremely talented crooner Roy Woods for our 10th issue. The OVO UTU star has been a feature in my personal playlist for years and our first creative project produced in the city of LA. For this story our Music Editor Sophia Hill spoke to Roy in a fluid conversation about always wanting to be better musically, developing himself into a business mind and his musical collective for undiscovered talent. Unlock The Underground. The creation of this issue has been an amazing journey that has brought us new experiences and lessons, both in our conversations with the talents featured and our relationship with our amazing team/audience. The shoots we produced for this issue are also an example of our interdependence on the amazing talents we aim to push on our platform, from photographers all over the world to stylists, Makeup Artists, Hair Stylists, Set Designer, and much more. We thank you for making this possible. As you read these articles and take references from the editorials featured, please take the time to evaluate what the word independence means to you and how it applies to your daily life. Derrick Odafi Founder / Editor-In-Chief

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Derrick Odaf PHOTOGRAPHER Lewis Robinson STYLIST Chanel Baker CREATIVE PRODUCER Alyshia Carmen MUA Blessing Kambanga

The term ‘creative powerhouse’ may well apply to Shaquille Aaron Keith. Maybe it’s too aggressive though, too chaotic. ‘Polymath’ feels more gentle - Shaq probes in uncharted directions and pushes upon his hinged strengths; never too hard and never without exercising his taste before opening a door. Shaq’s purposeful in his practice. We sit down with him in his studio. Rising from venture to venture, the creative spaces filled by the man before me have been, and continue to be, sparkling and brimming with energy. Many are familiar with at least one facet of his work- be it his styling, art, poetry, film, or all multicoloured areas in-between- Shaquille Keith appears to have dipped a toe or two in a kaleidoscopic pool of adjacent art forms. But standing well, and observing his own reflection, Shaquille’s practise is always pulled from within. Shaquille knows himself, and to know oneself so wholly is a rarity. If one were to chronicle his creative journey, it’s tempting to start at PAQ. In galvanising a pre-Tik-Tok entranced youth from London to LA, the online web series sought to, and succeeded in, bringing all strata of a seemingly gatekept fashion sphere into our living rooms. I’d go further back, though. As we chat to the deeply introspective young man before us, a picture begins to form of Shaquille, or his artistic journey, as a collection of tales. He’s a natural orator. Stories of his hugely inspirational Mum, or a particularly impassioned lecturer at Westminster University, or the proximity of his friends’ studios to his own all feed into his work.

WORDS BY Sam Wootton

There’s so much African art in my household. All of this came organically Since PAQ, Shaquille has spun a web of work that bridges the spaces between art, fashion and music. You need only look at his recent collaboration with Prada fragrances, Calvin Klein or his credits on a shoot for Pa Salieu to understand the assignment here. To label Shaquille as something singular would be to do him, and his work, a disservice; he evades description in the most beautiful and enigmatic sense. His demeanour is warm, his words are poetic and his curiosity is always at the helm. So he’s more than meets the eye, in the most literal sense. The ear is equally as important. Shaquille explains that he constructs his creative practice as a metaphorical jar. His paintings may be golf balls, filling this jar. One may look at said jar and suggest that it’s full. But wait! His poetry may be sand, which he adds to the jar, filling the small spaces around the golf balls. One, again, may say that it’s full. They’d be wrong! His film and fashion work may be water which he adds to the jar, finally sealing up all spaces that were once open. These spaces, Shaquille suggests, are room for miscommunication. In such a varied harvest, those who don’t like apples instead can enjoy pears. In viewing all the forms of Shaquille’s work in tandem, we see true inclusivity, and a drive for connection with the viewer/ reader/ listener.

The jar may soon need upgrading into a duffle bag, though. What’s the biggest Telfar you can buy? Shaquille mentions that he would love to animate his own film, working with his friends on the score. We don’t doubt for a second that Shaquille’s interdisciplinary nature is partly fuelled by the taste with which he organises his life. During the course of our chat he quotes endless inspirations, from Mario Kart to Francis Bacon to Keri James Marshall; a life curated is a life that constantly serves to inspire. Shaquille is no stranger to taking a step back. His London isn’t like the London of his age-mates. In fact, it’s a world that looks back at him, a mirror that allows him to view himself in new and challenging angles. Funnily enough, Shaquille used to run at a radio station’s running club, now known as Tempo. Shaquille in those rainy East-end evenings of 2018 all feature the same image. He’d set off running as a group, paces often differed; but at the front of the group, every time, running as if his life depended on it, with tech fleece and determination, was Shaquille Aaron Keith. Unceasing. Always pushing on. His work appears to follow a similar path. Inspiring is an understatement.

Photographer RAYSCORRUPTEDMIND posesses a natural cascade toward independence, which was something that came to define his journey through adolescence and into young adulthood. Having referred to himself as an ‘oddball’, Ray distinctively stood out from the crowd from his rural state of Allentown, USA, before he moved to the dazzling city of New York where he could finally express himself in all creative ways he desired. From picking up a camera on a whim, Ray fell into the world of photography almost instantly. Starting off by taking photos of his friends, he rapidly progressed to shooting the world’s leading Hip-Hop artists, prestigious personalities, and designer brands. His selftaught capabilities started off by posting his work on the internet, where he gained attention on social media pages, more so for his inspirational captions which brought him a cult following. Surely enough, it trickled down into him establishing a solid relationship with Harlem heavyweight and awe-inspiring stylist Bloody Osiris who found that they were both oozing a heavy desire to grind, be as influential as possible and show the world what they’re made of. This diligent seed was sown in a rich soil, as Ray was soon caught by the eye of the phenomenal Hip-Hop rapper Travis Scott whom he now acts as his personal photographer but also close friend. Not only did this move mark the beginning of Ray’s remarkable journey to where he is today, but Ray was able to fully submerge himself within the heavily creative and influential New York scene where he blossomed into his most authentic self.

But one thing about Ray that shone through his quirky personality and yearning for producing some of the highest calibre of photography we’ve ever seen, was his voracious devotion in making sure the younger generation could relate as much as possible to his work. With his photography style relatively simple, he strives to make his work something that children can take inspiration from rather than think they could never achieve a similar result or couldn’t follow an aspiration if it seemed out of reach. His photography style is relatively simple, he strives to make his work something that the youth can take inspiration from rather than think they could never achieve a similar result. Working with reputable brand names within the industry such as Apple, Nike, shooting his first magazine cover and with plans to one day hold a searing, enthralling exhibition, Ray has unwaveringly constructed his style, essence and trademark technique of photography to an unparalleled level that has enriched what it means to capture our favourite figures in their prime moments. There aren’t many moments when we sit down with the talents behind the scenes, so here we are, taking a look inside Ray’s corrupted mind.

WORDS By Shenead Poroosotum

PHOTOGRAPHER Chris Lee

I DIDN’T KNOW ANYBODY TO PRACTICE ON. SO, I JUST SAT IN MY ROOM FOR HOURS AND SHOT MY HANDS

NW: Hi Ray! For starters, tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from R: I’m from Allentown, Pennsylvania. It’s a really small town and I lived there my whole life until I was 18. Growing up, I was kind of the oddball of the family, I didn’t like school and my siblings were all straight-A students and stuff. I didn’t really like school too much, so I never really went. My mom used to be super heavy on them, to get good grades, but I would be bringing back bad grades and she wouldn’t really flip out on me, so then I used to just skip school. Then my mom was like “if we move to New York you have to finish school” so I was like “yeah I got you for sure” but I knew I wasn’t going to do it, I just said it cause I knew I needed to be somewhere rather than where I was. I dropped out of high school and moved to New York, I got myself a camera and then I used to just sit in my room in New York and really just take photos of my hands to learn how to really use a camera, learn lighting and stuff like that. So, I really just selftaught myself in my room because I didn’t know anybody here because I just moved out of there out of nowhere, I didn’t know anybody to practice on. So, I just sat in my room for hours and shot my hands and stuff like that, then once I felt like I got a little more comfortable with highlighting everything like that I started going outside and just shooting my friends that I met. It just went on from there. NW: When you got the camera did you buy it because it was something you always wanted to do or did you just buy it on a whim? R: No, growing up I didn’t even know anything about photography. One day I was with one of my homies and we were going to a friend’s house, and he had a camera in his car. This was back in Allentown. I was like “Yo, let me see your camera real quick.” and then I took a photo of my friend, and I have never gotten that feeling of satisfaction until I took that photo. I never got that feeling with anything in life, so right then and there I knew like; this is something I actually want to do, I get enjoyment out of this. So, it kind of clicked in right there.

NW: Did you feel like it was something that you were good at, as well as finally something you could enjoy? R: I’m not going to lie; I can still picture the exact photo I took. I know the exact flats. When I first took it even my friend was like “Oh shit, like this is actually a really good photo!”. It looked cool so I was like should I probably really do this shit. NW: Obviously you started putting your photography on social media, how did you feel that some momentum was being built around your page and that you were getting noticed? R: I was posting photos on the Internet and stuff like that, and people were liking them but what I used to do when I posted photos was post quotes and that was kind of getting more where my following was coming from. People were messaging me like “Yo bro you inspire me, you get me going through the days with the words you say” and stuff like that. Then I started shooting one of my closest friends till this day, Bloody Osiris. I was just shooting with him and we were just shooting shit that we just wanted to shoot, that we feel like should be seen and should be out there that’s not out there yet. When I started doing that, a lot of people started hitting us up to bring our style into their stuff and things like that, that’s when I started getting contacted by like artists stuff to start shooting with them and just bringing my vision to theirs. NW: What was it that you saw in Bloody Osiris that made you want to shoot with him? R: The funny part is when I moved to New York and first met Bloody, I didn’t like him. I thought he was cocky. I was like, ‘Yo, this kid is super cocky and stuck up’, stuff like that. But then I think we hung out for like a full day and connected with him. When we all hung out in a group, we were kind of looked at as the oddballs. We were never involved in the plans they were doing. So, I remember it was on New Year’s, me and Bloody were just walking in New York and we were like “Fuck this, everybody’s always overlooking us… Let’s just take over this shit. Just keep going out, me and you. We just gonna make everybody really sees what we’re capable of.” It’s kind of weird how we’re both connected. We’re both underdogs and we knew that we could make it so that top-level, so that’s kind of where the bond was. We both just had that hunger to just keep going for it, that’s the main reason we carried on grinding out.

You’ve all heard of stories like David against Goliath. The smalltime lawyer against the insidious injustice of corporations. Booming business suffocating independent sparks. Sometimes it’s just us against our own demons or the expectations of others. Audiences love cheering for the underdog and love a good drama, but the truth is, more and more creatives are taking the reigns of their own destiny and becoming giants in their own right. One such intrepid hero is actor, artist, writer and director: Jacob Anderson, Raleigh Ritchie’s alter-ego. Or is it the other way round? Over the last 10 years, both Raleigh Ritchie (the artist) and Jacob Anderson (the person) have grown and developed into someone who clearly knows what he wants and how to deliver it. To divide the sum of his parts would be a farce, as each song he writes and character he plays adds a line of script to his living tapestry. Recently, New Wave Magazine had the pleasure of sitting down with Jacob and discussing what ‘independence’ means to him, fatherhood, finding meaning in anything he does and realising just how far his own art can affect someone.

WORDS BY PJ Somervelle

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Derrick Odafi, Jessica Rushforth PHOTOGRAPHER Cal McIntyre SET DESIGNER Charlotte Loon SET DESIGNER ASST. Maria Alpha STYLIST Malcolm Yaeng MUA Blessing Kambanga GAFFER Lighting by Joe CREATIVE PRODUCTION New Wave Studios BARBER Theo Agyeman UK PA+BTS Sami Zubri

Jumper: Song For The Mute Trousers: Carhartt Shoes: Reebok

NW: We know film and music have been a big part of your life, have you been working on lots of different things recently? RR: Yeah, I’ve been like developing stuff this year. There’s a short that I wrote, that we’re going in for funding at the moment. It’s biographical but in the most me way. It’s about space but also about being a child with mental illness. Working on ideas for TV shows and stuff. There’s been a lot of stuff that I’ve been working on. I’m a bit of a noodler, I like writing down as much as I possibly can…. I like to work on it in quite an unstructured way. I might think about something for a year and then write it out in a week. NW: What does the term ‘noodling’ mean? RR: It’s like a musical term. Kind of, I approach music in the same way. Like I wouldn’t spend more than a day in the actually songwriting but I will spend the whole day trying things out and then we might take a year to finish it! Just get it all down and then mess about with it for a year. NW: What traits do you feel you want to convey in the characters you play on screen? Do you borrow any from Raleigh Ritchie? RR: Hopefully, there’s truth in all the characters I play. I hope that I convey truth in something real and honest in everything that I do... There’s somewhere in between those characters that is me, people don’t want to admit it but you’re playing a version of yourself, you can’t help it. It goes into every character you play. RR: Raleigh Ritchie is like the depth of my brain, well not the entire depth. It’s the extent of my brain that I’m willing to explore and talk about. Raleigh Ritchie is more me than me, it’s the best way to put that. I’m not acting when I make music. It’s probably the most true and honest version of myself that I have access to.

NW: Your music comes from a very soulful and emotional place, and you mentioned mental health before in your work. Do you feel that as you’ve become older and more confident in yourself you’ve been able to express those feelings better? RR: ‘Yeah, I think I’ve learned as I got older that the only way to exorcise these things is by saying them out loud. Like “this is what I’m going through”, it really releases something. I think I have found it easier as I’ve gotten older. I used to hide a lot more in metaphors and stuff. Now I feel like I can have more fun with it, how I talk about it and approach it. The truth is just below the surface. I don’t normally think about it (except in interviews), because that’s just how I write.’ NW: When you hear the word “independence”, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? RR: “Freedom” is the first word that comes to mind, I have quite a strange relationship with independence. You can be independently minded and then you can work in a situation where you have to do everything by committee and that can really kill the energy. Or you can be independently minded and work in a team where you all work towards the same goal. You’re independent but it’s collaborative. Working with Chris Loco on “Andy”, Chad Edwards (he’s an amazing keys player) and my band. We all worked on the album together, we were all working towards this one goal. Adding bits of ourselves to it. That felt like a really independent process but we were working as a team. You find like-minded people and you do it together. NW: It’s like when you feel safest with the people around you, that’s when you can be most free? RR: And it’s a mindset as well. I remember people were going in on a particular rapper for calling himself an independent artist (and he was backed by a major label)… but the point was that the thought process behind making the album was independently minded, it’s just he found somebody to fund it. I think people can get caught up a little bit in the label of “independence” and being like, there’s a bit of an underdog thing, as humans we think people are a lot more worthy if they are underdogs. Like the journey from nothing to something is really inspiring. But it’s also hard to keep that energy, and you have to like, I don’t know.

My band, we all worked on the album together, we were all working towards this one goal.

Jumper: John Lawrence Sullivan Top: Stylist’s own Trousers: COS

FASHION EDITORIAL

MM6 MAISON MARGIELA, T LABEL, SANDRO

The idea of independence in Fashion is expressing the ability to embrace the freedom to produce whatever comes in your visions and run with it. Instead of designers repeating or revamping the same trends every season, contemporary brands such as Sandro, MM6 and T- Label are thinking outside the box and presenting something fresh in their current SS22 collections. They continue to reflect on the hardships of current times, evaluate their work and ensure to make it their goal to produce something new and unique that is present in these times. They believe in the form of self-expression like any other designer, willing to share their creativity and teach others to enjoy the freedom. Building silhouettes with an abundance of colours, fun patterns, adding into the mix of the influence of different cultures, allowing us to visualise and express their artistry throughout the globe. We introduce a mix-match of playful silhouettes including wide-leg roomy denim trousers, stylish leather jackets and trousers in a vivid bright orange shade, boxy leather black shirts and skirts, see-through skirt with lines from waist to hem, tailored black coats and blazers, cropped shiny brown bomber jackets, boxy white trousers, baby blue shirts wrapped around the waist as a skirt, loose cosy knitwear, white tops displaying a lock of hair and ripped skirt co-ord suits. The accessories finished the outfits off with nothing but gleaming stilettos with inflated detailing on the straps, revealing a playful display of footwear to complete the look.

WORDS BY Charlene Foreman

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Derrick Odafi, PHOTOGRAPHER Diego Martinez Chacon VISUAL DIRECTOR John Serunjogi STYLIST Millie Duyile STYLIST ASSISTANT Joy Appiah FASHION DIRECTOR Jessica Rushforth GAFFER Lighting by Joe MUA Blessing Kambanga HAIR STYLISTS Pereko Makgothi, Samantha Russell SET DESIGNER Rita Ade PA + BTS Sami Zubri CREATIVE PRODUCTION New Wave Studios MODELS Sabrina Williams, Monique Newman

To introduce abstract designer and extraordinaire Martin Margiela, an exceptional couturier with multiple talents conveying his passion and loves nothing more than displaying his flair to his audience. The last years of the 1980s was an exciting time for the designer. It was the moment his eponymous couture house took centre stage to start its fashion journey. As time went on, Margiela prevailed as one of the most exciting Belgian fashion designers to watch. A designer who is ahead of his time. With an impressive design team at the helm of the couture house, titled Maison Margiela showing their ambition and determination for the brand, they continue to keep the company heritage alive that Martin Margiela instilled from the beginning. In 1997, the MM6 line for women was established and portrayed more of a casual and street influence in their creations. Streetwear takes a fresh look, combined with the couture house approach to the Maison Margiela side. From here, they continue to offer the ultimate luxury proposition. Providing consumers with casual, modern staples combined with a distinctive use of fabrics with compelling graphic prints, comfortable sportswear, eye-catching sneakers and geometric shapes. A new fresh sense of style that stands out a mile. With the help of the Maison Margiela archive of ideas, the impeccable engineered MM6 line has led the way into a new and imaginative take to fashion for the future by making a name for itself.

With the attention of the MM6 recent SS22 Resort collection, the creative design team have a new source of inspiration to explore from the early 1920s called Cadavres Exquis. The game began with a small collective of artists such as renowned creatives Marcel Duchamp and Andre Breton. You are probably thinking to yourself, is there a trick to present? Each artist with a piece of paper, folded into four sections. They create an illustration of ideas that pops into their heads, making sure the drawings touch the fold of the second side of the paper. Then, the artists start playing a game of parcel parcel where the next artist is given a sample of the folded paper with the illustration is facing down so the next artist can begin their sketch on a fresh side. Once all the sides of the folded paper with various doddles of sketches are filled in, you then unfold the paper revealing a collective of illustrations combined in all shapes and forms, displaying an awe-inspiring presentation of the artist’s creativity coming at you as a surprise. The MM6 design team arrived with their version, calling their SS22 Resort collection - Cadavres Exquis, in honour of the renowned collective artists. To face something new and their best pieces to reality, the MM6 design collective each take their position to assemble their very own idea segment. Presenting the outcome to each other, they join forces before casting their techniques in collaboration and display an impressive imaginative collection.

Left, Monique wears Top: T Label Bodysuit: MM6 Skirt: T Label Shoes: MM6

Right, Sabrina wears Coat: Sandro Bralet: T Label Skirt: MM6 Shoes: MM6

Full looks: MM6

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Derrick Odafi, Jessica Rushforth PHOTOGRAPHER Ray Napoles STYLIST Sen Tian STYLING ASST. Peter Phan CREATIVE PRODUCERS Christian Long, New Wave Studios PROD. ASSISTANT Tyler Pennington MUA Ashley Lee STYLIST ASSISTANT Peter BTS Santino Gomez

Woods America, move over, the 6ix has something to get off its chest. Roy Woods – the promising OVO signee, born Denzel Spencer talks to New Wave some three-thousand miles away as the world eagerly awaits the arrival of his next big project. He fills us in about growing up in Canada’s suburbs, his evolution from hip hop to R&B, giving others the opportunities once given to him and we unpack how being independent has helped him map his journey in music. What is independence to Roy Woods? “Wanting to be better, wanting to be the best version of me and not seeing anybody else as competition, but myself”, he sits back and contemplates for a moment, “I mean, a lot of my fans were comfortable with the music I dropped, but I know the person that I was then, and the person that I am now and what I want for myself, what I’d like for myself, etc.” From producing his own music videos to enterprising in his growing business and musical collective Unlock The Underground. “It was a really big step for me just to see what I can do and show the world that I have a vision too,” he adds. There’s nothing mundane about his journey into music. Exis, his 2015 debut EP, saw him share with the world his tender side and a crack in the window of who Roy Woods is. In July 2016, fan-favourite Waking At Dawn was a polished example of what’s to come with Roy’s iconic mellifluous production and resonant vocals. The album was then followed by Nocturnal, and in 2017, Say Less. Roy has a tenacity for the theme of relationships. Even when he delves into those brooding tracks, his music is like a warm blanket of bedside musings. Songs like ‘Why’, where he sings “Grab my hands, don’t lose faith, I have so much in you/ I know when to give you space/ ‘Cause I know, know, know that I mess up”. Last year the active artist went on to release Dem Times, a body of work which he admits to be more of a filler than anything, “I was just locked in working in the studio every night, you know? Dem Times I just wanted to put something out because I wasn’t putting out the album yet. I wanted to have time to build, make more music, put out the album and really make it a moment.” It shows a departure from his previous work as he turns a new chapter in his career and a nod to his diversity as an artist. But this time the heightened chatter about his latest album might just overshadow everything else on the calendar. WORDS BY Sophia Hill

NW: You recently played at Edmonton and honestly, your face seemed so filled with joy. How was it to be back on stage? RW: I couldn’t wait to be back on stage, I was filled with so many emotions. There was joy, it was nervousness, excitement, it was so much just packed into one. It was all those emotions packed into one because it had been so long. It was really good to be back, seeing everybody else’s faces, them happy, them wanting a performance. Seeing their faces and stuff left me filled with so many emotions I couldn’t even comprehend. So it’s great to be back, so great. For many artists, it means a lot to be on stage. What does it mean to you to be performing live? RW: When I go on stage, I feel like an athlete – whether it’s going on the football field, the basketball court, you know... When it’s game time. That’s what it’s kind of like to me, I kind of see it differently, what’s more therapeutic for me is being in the studio writing the music, making the music, that’s more therapeutic. NW: You last performed in the UK back in 2018 on your Say Less tour. It seems like London and Toronto have a lot of similarities. We love your collaboration with UK artist Nines on Money Ain’t A Thing. RW: Yeah, that was my first time visiting London. That was my very first time. It was the best time I’ve had so far. It’s time to come back. I’ve known about Nines for time. Shout out my brother Nines. He just showed me mad love when I pulled up and likewise, he opened up for a song as well. So it was great making that connection. And I definitely want to see what else the UK has to offer, Toronto has to offer, you know and there’s this whole collaborative thing we’ve got going on, so I feel pretty excited about it all.

NW: Were you tuned-in to grime or any other UK genres growing up? RW: My older brother, he put me on to so many of these artists but damn I was so young, I don’t remember. So yeah, a little bit. That’s what we first heard of, we knew about grime music first. I can’t remember the damn names though. But we’ve been tapped in for a good while now, even since I was in high school we’ve been tapped in. So yeah, we definitely know about it [laughs]. NW: Talk to me about your year so far? It seems like you took a bit of a step back after releasing Dem Times in May last year. Was this to focus on your music? RW: Well, Dem Times I just wanted to put something out because I wasn’t putting out the album yet. So I just wanted to have time to build, make more music, put out the album and really make it a moment. I feel like it’s a moment not just for me, but for my fans as well and people who don’t know yet. So I feel like I need to really make it a moment. Give the album what it needs after being gone for so long. Dem Times is just the EP I wanted to put together for the time being and then lead into the album. I didn’t really feel like I took a break or anything. I was just locked in, working in the studio every night, you know? NW: There was also the single “Drugs ‘N Love” on valentines which came alongside some really fresh visuals. What went into the creative direction behind that video? RW: Yeah! So, my boy, The.97, and my other boy Zack, we all started together. I was a part of the direction for that video, it was the first video I’ve ever done direction for, so it was a really big step for me just to see what I can do and show the world that I have a vision too. So it was very fun being hands on on set instead of just being the artist, actually being in tune with what’s going on and making people do certain things and seeing certain things or making sure I get these shots. It was very beautiful, it was a very fun time, it’s something that I want to do and be tapped way more into because I love turning sound into visuals. I feel like it’s very beautiful. Why not? Right? So yeah, very, very fun for me.

Jacket: Mercy x Mankind T-Shirt: Elton Louie Trousers: Mercy x Mankind Shoes: Visvim Necklaces: Balenciaga, Martine Ali Rings: Balenciaga, Hatton Labs, artist’s own

Blazer: Private Policy Turtleneck: Private Policy Harness: 1017 ALYX 9SM Trousers: Private Policy Shoes: Dries Van Noten Necklaces: Balenciaga, Martine Ali Rings: Balenciaga, Hatton Labs, artist’s own

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Gloria Iyare PHOTOGRAPHER Cameron Ugbodu STYLIST Gloria Iyare MUA Blessing Kambanga ASSISTANT Astride Migan

Vest: Spencer Carroll Under garments: Stylist’s own

Dress: Thora Stefansdottir

Jacket: Isabella Smith Dress: Spencer Carroll

Jacket: Ella Douglas BodysuitThora Stefansdottir Shoes: Illia’s Little Shoebox

Bodysuit: Thora Stefansdottir Head piece: Thora Stefansdottir

The beauty and train of thought behind an artist’s work are always exhilarating. Hailing from South London, Gabriel Moses is a self-taught Photographer and Director, honing his craft from the age of 18. Since his breakthrough into the industry, he has always wanted to do things differently, first and foremost he is an artist. Exploring different cultural references under the concept of intimacy, which has transcended from his early inspirations by images of his Grandparents and Mother as a child – shaping his idea of beauty. The contrasting black and white format of such pictures encapsulated Moses, which can still be seen in the direction of his work today. Even though in present-day Hi-Def is always the most acquired, his raw, gritty stance on film and photography breaks the third wall between creator and audience.

His identity has always shaped the work he produces, in celebration of his Nigerian Heritage or upbringing in South London, he is driven by showing the world who he is, so driven that he began his journey with no training in either field but motivated by the love of his community and experiences. His narrative has also paid off in the fashion and music world, working with brands such as Off White, Beats By Dre, Adidas, Complex, and Converse, being named as a part of DAZED 100 and directed two short films - Journey To A Man Called Chuma and Heavy Crowns. He thanks his somewhat ‘childish’ mentality of never trying to overlook things, as he feels that makes an artist robotic. He looks to other photographers like the late Gordon Parks, between the 1940s-1970s that hones the theme of universal human identity and is also inspired by contemporary ballet and dance. The movement, aura, sound, and image of Gabriel Moses’ work takes the trajectory of every legendary creator, past and present. The young artist sat down with New Wave Magazine as we delve into his greatness.

WORDS BY Hiba Hassan INTERVIEW Derrick Odafi TRANSCRIPT Sophia Hill

NW: Definitely. Initially, how did you get your start in photography?

NW: Definitely, he knows all the little technical processes…

G: Okay, so photography, it hasn’t been long at all. I used to get asked to do a lot of video working with Matthew Williams. And I think at the time, I just bought a camera. And I was really interested in shooting in Polaroid. And in terms of actually shooting stuff, we would spend about a week together and ended up taking quite a few shots and that’s where I was like ‘yeah, I can do this’. And I’ve always had that confidence that if you can learn it I will learn it so I’ve gotten more comfortable with the camera really. To tell the same stories that I like to do with video and apply the same style to it.

G: So the way you can give instructions and speak and communicate can really help the process. Even in the studio, it’s the amount of time he puts into things, he’s almost obsessed with the work. And that’s really interesting to see because when you look at someone and you think they’re good you almost underestimate how hard they work. It’s nonstop and it’s little things like that that I was able to take from. With mentors, people see that someone’s work is really cool and think that the same thing is gonna transfer over to them like some sort of superpower, but it’s not. There’s a million things that go into the work that they’re able to consistently make, and those little gems that you want to take away from it.

NW: It’s interesting because it seems like a lot of people start the opposite way around. They do photography first and then get into filmmaking. So initially, filmmaking was your first entry into the creative industry... G: Exactly. It was that first. I find photography a lot easier than film. It was a seamless transition really. NW: You’ve mentioned before that someone like Jordan Hemingway was a bit of a mentor for you... Who is he and why has he been so important to your progress? G: So, Matt Williams introduced me to Jordan. I think this was about two years ago. After that we spoke for a while and he was based in London and he really liked my stuff; from there we’ve been sharing a studio together. So he’s helped me loads, he’s very good technically and he knows exactly what he’s working with, he knows exactly what he’s doing. I’ve found that once you know exactly what you’re doing, it allows you to work better with your crew. So even in terms of video, when you’re chatting to a dp, he knows how to operate the camera himself, does that make sense?

NW: Exactly, that large piece of work is a culmination of the little bits of work coming together. G: For someone to consistently do that it means that there’s a habit that they have and a way of working. So that’s the main thing. NW: Outside of filmmaking football is something really important to you as well. You’ve done a lot of films with footballers as. What are some of the things you learnt from the sport of football that still applies to your creative journey? G: Probably from playing football, I’ve always been super competitive. Even when I started this stuff, a lot of my friends were still playing football and doing really well... And I thought how can I do what I do and have that same level of excellence. So when I first stepped into this stuff I realised I don’t just want to take photos and not be really good at it or make films and not be really good at it, there’s no point in me doing it if I don’t want to eventually be one of the best so it’s that similar competitive drive from sport that I’ve put into art.

I’ve always been super competitive. Even when I started this stuff, a lot of my friends were still playing football and doing really well... And I thought how can I do what I do and have that same level of excellence.

Ijó, Directed by Gabriel Moses, Fashion Film (2021)

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Derrick Odafi PHOTOGRAPHER Kemka Ajoku GAFFER Dean Dumare STYLIST Smone Keisha STYLIST ASST. Miatta Coomber SET DESIGNER Sofia Mpana SET DESIGN ASST. Vernetta Chukwu PROD. ASSISTANT Siobhan Martin MUA Blessing Kambanga STYLIST ASSISTANT Peter BTS Tamiesha EdwardsCREATIVE PRODUCER New Wave Studios

Born and raised in Ikwerre, River State, Omah Lay rises from the same soil that nurtured the likes of Burna Boy, Lyrikal, Mr Eazi, Duncan Mighty, and Ajebo Hustlers. Bounded by political turmoil from the Niger Delta conflict to the #EndSars movement, where the abuse of power is a common trope, it’s the simple phrase ‘Afrobeats to the world’ that fuels Omah Lay’s steps. His creative output isn’t wrapped in political messages, instead, it’s the rawness and authenticity of his home soil that’s moulded the Afrofusion star to be exactly who he is today. It may seem like the River State native seemingly appeared out of nowhere but his 2020 EP Get Layd was our first proper introduction to Omah Lay’s world of romantic confessions and vivid scenarios. A poet-turned-artist, his poignant lyrics travel through a direct line from his page to our ears. Despite its suggestive title, the project isn’t a crude show of sexual proclivity, rather it’s a tender statement of his intent to love and be loved in spite of his ‘bad-boy’ nature.

Each track experiments with the idea of what Afrofusion looks like in Omah Lay’s mind; from the mellow R&B “Damn” or “Ye Ye Ye” which convulses with hypnotic guitar melodies placed over tittering trap drums. “Lo Lo” is another offering on the EP that takes inspiration from Nigeria’s golden Highlife era; a genre that was conceived before the existence of Afrobeats yet its flavourful undertones can be detected in almost every artist that erupts from Nigeria’s musical empire. However, it was the moment listeners encountered the track “Bad Influence” that rapidly catapulted Lay into the spotlight, earning him widespread acclaim. Still swayed by the lush sounds of Get Layd, we were met with another project in the same year titled What Have We Done which featured US R&B star 6LACK and further solidified Omah as one to watch. Playing his hand as both songwriter and producer, Omah’s strengths are in full bloom, now all that’s left to do is sit back and watch as he takes over the global music sphere. .

WORDS BY Blessing Borode

Coat: Jun Li Shirt: Palm Angels Trousers: Saul Nash Shoes: Dr. Martens Jewellery: Feather Pendants, artist’s own

I just go with the flow and get inspiration from different places NW: How’s it been performing and connecting with your fans in person now? OL: Yeah the feeling is something I can’t explain, this is the first time I’m touring because I blew up during the pandemic so there were no shows, it was just people listening to the songs from home but for the first time people are actually coming out. It’s a different kind of feeling, I really can’t explain it. NW: Tell us about who Omah Lay is as a person and an artist? OL: I can’t really differentiate between the Omah Lay as an artist and as a person, I think I’m just Omah Lay - that’s the best way I can describe myself. NW: You come from Ikwerre, River State in Nigeria, tell us about what growing up there was like, what was around you? OL: I grew up in Port Harcourt river state in Nigeria and the Niger Delta struggle and everything actually kind of influenced my music. Growing up I was listening to a lot of Burna Boy because he’s from my city too, I was listening to him and Drake so that made my childhood. I think all of that actually influenced who I am today - it made me become Omah Lay. NW: You currently live in Lagos but how is Port Harcourt life compared to Lagos for those unfamiliar with the city? OL: Growing up in Port Harcourt is quite different from the Lagos vibe. I talked about the whole Niger Delta struggle and that’s actually in Port Harcourt. It’s not easy growing up there but it’s a memory I want to have forever but at the same time, it wasn’t so easy. It’s a really tough place to be, trust me. Growing up there made me who I am like I said earlier, it made me Omah Lay and I really can’t explain it until you go see for yourself what port Harcourt is. It’s a beautiful city but the vibe is different from Lagos

NW: You come from a family of legendary musicians, what’s one thing that inspires you about them? OL: I come from a family where my grandad used to be a percussionist and they told me stories about him but growing up I just realised that I can make music and coupling it with the fact that my grandad was a percussionist just made perfect sense. I just go with the flow and get inspiration from different places but my grandad is definitely one of my inspirations. ‘Afrobeats to the world’ is another of my big inspirations. NW: When was the moment you felt a real connection to music? OL: There’s this song that I listened to when I was young R Kelly and Snoop Dogg ‘That’s That Shit’ that’s the title of the song. The first time I listened to that song was when I actually felt music for real and I was really young. When I heard that song it opened something. NW: Where did your love for poetry begin and how does this influence your songwriting? OL: I wrote poems professionally. Growing up I listened to a lot of rap songs, a lot of Drake, I was young but it was just me writing my thoughts and it turned out that it was poetry but it wasn’t professional writing. I was just writing lyrics, back then I didn’t know it was lyrics but I just wrote it. Somehow all those times actually helped my writing skills. NW: When you first started making music, what helped you have a better understanding of the sound you wanted to achieve? OL: I had been a music producer for a long time before I started making my own music, I know exactly what I want. I was making almost all types of music, I listened to anything that was on the internet and all that shit. It actually expanded how I see, listen and perceive music and how I create because of my time making music for other people. So whenever I get to the studio I’ve made a lot of this so I’m always looking for something new.

Jacket: Oliver Julius Ross Trousers: Palm Angels Shoes: Axel Arigato Jewellery: Cernucci, Dominic Jones, artist’s own

Shirt: Nanushka Trousers: Nanushka Shoes: Clarks Jewellery: Cernucci

NW: You produce a lot of your music, one of them being “Bad Influence” which is still a big hit right now. What inspired you to pick up production? OL: I started off as a rapper before I became a music producer and it was quite hard to get studio sessions and to get people to produce the songs that I wanted so I decided to learn music production so I could produce my own songs. At some point, I completely left the whole rap thing and I was a full-time producer but you know there was a moment in my life where I felt like ‘oh I can actually sing for real’. A lot of songs that I produce and wrote for people I didn’t get enough credit, I wanted more so I decided to pick up the pen and write my songs myself. I did the first one and people showed me love and I rode with it. NW: What has producing your own music helped you to understand about yourself as an artist? OL: I understood that I loved my space when making music, that’s one thing that producing my own songs has taught me. I love my space and I love being alone when I’m making music. NW: You put out two EPs in 2020 - Get Layd which is centered around love and relationships then What Have We Done is more introspective and in a way you’re leaning into your spirituality as you rise to fame. What kind of headspace were you in while creating Get Layd and how was it different from ‘What Have We Done’? OL: I wrote Get Layd as soon as I came to Lagos, it was me moving from my city and from being just a producer in Port Harcourt to moving to the biggest city when it comes to entertainment in Nigeria. So moving from Port Harcourt to Lagos, it was a whole different experience because the lifestyle in Lagos is different than the one in Port Harcourt. I used the be a music producer that stayed in the studio all day but coming to Lagos and becoming an artist myself- while I was writing Get Layd I just wanted to show the world that I could do it. It was a start for me, I was calm and enjoying myself, I had barely ten thousand followers on Instagram back then, I could do whatever I liked.

So I did what I did with Get Layd but going forward it was time for What Have We Done and things had really changed for me and that album was inspired by the love people showed me. with Get Layd it was too much- I wanted that but I didn’t expect it to come that fast so What Have We Done is just me thanking God and asking myself what have I really done to deserve all this love. The headspace was completely different, I had blown up and people were listening to me more, I was a superstar so I wrote Get Layd from the newfound Omah Lay which was the famous Omah Lay. NW: ‘What Have We Done’ also has a feature with 6LACK, how did you guys connect and what was it like working on this song together? OL: 6LACK, he hits me up sometimes and he loved the record so much and he wanted to jump on it and I was really excited. It was such a good moment in my life and he did it, I got the verse and it was magic! NW: Get Layd currently sits at over 70 million streams. Has your awareness of your global audience changed the way you make music? OL: Not really but because I’ve been to places I’ve never been before and I’ve seen how people livepeople live differently but at the end my route is Africa, I’m Nigerian I’m always going to make African music but recently I visited London, I had my shows and I lived there for a minute and I saw how people live and the culture so definitely I’m going to add that to my music. I’ve learnt a different culture and I want to put that in my music because now I know I have fans in London. I knew I had fans there but now I see how they live so definitely I want to put that in my music and try to make it more relatable to my fans. When I visit France, the US- it’s just me learning and improving my music, it’s not like the way I perceive or the way I make my music is going to change because people are listening, it’s just I’ve learnt a new culture and I will definitely want to infuse that in my music.

While I was writing ‘Get Layd’, I just wanted to show the world that I could do it. It was a start for me... 79

NW: How are you able to make music that resonates with people on such a global scale? OL: I just go to the studio, turn on the mic and just do whatever I feel like. My music is personal and I feel like a lot of people in the world have actually gone through a few of the things I’ve been through so when I put them in my songs I feel like it hits those people that have been through it. There’s a whole lot of people in the world that have been through it, that’s just it, I go to the studio, speak my truth and say how I feel and somehow the rest is history. NW: What emotions are you trying to evoke through your music? OL: A lot of people feel it differently and I don’t try to channel a whole feeling, I just make music and people decide how they want to feel it - if they want to be sad, if they want to dance, if they want to drink with it, my fans decide. It depends on your mood though. NW: Can you give us a breakdown of your creative process? What usually comes first? OL: It actually comes as it comes, it’s not a rigid process. It’s really flexible as sometimes I get a beat first, sometimes I just record a melody on my phone then go to the studio and play it for a producer then we come up with other ideas. It’s really flexible, it can happen any way it’s just me going with the flow. NW: Through your musical journey, what other aspects of the creative industry have caught your attention? OL: I want to see myself acting someday.

Cardigan: Pronounce Jewellery: Cernucci, artist’s own

I believe in what I do, there are boundaries but when it comes to creativity, I’m independent. NW: Your social media presence has risen significantly over the past few years. How do you cope with online attention? OL: I’m not the most active person online but once in a while I go and respond to my fans, I just live my life and my fans can definitely relate to this. NW: What inspired the narrative of the visuals for the music video “Understand”? Why this particular style of visual storytelling? OL: I’m giving credit to the director Top Shotta. I brought the song and he came up with the script and everything, he did the editing and when I say the storyline behind it it was perfect and I loved it instantly. It was his idea, just a little bit of my own touches so I’m giving him all the credit for that. NW: What excites you the most about the current climate of Nigerian music? OL: I’m so excited and I’m so happy to be one of the people who are actually making Nigerian music more global by the day and I’m so grateful for that. NW: How do you use your music to speak about politics and injustice in Nigeria/Africa in general? OL: I’m actually not big on politics, I’m just a person that makes music how I feel it. Definitely, I speak against injustice but I’m not so much of the type that wants to talk about politics and stuff, but if I don’t feel right about something I’m always going to speak up. I have people who need somebody to speak up for them

NW: How do you aim to stand out through fashion and your sense of style? OL: It feels right when it feels right. I’m an African and I’m always going to represent where I come from. You just feel good when you’re being yourself and that’s unique enough. NW: This issue is based on the theme of independence, what does that word mean to you? // how does this word relate to your creative expression through music? OL: Independence is definitely just me knowing what I want, I always go for what I think is right. NW: Now that you are signed, how do you still maintain a sense of independence and autonomy over your music when other creative minds are involved? OL: First of all, I believe in what I do. There are boundaries but when it comes to creativity, I’m independent. I mean I definitely want to work with other people and take ideas and all but in the end, I know exactly what I want for myself and I’m always going for it. At the end, when everything is done, it falls down to me, it’s my music and I have to make it the way I feel is right. NW: How did your come up as an independent artist shape you to be who you are today? OL: Being independent was the time of my life but looking forward there’s a lot that I can do with a team and looking back at the times where I didn’t have a team it’s a big difference. Being independent is good but sometimes teamwork is always the best.

Henock Sileshi is a design virtuoso. With a career rooted in autonomy and a self-educated perspective on art direction, Sileshi has cultivated an avid and impressive following. Alongside his work as an active member of BROCKHAMPTON, Henock Sileshi - or better known as Hk - is also responsible for the artwork behind some of music’s most exciting names, including the A$AP Mob, Post Malone, and more. Now, the Berkley-born, LA-based designer reflects on his beginnings, his journey, and the goals he sets for himself along the way. WORDS BY Coraly Langue INTERVIEWER Olive Oberoi

NW: Tell us about yourself. Where are you based? Where are you from? H: My name’s Henck Seleshi, I’m 26. I do a bunch of digital things, like art direction, graphic design, I do a little bit of video editing, but I really like to help bring people’s ideas to life. Especially if I can put my own interpretations to it in any way, it’s always the best part. I’ve been able to do that for a handful of years now with my friends in Brockhampton as a member, like from the inception to where it is now. Working with all the guys, Kevin Abstract and like that. Even before that when I was doing some freelance stuff working on stuff with my friends Brian and Travis on stuff for Post Malone and more. NW: Is this before you worked with Brockhampton? H: It was right when we were trying to come up with whatever Brockhampton was at the time. You know I needed to support myself in a way, but at that time I told my parents I don’t wanna do this college thing and they didn’t really wanna support that idea, just out of love and security, you know. They’re immigrant parents and so they don’t really understand this is kind of like a new venture.

NW: Right. What was their opinion on what you do? H: Something without a degree is like a foreign concept to them. So, they weren’t really hip to it at first so I had to really support myself, like on my own and everything like that so I would take up freelance graphic design, and through that I was able to work with a bunch of really cool people. I was able to build up a little clientele and a portfolio and posting it online, and everything like that. I was able to have people from early on trust like what I was doing and what people around me were doing at the time to really go do whatever we want. So, yeah, like Post Malone and Brockhampton, they were hip to it too. So yeah, if I had to summarise. NW: You knew a few of the members from Brockhampton before you started working with them? H: We were friends first, before anything. But I never really met any of them in person until a couple of years after being friends. I met a majority of them on a Kanye Fan Forum.

NW: KTT, right? That’s the best story. H: Kanye to the end, KTT, yep! I wasn’t in the post that Kevin had proposed, it was like “anyone wanna start a band?” I wasn’t in that. I wasn’t even in that section, we were all in our little corners of the website just doing our thing. Someone had reached out and asked me to remix/ revamp a cover art from Kevin’s album at the time, and so they added me into the group. It was a Facebook group, then we were just hanging out every day, just talking and making stuff or whatever. It wasn’t until we wanted to take things seriously where we were like, okay we gotta really be with each other, for real, In person. We can only do so much just going back and forth via iMessage and stuff. NW: Amazing, where you working on the graphics and art direction on your own or, are there other people involved? H: It’s gotten to a point now where we have. It was definitely me doing everything for the longest time and it was a little bit detrimental to the flow of things. It was kind of just taking up time so we had people help along the way that still help now. Like we have a full-time photographer, Ashlan. We have people like Weston and Kevin Doan who help assist. They’re just always down to help! We also reach out and wanna collaborate with them, they also have a cool vision, they bring something to the table. We reach out and if we can find a way to both get our visions across, at the end of the day why not. We can only do so much in a group working with each other, you wanna push it out. Even with this album ‘Roadrunner’, this is the first time where we have features from people that we’ve admired and been fans of, and on the music front we’re always wanting to expand and push, so you kind of have to break the walls down. NW: For sure. It makes it more interesting sometimes. H: Absolutely, absolutely.

DESIGNER DESCRIPTION I am Seah Xin Ze(Sean), a recent graduate from The Bartlett School of Architecture. I was born in Singapore and currently doing my year out in London. As an introvert, I love living within my “imaginary world”. My interest in architecture grew from my love to draw and imagine. Intricate illustrations in encyclopaedias were my first exposure to architecture as a child and I am still constantly captivated by fantastical exploded isometrics and cross-sections of medieval castles, warships, and spacecrafts from Star wars. My love for making developed when I took up art as a subject in Secondary school and I was taught to think technically as I took my architecture diploma at Singapore Polytechnic. At the Bartlett, I was encouraged to tell stories through architecture while being highly analytical. PROJECT STATEMENT The need for an escape into our fictions during the pandemic persists as the world around us becomes bleak. Therefore I am incredibly grateful to be sharing my imaginary/speculative “world building” to those seeking some escape from the real world.

My final year as an undergraduate at the Bartlett School of Architecture was during the global pandemic. My first project investigates how memories are tied with physical spaces through the use of drawing as a tool to chronicle these dreamscapes. My second project explores similar themes, examining and translating Japan’s collective memory. “It is true, as they say, that the blossoms of spring are all the more precious because they boom so briefly” - Murasaki Shikibu, 'The tale of Genji'

Coat: Edward Crutchley Suit: John Lawrence Sullivan Shirt: Edward Crutchley Shoes: Converse Jewellery: Rather Wolf Eyewear: Stylist’s own

Hanami, a flower viewing festival, celebrates the fragility of life and the coming of spring, as friends and family gather under cherry trees to enjoy the ephemeral nature of the cherry blossoms. The building project aims to eternalise and celebrate the fleeting season of cherry blossoms, also known as sakura. While project one is an autobiographical exploration of memory, the building project investigates the collective memory. The building programme is a public memory archive that fosters the community’s memory of Hanami. Remembering and creating new memories of Hanami, elements of the festival were investigated and informed components of the design proposal. Engaging the senses formed the basis of the investigation, where the colours and smells of Hanami are interwoven into the fabric of the building.

The Smell of Hanami The sweet aroma of cherry blossom tea unfurls through the building, using a capillary network of pipes with a distillery at the heart of the system. As time passes, the scent of cherry blossom becomes infused with the walls of the building, evoking memories of the festival long after spring has passed.

The Colour of Hanami Pink is synonymous with the Hanami festival as cherry blossoms take over the city, beyond Tokyo’s streets and parks, making its way into sakura themed food and beverages. Pink dye is extracted from the branches of the cherry trees and stains the fabric façade pink.

The concept of weaving was derived from the Japanese tradition of sakiori. “Saki” relates to preparing the fabric by striping it into pieces and “ori” refers to weaving it together. This tradition advocates the recycling of old fabric that is rewoven into new ones. Hence the building follows this same principal of recycling, pieces of building are made from recycled fabric donated by the public.

100

This concept of weaving is applied throughout the building. It inspired a linear grid-like structural system with interwoven spaces. At a smaller scale, the concept forms the woven fabric internal and external walls that enclose the building.

101

It’s a new era for Rimon, but not in the way we associate the phrase with musicians. It’s not her alter ego, I am Sasha Fierce style coming out to play, nor is she giving us a new hairdo/style in the way we associate with Rihanna or The Weeknd. “This is my first conceptual project,” she explains to me over zoom, “my other two were in a sense, but this is the first time I have planned something out around a theme, created an animated character, and deeply conceptualised it all. And because of this new way of approaching my work, I define it as being in a new era. Look wise I’m the same, I’m not gonna change how I showcase myself, I see my project as lending my body as a purpose to make my vision come alive. Using my vessel to execute ideas that live in my head.” At 17, Rimon started making music. Having taken the plunge to drop out of school “because it wasn’t serving me,” she spent four years experimenting with her producer Samuel Alles, developing her sound into something she was comfortable with. This time was pivotal to her, as she headed back to Ethiopia for the first time ever at 18 to meet her dad, who had separated from her mum when she was aged just 1. In the hopes of experiencing the world, Rimon also saved up her earnings, and travelled to various countries & cities including Indonesia and Miami. “It shaped me to understand the world is huge and I was confined to a little town in Holland. Travelling motivated me to go hard and see different circumstances too because poverty in certain places was bad like Miami, which I kind of didn’t expect. Also being grateful for the position I‘m in, made me develop the drive to go hard in my music and life goals. “ During these years, Rimon was immersed in the world of hip-hop as a consumer. Frequenting concerts of the likes of Schoolboy Q, Kendric Lamar, and Flatbush Zombies, the musician found herself freely raging, moshing and crowd surfing her way through this time - “I was crazy, I just didn’t give a shit. It was like some sort of release.” That release lent itself well to Rimon, as it resulted in freedom in the studio that meant she wasn’t reflecting the sounds she listened to exclusively, which boded well in Rimon’s ability to figure out her own lane. “My producer, who I am super lucky to have, is really versatile. [So much time was spent with] us figuring shit out, we made trap songs, we made ballads and emotional music, songs to shake your ass too - just to see and feel what it is I feel… not comfortable with but connected with. There’s not one genre that I trap myself into.”

WORDS BY Fatima Sheekhuna

PHOTOGRAPHER Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle SET DESIGNER Rosa Kater STYLIST Sara Luna Johanna STYLIST ASSISTANT Naomi Bruintjes MUA Jazz Khalifa HAIRSTYLIST The Golden Giraffe CREATIVE PRODUCERS Dalila Morais, Aki Alles

Headpiece: Otilia Vieru Jacket: Ingmar Patton Plusczyk Shoes: TERRA Amsterdam

It’s clear the star is a student of the craft. Meticulous observance meant she was very aware of how fan bases responded to artists stepping outside of what they are associated with, and as a result she developed a strategy to combat this from the get go. “When I first started to drop, I did so with the intention to drop three singles with time in between and they had to be completely different from each other.” Grace her first single was an uplifting soul track, which was then followed by Nightime a dark, melancholic trap song - then finally Realise, a caribbean inspired song. “I did this on purpose, because I don’t want anyone to put me in a box and start saying I miss this version of you… Nah you get served what I’ve been cooking, whatever it is, cause I know fanbases man, when an artist switches up its always we miss the old this, the old that and I’m not with it. There is no process or way of creating for me. What I’m feeling at the moment is what I’ll make but I will say this - the root of my sound heavily leans into R&B and Soul.” Following a social media detox and watching the social dilemma, an idea to create something about the digital world and all it encompasses was brewing inside Rimon. “I was at the park with my friend and in passing said I wanted to create a conceptual project, particularly as I had just lost my phone but at that point nothing had been crystalised.” After replacing her phone she lost it again, then a short while later she lost her phone again having just arrived in London. Rimon decided, with this new found freedom of being practically alone in a new city, and all the extra time she had now she wasn’t mindlessly scrolling, to start planning out what we now know as her recent EP Digital Tears. ‘Been Around The Globe’, the opening track to the project begins with electronic voices, and a violin note that resembles the sound of an uncomfortable siren. It was with this melody, and opening line “been around the globe, never seen us before” that she wanted to begin the project as a way to replicate the feeling of a “human entering the digital world and being confused and the cold feeling of people disconnected.” But this track grew into something bigger than that simple intention, “as I progressed, I realised this is similar to how me and my mum fled to Europe and we were the aliens who were surrounded by people who are like who are these refugees. And now this song has a double meaning of entering the digital world and the duality of my lived experience in that. The keep me in your prayers, that closes the track feels like a pleas to higher deities to keep one sane”, but Rimon explains “we had voice notes of fans in native language saying it in different languages because its a very universal feeling, seeking protection from the digital world and also in the western world as a migrant, or child of one.” For Rimon, this 26 minute EP, was a year long puzzle that she had to combat. She started writing the lyrics before having any music or production made, and ended up with 24 pages of words on a google doc. If you visit her instagram page, you can see snippets of the mind mapping process that took place, and all the topics in which she wanted to touch on, from fake news, clouds, addictions and searching for validation, yet some of her songs don’t read as having these as central themes. “I didn’t want to make what I was speaking about too bait and sound like a TED talk with production. I spent loads of time figuring out how to make things sound ambiguous, and how to use entendres and other techniques to do that.” Mountain views is the perfect example of this, with it being a song about “cancel culture but people think about depression.”

105

“I see potential in the world. Sometimes I’m really sad, nobody understands how to be empathetic and how to live peacefully together. When I was young I always thought I’d change the world. Community is important to try, elevate, progress and learn as one society, whether in my friend group or in this entire planet. And with this song [Mountain Views] particularly, I was frustrated because of the polarity that exists. I get sad when i see people arguing online about this view or that view it seems pointless because everyone thinks they know everything but they don’t have any truth, they don’t know themselves it’s just bandwagon behaviour. Community in that sense is hoping we progress to a state of understanding from the face of negativity and more redemption.” It’s not just in lyricism however, that Rimon explores these themes. As we delve into the project, she explains to me how the production also plays into it. “In the last song there’s this long continuous pitch that plays across the song and closes it. This represents how integral our phones and the digital space has become to our lives. Even when you don’t have your phone on you, or you try to take a digital detox, it’s always there, a humming noise in the back of your mind, and that’s what the sound represents.” Despite the digital detoxes, and constant phone losses, Rimon can’t completely let go of social media herself, and has just got to a place where she is more intentional with her use. This issue’s theme is independence, and for the artist, the word means “everything.” “It was the way I was raised, the way I move in the world. I just wanna get things done. Over time I’ve learnt to ask for help and there’s nothing wrong with that and being able to rely on yourself is so important, it’s not in my character to ask for favours. I can’t explain what it means to me because it means so much. I retain it by being stubborn as fuck. When it comes down to my music, I hardly compromise. That’s how I keep my independence and keep my authenticity.” At the time of interviewing, there are no videos released, but she states there are loads of things yet to come as the world she’s creating with this project isn’t over. All we have to sit on is a live rendition of Feed Me, in which she plays with afro-futurism, the digital sphere and her African roots, clear too in the cover of the project. The brief for that was simple “I wanted my face to have codes coming out my eyes because of my lyric “digital tears is data leaking”.

106

Pants: Needles (Oallery ) Dress: Huizeyou Shoes: Salomon (Oallery )

107

108

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & STYLIST Kate Housh PHOTOGRAPHER Yaqine Hamzaoui PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT Mayli Sterkendries STYLIST ASSISTANTS Lyncia Froidmont, Amanda Breukink, Eva Bettonville MUA Naomi Waku HAIR STYLIST Laura Kourouma NAILS Emma Catry GAFFER Jordi Vandekerkhof POST-PRODUCTION Clara Borrelli MODEL Joyeuse (Flag Models)

Dress: BITCR Earrings: Mass Lee Shoes: BITCR

Corset Top: Graci Peps Skirt: Juun J Earrings: Mass Lee

Corset Top: Graci Peps Skirt: Juun J Rings: Tom Volkaert Earrings: Mass Lee Shoes: New Rock

Leather Jacket: Junn J Leather Skirt: Junn J Rings: Tom Volkaert Face Mask: Walter Van Beirendonck Gloves: The Kript

Dress: Alvaro Marz Jewellery: Tom Volkaert Shoes: BITCR Face Mask: Cecile Di Giovanni Gloves: The Kript

Top: Walter Van Beirendonck Earrings: Mass Lee Rings:Tom Volkaert

Dress: Liu Zexian Earrings: Mass Lee Rings:Tom Volkaert

Almost every artform can be split into one basic binary - the mainstream, and the underground. One harnessing mass appeal, and the other made to be the antithesis of the first, something more raw, and authentic. For film, that comes in the form of independent cinema. Independent cinema, or indies as they are commonly referred to, has long been seen as the place to go for real stories and as the years have gone on, the status of the indie film has been boosted significantly. From the fame of former indie directors like Richard Linklater and Spike Lee, to the rise of indie production studios like A24, the indie film scene is positively thriving. Independent cinema has become somewhat of a disparate, ambiguous term, defined by both business practices and creative direction. In its simplest form, it can be defined as a feature length or short film which operates outside of the major studio system - that is to say that is produced and distributed by a small, independent studio. The indie is characterized by its low budget though in the film industry low budget can range from a few thousand to a few million. WORDS BY Keisha Asamoah

A low budget short film is considered an indie for example, but so is Jason Reitman’s Juno which had a budget of around $6.5 - 7.5 million. Indies has always been the route that young, aspiring filmmakers tend to lean towards at the start, and with the copious amounts of technological advances within the film industry such as the rise of digital cameras, and industry-grade online editing softwares, making a film has become more accessible than ever. Economic capital, and lack of it, however still runs the industry - essentially every factor of making a film is affected by budget and an indie is no different whether this be having to create a story with no narrative points that require the use of expensive SFX, or making sure to set aside enough for the product budget. Film financing tends to come from various sources; in the UK art agencies like the BFI or British Film Council alongside tv broadcasters BBC Films and Film4 are known for helping to fund projects though for many, the money comes out of their own pockets or crowdfunding. When it comes to distribution, screening is key with film festivals being the main spot for distribution pickups.

Though this all makes it seem like economic restraint is a disadvantage, it also works in favour of indies. Whilst the business element is integral to the workings of independent cinema, what really binds together the concept of an independent film for most lies beyond budget, studio names and production value. The rise of independent cinema in the 80s and 90s was supplemented by the types of films in this category - they were risqué, sensitive, diverse. Lower budgets and less outside involvement provided the perfect site for creative and artistic freedom; divulging stories that big studio films shied away from, incorporating experimental film techniques and championing diversity, independent cinema directors were free to use their artistic signature and execute their personal vision without any Hollywood higher ups to water it down for mass appeal and profit.

Though indies vary in terms of style, and topic issues it has come to be seen as its own genre rather than just a term to describe a film’s placement within the studio system. The home of realism, and representation, a genre where directors are allowed to be artists, painting their own picture regardless of economic confines. While feature lengths may be the most recognized form of the indie film, indie short films are another key way for aspiring filmmakers and creatives to explore the art of filming. Short films in itself are an art - unlike feature lengths, there is a limited amount of time to create a succinct plot, with character development and keep it engaging.

122

123

PHOTOGRAPHER Lewis Robinson CD/STYLIST Imy Moore SET DESIGNER Lucy Ann Fraser MUA Lauren Webster MUA ASST. Katy Chapman HAIRSTYLIST Rhian Webster MODELS Dani Sousa

The ‘Dreamer’ editorial showcases bold, bright and voluminous looks in unusual environments,. Creating an ambiguous dream like scenario, leaving room for the imagination of the viewer

Dress: Paula Knorr Earrings: Alexandra Hakim

Top: Awake Mode Earrings: Kitty Joyas

128

Dress: Paula Knorr Shoes: By Far

129

Boots: By Far

130

Gloves: Handsome Stockholm

Top: Awake Mode Trousers: Awake Mode Earrings: Kitty Joyas Shoes: By Far

Dress: Reem Juan

135