It's All About Feeling That Damn Beat

She’s opened up for Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and J-Cole, but now she’s running a show of her own. Antwerp-born Coely has become the rising star of Belgian hip-hop over the years, and now she’s ready to take over Tomorrowland from the festival’s brand-new hip-hop stage. Going from modern beats to heartfelt soulful productions, her music is hip-hop 2.0, designed to move people’s minds and hips. Right before her show at the Organ ofHarmony, she gives us an insight into her state of mind. Coely is justas excited as the rest of us to start this new chapter in Tomorrowland history.

How are you feeling today?

“Oh man, I am so excited for today’s show. Ever since I learned that I would get to perform at Tomorrowland I knew that it just had to be spot on. We have to hit the bullseye.”

Never mind the nerves – is the fairytale atmosphere of Tomorrowland something that inspires you?

“I do feel like a little princess here (laughs). I mean, the whole vibe you get here is beyond amazing. It’s like you’re walking around in one huge circus tent. It does stimulate your phantasy. There’s people dressed up as all sorts of creatures, you see unicorns all around, people can really let themselves go this weekend. If there’s one place on this Earth where you can be yourself, it’s Tomorrowland. There’s no escaping that feeling of freedom here, and we should let the uniqueness of it sink in. The ‘Madness’ tagline shouldn’t be taken for granted. You better believe it: this is madness. This is Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland mixed up into one big fat crazy world of its own.”

This is so big that it’s a privilege to be a little part of it."

COELY

But isn’t this way beyond your usual habitat?

“It is, in many ways, very different from the clubs and festivals I’m more used to playing. When you get to play something the size and prestige of Tomorrowland, though, all those differences just fade away. I mean: people from all over the world are looking forward to this a year or longer before it starts. This is so big that it’s a privilege to be a little part of it.”

And what about the music? Is Tomorrowland your jam?

“It depends, from song to song. Musically speaking, I’m pretty much open to anything, so it comes down to whether I feel the beat or not. The beat is always key. If you can vibe and dance to it - sign me up!”

It’s the first time Tomorrowland has an actual full-blown hip-hop stage. What’s your take? Why now? What changed?

“I have no idea, to be honest (laughs)!”

You must have some clue. The Belgian hip-hop scene is booming like never before, with artists like DVTCH Norris, Stikstof, Roméo Elvis - and yourself, of course. Have the stars finally aligned for Belgian hip-hop?

“Belgium’s finally ready for some really good hip-hop. Kids these days don’t want to listen to anything besides hip-hop. It all fits perfectly, really. Every couple of years, one genre or other blows up like there’s no tomorrow, and hip-hop’s time has finally come. There’s so many great artists out there that at this point, there’s no surpassing this music. It’s music that taps into the lifestyle and the worldview of young people, music that makes them feel good, there’s no denying or ignoring that. Back in the day when DMX started doing big rock festivals, everybody hit the moshpit on his rhymes, which was a first for hip-hop in general. People went mental to rap music instead of guitars – imagine what it must’ve been like to see that happen. Well, it’s happening again, right here, right now. Maybe in a couple of years we’ll see indie rock or really hardcore hip-hop rising up again, but that’s hard to predict. We’ll see what happens. There’ll be new Kendricks and new Dr. Dres, music will keep on reinventing itself.”

But regardless of what happens in the future of music: Coely will always be Coely.

“Damn right. I’ll keep doing my thing regardless of everyone else. I know what I’m good at, but I’ll also keep trying out new stuff and looking for new directions. I have the freedom to do something different within my own world. Take my song ‘Can’t Get Away’ with Polar Youth, for instance. It’s fair to say that that song is outside of my main sound.”

How do you come to decide what a song will be about?

“Again: it’s all about feeling the beat. When I feel the beat, I start singing immediately. It may be just phonetically or without using any words at first, but that’s where it all starts. When I feel the beat I lay my rhymes upon it. The beat’s born before the lyrics are.”

Does fitting words onto the beat come before telling a story in your songs?

“You can’t have one without the other, man. You’ll start writing your words to the beat, but then it becomes a process where both the subject you’re writing about as well as the beat can change along the way. The embryonic stage of a song often gets crafted into something completely different. ‘Celebrate’ sounded way different than what it eventually came to be. It was slower and harder, heavier, and it took a while for it to take the shape it has today.”

Would you rather be in the studio or on stage?

“Being in the studio isn’t always a walk in the park, it’s not always as fun as some might think it is. It’s a hard day’s work. You’re constantly going through new sounds, new samples, new beats, trying to find perfection. You’re doing everything over and over again until you get it right. But being on stage is something else, I can tell you. That’s my stage, I’m the boss right there. It’s like being the chef at a restaurant: you want nothing more than to have all your guests go home with a full stomach after an amazing night. I have to give those people something that they will remember, something they can take home with them and can hang on to forever. I love to perform, because it’s an experience you share with everybody. There’s no switch to be flipped, no act to be put up, when I walk onto the stage the raw energy just flows automatically. Just: bang!”

You work with producers, but it seems like you’re a producer yourself all the same.

“Maybe I am, partially. I mean: in the end I have to perform the songs, so it’s my responsibility to make sure that the tracks I put out slay like no other. But it’s a team effort between me and my three producers. We write and produce everything together – credits to them.”

You did it yourself and you’ve always been a natural, that’s for sure. But how important was it to surround yourself with the right people?

“You can’t even start to imagine how important that part is in the story of Coely. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here today, and I mean that. I’m not the only hip-hop singer around. I’ve been lucky. We’ve worked hard together, and after six years we’re still here and better than ever. Now we’re scoring silver and gold records. Wow! I didn’t see that coming. But we did all we could to get here, and we’ll work even harder to stay.”