J APPIAH
Published 10th April 2020
What’s your name?
J Appiah (J is for Jesse)
How long have you lived in Clapton?
I was born in Homerton hospital and I've lived in Clapton my whole life!
Tell us a little bit about your musical projects and who you have worked with?
I have been working as a session musician for the last 10 years. Worked with artists including Jess Glynne, Madonna, Michael Kiwanuka, Stormzy, Brian May, and across various shows such as Jools Holland, TOTP etc. Before I got into session music I was mainly writing and performing my own music in all the live venues across London, and had and continue to have some amazing support from some blogs/DJ's.
Currently writing more material for my projects as well as various collaborations with indie electronic labels such as shogun and Hospital records. Really immersed myself in the world of electronic music over the last few years joining the Damian Lazarus and The Ancient moons collective as the lead singer. We released an album in 2018 called 'Heart of Sky' which we then toured across Europe that summer.
Most recently I have just gotten more into writing for other artists. A pop song I wrote with producer Justin Broad was recently released as a single for up and coming Canadaian artist Ryland James who is signed with Republic records/Universal.
How do you cope with quarantine and is it challenging to still be creative?
Yes it is extremely challenging for me to be creative when I’m not able to live freely as usua,l but I think it's also helped me to find and discover other ways/means of inspiration. I've been reading a lot more as I have the time to and also watch loads of documentaries. I think I have all the streaming sites now so watching a lot of content.
Let’s be optimistic and realistic that we will be able to socialise again soon. Do you have any projects coming up?
I have a few singles of mine that I have been getting mixed down and will be ready to release soon. Even if we are still on lockdown I think I'll put some music out. Very excited to be working with new producers and writing. I have some features coming with grime artist 'Footsie' that I'm really excited about and also a drum and bass track i wrote with Dom Howard which will be out on hospital records.
Follow and listen:
Instagram @jappiahmusic
J Appiah on Spotify
Anything else you want to add?
I just want to send everyone loads of love and positivity. This is a tough time for so many people for so many various reasons and it's important to try and remain positive and unified. Loads of love and good vibes.