A QUICK CHAT WITH CEEKO

This is your first single since Mental dropped in 2021. How does it feel to be releasing music again?

Amazing!!! It was a last minute decision to put this out before my upcoming project, but it felt natural and the timing was perfect for how it all came together.

Muddy Waters is a track about conflict. What inspired you to write about it?

Well I think we all struggle with it at some point in our adult lives, and it can be hard to accept that maybe some situations are best to leave as is rather than to force a resolve.

Favourite line from Muddy Waters?

'Sometimes I'm feeling like I'm Atlas, the weight of the world and I be struggling to manage, oh you do damage.' For me this was a release of so much emotion to put it down on paper and then sing it out loud. I think it's ok to show we are not always ok, and life can be overwhelming at times.

Muddy Waters has a different sound in comparison to your previous releases. What inspired the transition?

I have been on a massive journey and I feel like I'm still getting there, but I have really arrived at a place of self acceptance, and with that I have found a new sonic blueprint that I feel represents who I am in the most natural and unforced way.

Your catalogue is very personal and rich in sentiment. How does music help you navigate through emotions?

It is everything when it comes to how I deal with all types of emotions. I use it as my outlet.

What advice would you give yourself when you first started releasing music?

Be your truest self, not what you think others want you to be.

What does culture mean to you?

I did not realise until recently that culture is my core. Once I started to look at my identity and culture, there has been this surreal alignment of things in my personal and creative worlds.

If you could have any two people over for dinner, who would they be and why?

Nelson Mandela, he is the reason I have the freedoms as someone of South African Heritage. And Pharell, cause I just think he's so amazingly talented as a creative and would love to just talk shop with him and gain as much insight into music and his unique perspective on life.

What can we expect from you over the next year?

Big things brewing for myself this year. I'm just trying to keep my head down and get the music sounding immaculate. Where we go from there, who knows what the world has to offer!