British-born, Nigerian-raised artist and rising alternative voice Mudi Sama has shared his personal yet bold single “Pretty Soon.” His debut EP, Will I Make It Out Alive? set for release on August 8th via Special Projects / Avenue A Records / Neon Gold.
Mudi Sama’s sound is steeped in alternative culture, influenced by artists such as Bloc Party, Dominic Fike, Radiohead, and The Strokes. Although Mudi was forming his musical identity during a time when very few black voices cut through a predominantly white early 00s guitar scene, genre trailblazers like Kele Okereke and Dev Hynes galvanised Mudi to become that inspiration for aspiring artists of his own time. Mudi joins peers such as Bakar and Master Peace, who together are shaping the new identity of British indie for the next generation.
“Pretty Soon” sees Mudi candidly open up about growing up in Nigeria while also looking introspectively at himself. He explains further, “My friend Jerry sent me a poem that he wrote called ‘Pretty Soon’, and it ended up being my inspiration for this song. We grew up together back home in Lagos and ended up moving away to separate countries before then reconnecting in Stratford, London, of all places – ha! This song is an open book, from familial experiences and how I feel about myself; It’s all laid bare. Growing up in Nigeria was hard for me and I know it’s very much a shared sentiment that I’m sure a lot of other people from my home country can relate to; it’s not my intention to invite anyone to a pity party, I’m just being honest.”
Mudi Sama’s previous single “Bad Life” explores what it feels like to be in a constant flux. Mudi adds, “Bad Life is a song about rebellion, living through chaos and figuring out yourself, ignoring the outside noise. In a world of one size fits all advice and self-help theories on every cover which I’ve been subject to myself with many attempts to “turn my life around in 21 days”. It’s always go left or go right with never much reasoning. I wrote this as a letter to myself to not listen to whatever rules the world has there for what to do with your life. “I’ll make mistakes I’ll do what I like”.”
