INTRODUCING: KING PERRYY

WORDS GRACEY MAE PHOTOGRAPHY RUKIE JUMAH - FASHION VICTOR NJA FEATURES EDITOR JEN ELECTO

King Perryy is a man of many talents. Along with being a singer songwriter he's a producer and sound engineer too - not to mention a self-proclaimed 'citizen of the world' with a hidden talent for sketching! He's playful and mischievous and definitely the kind of guest you want at your dinner party (although watch out - invite his friends and we can't promise you won't end up eating dog). Here at F Word we had the pleasure to catch up with the rising star for a natter ahead of his album release in March.

Gracey Mae: Hi King Perryy, how are you?

King Perryy: Hello. What’s good?

G.M: I'm so excited to be speaking to you: singer, songwriter, producer, sound engineer. The Continental Boy…Citizen of the World!

K.P: You dun know!

G.M: Okay Mr International. I know you’ve been Ghana and Uganda. Name your top three dream destinations.

K.P: I want to go to Tokyo. Erm… I want to go to Morocco…and I want to go to Rwanda.

G.M: Why Rwanda?

K.P: I have my reasons.

G.M: So you’re also Mr Secretive. (Laughs) You do Afro-fusion leaning heavily on Dancehall and Bashment. If you weren't making music, what would you be making?

K.P: I like to fuse. I like to have fun. To be honest, I would still be making music.

G.M: Rumour has it that you sing in your dreams. Is that true?

K.P: (Laughs) Yeah!

G.M: Do you think in English or do you sing in your native tongue?

K.P: (Laughs) When I'm asleep, I have dreams where I see myself singing like songs that I have not heard before, so I wake up and I record them.

G.M: That’s so sick! Have any of the tracks that you've released been songs that you've heard in your sleep, or can we look forward to that on the upcoming album?

K.P: Nah nah nah. They’re all on my voice notes. The funny thing is I record a lot on voice notes but when I hear a beat I like to vibe with it at that time. So most times, I don't get to use the songs that I record on my voice notes. Why? Because when I'm in the studio, I'm just trying to vibe at that point except probably when I'm bored.

G.M: How many voice notes do you think you've got?

K.P: Jesus! I have like close to 5,000

G.M: I know that you are a SoundCloud surfer. What’s your go-to when you’re searching?

K.P: Funny enough, I like to listen to DJ mixes a lot, and that's how I get to find artists most times. You can just hear a mix that you like, then you hear a song that you really like and just Shazam it and stuff like that. You get? So I listen to DJ mixes… like DJ Hol Up. I listen to him a lot on Soundcloud!

G.M: Now I see you are dreaded up. You're giving me locks but the signature look that I know and love you for is your two Afro puffs. It gives me major Power Puff Boy vibes. When it comes to style, who's inspiring you right now and how would you describe your fashion sense?

K.P: Right now? Me, I like to feel. I like to carry whatever I'm doing. So I think the pony look was for that point. You know, I always used to braid my hair. Funnily enough, I'm going to tell you the truth… I woke up and I was tired of having to sit down at a place to braid my hair. Like, I'm not patient when it comes to that (laughs). So I just looked at my hair and was like, “I can just pack it” you know, and just be like that. Normally, that's how I pack it when I'm waiting for my person to braid my head. So once she comes out, I just like open it. I was like, “You know what? I'll leave it like this”. People were just like, “Whoa, like your head is full”. Yeah. Okay. And that's how I left it.

G.M: And now you're dredding up. So what caused the change?

K.P: You know, funny enough, this is how it was supposed to be from the beginning but I didn't want to do my dreads… I didn't want to dread my hair and see it short. I'm not patient when it comes to some certain things! I like the look when I'm looking good and when it's somewhere around where I want it to be. So I had to grow my hair to a certain point because I had to cut it because of school.

G.M: On the topic of school, you used to draw a lot whilst you were studying. Is it true you actually came third in the State for a drawing competition?

K.P: Yeah. I used to draw a lot!

G.M: So what's happened with the drawing? Do you design your artwork? Do you have like tons of sketchbooks? Tell us more about it.

K.P: Erm… it’s been a long time that I have drawn. You know, the last time I drew was my granddad and that's when he died. And after that time, I have not opened… or used a pen or drawn or paint. Nothing. I just left everything.

G.M: Wow! That's crazy. It sounds like you've always been a creative though. You started singing at 12 right?

K.P: Yeah, no, exactly. When it comes to whatever I liked to do… like, music, fashion or like, my art, my craft… I'm always 100% into it.

G.M: You started off as a rapper. Do you remember your first bar and can you drop it for me now?

K.P: Erm… I think it’s erm… ”okay, Demarco is here. Fresher than cars and the rims…” [mumble] I've forgotten! I just know I was rapping man. Trust me! I used to have bars but I’ve forgotten. I used to have BARS then but I had to calm down! Yo. I can still body anybody, any day.

G.M: And I oop. Sounds like you’re drawing somebody out?

K.P: No, no, no, no, no. We don't challenge but we accept challenges!

G.M: Energy! You know, I love the fact that you are being so bubbly and so open because I watched the interview where you said that you're an introvert. I’m not seeing that at all!

K.P: Yeah, yeah. Actually, this is an interview. So I don't know how you want to see that. But trust me, I'm always by myself. I'm always with my family. Like, guys. I don't really know how to like… I dunno. I’m just always laid back.

G.M: You might be laid back but I've heard that you like to smell women's hair. Is that true?

K.P: Jesus…(laughs) Who is…(laughs) gossiping about me with you? (Laughs) I didn’t say I like to smell women’s hair. I said one of the things that turns me if my girl is beside me is the smell of her hair.

G.M: Even if it’s a wig?

K.P Just if it smells nice. That's all I said. Like, I like women to smell good. Basically, I like people smelling good.

G.M: You know what doesn’t smell good… dog soup. Tell me about the time you ate dog meat.

K.P: I didn't know. I didn't know it was a dog. My friends took me out and you know, they were like, let's go to eat this meat. You're gonna like it. And I like meat. I like to eat meat. They brought it and it was like pepper soup and stuff. So I was just eating, eating, eating, eating. When I was done, they were like, “did you enjoy your dog meat?”

G.M: Is that the wildest meat you've eaten or is there anything else that has topped that?

K.P: Well, I don't know. I've not eaten snake. I've not eaten stuff like that… Rabbit! Have you eaten rabbit?

G.M: I have but rabbit is still more normal than dog.

K.P: Yo, I love dogs a lot. That's why they did that to me because I love dogs a lots like, I love dogs. I love dogs.

G.M: Very wicked friends. Alright, let's talk about the album. Now when I was digging online, you were calling it an EP, but now I'm hearing you say album. Tell me how it evolved, and what else can we look forward to?

K.P: Firstly, the name of my album is ‘Citizen of the World’. It means so much to me because from my childhood, I've been that guy that always wanted to leave home. I was always thinking I want to travel this world but I'm that guy who's always at home. My parents didn't want me to go out. So I was like, “would I ever get to travel the world?” Stuff like that. I knew that I wasn't just doing things for my environment. From small, the way I dress, the things I ate… so many things. I've always been calling myself that name ‘Citizen of the World’… from like when I was a very very little. Getting to work on it now is a dream come true to me. You get because the project means so much to me. I mean, like so, so much to me. I've gone through a lot making this album - it has built me to the point where I am right now. I'm glad. I'm ready to put out the songs. I want to put out the album, the project… everything that's coming with the whole project and I'm glad. It's time, it's time! From 6 songs to like 16 songs. Both the ones that have been out and lots of new ones too. Work n Grind is on the album. My Darlina is on the album. Man on Duty is on the album. Murder is on the album. Waist is on the album. There’s so many people that have worked on this album. I'm really happy to have met these people one on one and to have come up with these songs because it's my life, it’s my experience. Trust me, man… blood, sweat, happiness is on this.

G.M: I can't wait, when does the album drop?

K.P: In March, March.

G.M: Okay so we should keep our eyes peeled on your socials for the confirmed date?

K.P: Yep!

G.M: Let’s change gears. This is the second year of the pandemic, everybody's in lockdown. What would you say to the average citizen of the world right now?

K.P: You should just stay up and protect your mental health. That's all I have to say. I mean… I'm a human being too. Nobody was expecting this. We’re here now and we just have to adjust and pray that this whole thing ends. Try to check on your friends and let us be our brother's keeper… be our sister's keeper. Let's just help one another. This is the time we need everybody because people are actually going through it. It’s not easy! From lockdown, from the offset, I've always been someone that doesn't go out. Like I'm always on my own so I don't really like outside but [even I was affected] I had to go back to myself, to calm down, I had to read, I had to start doing things that I don't used to do. Just try to make good use of everything and see the good and the best in it. And just pray!

G.M: All right, quick fire round. I kind of know some of these answers already because we speak often but let me see if those answers have changed for 2021.

G.M: If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

K.P: If I had a superpower? It would be able to go into future.

G.M: Okay, time traveller. I know Power Rangers were your favourite when you were growing up so which one would you be and why?

K.P: I'll be the red one cos he’s the strongest.

G.M: Your favourite video game is Call of Duty, when you’re playing which character are you and why?

K.P: I like to be frontline.

G.M: You like football. When you are playing ,what position would you play and why?

K.P: Striker cos I like to shoot.

G.M: If you were a cereal, what cereal would you be and why?

K.P: I'll be Golden Morn.

G.M: And why?

K.P: (Laughs)