Emeli Sandé – on Black Lives Matter, her extensive career and advice for new artists
By James Garbett
Run That Again speaks to global artist Emeli Sandé – 'I'd love more people of colour being able to express themselves outside of the stereotype boxes’
Emeli Sandé is a cornerstone of British musical culture, from claiming the best-selling album of the year in 2012, to performing in the London Olympics and receiving countless awards that it’s even got its own Wikipedia article. It’s safe to say that Emeli Sandé is iconic.
With her most recent album, ‘Real Life’ released last year, we leapt at the chance to be able to speak to the artist about how the music industry is changing in light of current events and her advice for those just starting out in the industry.
I ask her first about the lessons she’s learned since her incredible breakthrough record, keen to know more about how she’s continued to produce music that feels very distinctly and authentically, hers.
“I guess one of the biggest lessons is to take time off, now and again” Emeli reveals. “Often then when you enter the music industry, especially if you’re lucky enough to have success beforehand, you get put on this treadmill: ‘You've got this, you've got to promote this and then there’s a tour!’ and the first time around is so exciting.
“trust your instincts because that’s where my first album came from which has definitely been my most successful commercially.”
I mean, all times it is but I think what I’ve learned is that it takes away some of your creative energy because you do have a limited amount of energy and if for most of the day, you’re in the business mode, sometimes you have to sit in a music studio for two days before you’re embedded in the creative mode again.
"So, I guess slow down would be my advice for sure, trust your instincts because that's where my first album came from which has definitely been my most successful commercially. So, you just have to trust that instinct and not be afraid to be different, you can get pulled in so many different directions in this industry and that's what lockdown has been great for, it’s been a very reflective period and also, I’m working with Naughty Boy during lockdown, which has been wonderful. So yeah, I feel like I'm back in that creative mindset”.
Of course, with recent events, I ask her what changes she thinks are going to be made to the music industry in light of the Black Lives Matter Moment and how the business may change for the better.
“Well, the one change I'm seeing now is just that there is a discussion about it and I think for a long time in the UK, it’s been a taboo, the kind of subject that we’ll edge around and, obviously there's black history month but it's not long enough to really go to the depths of black history” Emeli states.
“So, I think opening the discussion and also getting into the little subtleties and intricacies of racism because it's not often as in-your-face as people expect. and I think a lot of people don't understand that there are very subtle ways to be racist and you can be racist without really knowing you are so I think that's where we need to begin and I'm happy that discussions have begun and I just hope that the industry become can become more inclusive, you know to all races and can allow people to not only be one stereotype, that's something I really miss in the music industry, it’s wonderful the music that is coming out but I think there's so many different colours and spectrums that people of colour can give and I hate to see people kind of boxed into one or two genres. So, I'd love more people of colour being able to express themselves outside of the stereotype boxes”.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand that there are very subtle ways to be racist and you can be racist without really knowing you are so I think that’s where we need to begin.”
I talk to her more about the different styles that influence her music, with Real Life being critically acclaimed for how it incorporates different genres, styles and tones. “It’s usually reflective of where I am musically and what I’m going home and listening to” Emeli states.
“So, I try and keep it quite varied, the music I listen to when I'm not making it. So, you know often it's classical music and I listen to a lot of house and techno music too and I think there's just elements that naturally seep into your consciousness without knowing. So, it's usually music I'm listening to at the time and definitely that was the case with ‘Real Life’.
"I was listening to a lot of music from the 70s, like Bob Dylan and Bob Marley and Janis Joplin. I was watching a lot of the Woodstock footage and I just thought there was such a rawness to it, that I think we kind of lost that in some respect because with advancing technology, you can perfect everything and make it very clean and very smooth, but I just wanted to get that raw realness out because it was really a time in my life where I wanted to be raw and real as I was going through a lot of transformations within myself, so that's kind of where it all started”.
“If my name is really Adele...I get asked that question so much, I often wonder if I should change my name to Adele just to avoid that question!”
In response, I ask her how she knows when she’s struck upon something raw and real?
“Usually it's a lyric and a chord change for me” she responds. “With Sparrow. You know, just holding that G. And then I just remember feeling that G released when I was playing on the piano and that gave me a really special feeling, that feeling of keeping that tension and then dropping it. So, I’ll know really early on if the song makes me feel something”.
I discuss with her the advice she’d want to share with people just coming into the music industry for the first time. “I guess, to trust yourself” she answers wisely after a short pause.
“And I just I think it would be a good idea for anybody stepping into the music industry to make a video for themselves so it’s them talking. You know, these are the dates, when you’re just about to get signed or you just about to step into the industry, just as a kind of anchor and a reminder to themselves why they're doing it the way they are before they enter the industry and what they're capable of.
“This is often before you’ve had any help, you may have managed to have put out on EP or maybe even put your own shows. I think it's so important to remember your own power because when you step into the industry, there will be people who want to do things for you and it's wonderful when you have a great team, if you’re all in the right direction then it can be fantastic, but I think it's so important for the artist to remember who they are and what they can bring to the table and the power that they have”.
“For a great song, melody always comes first for me... but then there is this kind of mysterious element to it.”
It’s obvious that Emeli has not lost the passion, fervour and excitement of creating music and her passion for the art truly permeates through the dusty computer screen I’m talking to her on. Out of interest, I ask her that after nearly ten years in the industry, if there’s any questions that she’s tired of being asked?
“If my real name is Adele” she answers exasperatedly with smile, with Emeli having to change her name to avoid confusion with the other successful singer-songwriter.
“I get asked that question so much, I often wonder if I should change my name to Adele just to avoid that question!” she laughs.