MURA MASA

Maybe I'm too selfish to just be a producer. Also, I feel like I have something to say that's interesting or unique.

I grew up on a tiny island called Guernsey, very small population, very isolated culturally but very beautiful and serene.

I was always heavily interested in underground musical movements, the post-dubstep scene; Mount Kimbie were coming out, and bands like that.

When I was growing up in the early noughties, I remember the time being very serene, peaceful and innocent. But actually there was Tony Blair's oil wars going on halfway across the world.

I think I can pinpoint the moment that I realized that I enjoyed hip-hop music and it was the video game called Need For Speed Underground.

But I guess the first time I made career money was signing a publishing deal when I was still at uni. That was when I waited to tell my mum that I was dropping out, which was half-way through my first year.

I grew up kind of poor, so like, I know it sounds pretentious, but I don't really know how to spend money.

I definitely don't want to appropriate... not in an 'overly PC' way though.

I'm a child of the internet.

At a young age, I was introduced to Joni Mitchell by my mum. My dad was into progressive rock.

If you grew up in London's East End you'd probably be inclined to be into something like grime music. But if you're removed from it, like in Guernsey, you can have a wider set of influences, and you're not tied down to any genre or any scene. I think that affects my sound, for sure.

When you meet your idols, I'm not one of those people - like if I saw Prince on the street, I wouldn't say anything. Because I'd want him to meet me. You want to meet people on the right terms or if there's a reason for you to meet.

I like having the radio on, that way you're challenged to listen to things that aren't your choice.

I think the first song I remember hearing was Joni Michell's 'Big Yellow Taxi,' my mom played it for me on the car radio.

I did shows for a while without a rider, actually, because nobody tells you that it comes out of your fee.

I didn't want to just be making music randomly and not have any direction.

Being from a background of dance music and what you might call club music or electronic music, I think something that gets neglected in that scene is personal vulnerability.

I was at Sussex University studying English lit and philosophy, I had two essays due in and three seminars that day, and at the same time I was messaging my manager because I'd just started to put together the pieces of like, 'Wow. I really don't want to be doing any essays anymore. Why don't I just give this music thing a go?'

What's wrong with being a snowflake? I think if you're calling someone a snowflake that just means you've been upset by something they're saying. We're all vulnerable, get over it.

If you're not changing what you're doing and exploring different parts of your musical output, I think you're slowly dying.

I started playing violin when I was about five years old and I learned to read a little bit of music, but that's all been long, long forgotten! I actually quit violin to teach myself guitar and just went from there.

You're not really taken seriously when you're on SoundCloud because anybody can upload. It's the same as standing on a street corner and trying to push your mixtape.

When I started making music I wanted it to have a narrative and be conceptual, but as time went on I thought it was probably more practical for a first album just to have good music.

SoundCloud was my first break I guess. I got a little bit of a following.That whole bedroom producer genre was kind of kicking itself into gear, and SoundCloud was becoming more of a hub for producers at the time.

There's a need for music that has urgency and emotional honesty. That's why people are reintroducing themselves to guitar music - that instrument has an ability to emote.