Rising Manchester-based soul singer-songwriter Femi Tahiru has released his new single
‘The Weekend’ via Nohir Records.
Produced with Luke Mac (part of the Disciples trio) and Baga, ‘The Weekend’ is the follow up to his debut track releases ‘What You Want’ and ‘Time For It’. Before lockdown, the song had become a fan favourite at live shows across Manchester, where he was building a reputation across the city’s iconic grassroots venues.
Built around a sophisticated vocal and soulful guitar chords, it’s a mature approach from a fresh young talent, encompassing elements of The Internet and Mac Ayres. Femi brings a vibrant but raw intensity to his stage performances, with a self-professed goal of “giving people an emotion they’ve never really felt before”.
On the track itself, the singer, songwriter and producer explains…
“It takes you through the journey of being at a gathering or a social event with your partner, and feeling quite alone and distant from everything and everyone once your partner leaves- leaving you in a world of confusion and anxiousness. Of course you may find yourself intoxicated in these situations, and that’s what I am, which makes the whole scenario bigger than it already is- like I’m having a bad trip, and she’s not there to calm me down”.
Hey Femi! Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you!
"Yooo my name is Femi, I’m 24 years old and I’m a singer songwriter and producer from Northampton!
When did you start your music career?
"Probably only a year or two ago... I’ve been making music since I was 18 but didn’t actually make a move for it until I headed off to uni 2 years ago!"
Do you have any major musical inspirations that have impacted your sound?
"A lot of Nick Hakim, Tame Impala and Khruangbin... I just love guitar sounds and how much they can influence the direction of my music."
Have you had any specific career highlights that will stay stuck in your head forever?
"Probably the first gig I ever played at Deaf Institute. That was sick!"
You released your new single ‘The Weekend’ recently. How has the response been so far?
"It’s been real good. I’m just happy people are vibing to it, been getting nothing but love from people so it’s nice to get that sort of response."
It was produced with Luke Mac from Disciples as well as Baga. What was the experience of working with them like and did you learn anything from it?
"They’re both really cool people to work with... Luke has a lot of knowledge on production which I like as I’m always looking to learn and improve my skills. I’ve worked with Baga on a lot of my stuff as well and he’s the same!... He helps take it to the next level, because when you work on something for so long you sometimes get stuck. Luke’s cool."
The song was a fan favourite at live shows across your home city of Manchester, where you play at iconic grassroots venues such as Band on The Wall and Gorilla - which has recently been saved from closure amidst the coronavirus pandemic. How important are these venues to you and are you looking forward to getting back out there and performing when the time is right?
"I was gutted when I had heard the news about not only Gorilla and Deaf but most small music venues. It’s the perfect venue for artists like myself to get started and gain the necessary experience needed when performing live. I’m just happy they’ve been able to receive the support they needed to continue running! Of course. Got so much more material to practise and show the people!"
How would you describe one of your live shows in a sentence?
"An energetic blur to remember."
What are your plans for the next few months of 2020 and into 2021?
"Finish off the project and create some nice videos with the team! Hopefully get rehearsing for live shows as well. Start of next year is gonna be mad for that!"
With the live music scene as we usually know it on a temporary pause, Femi is planning to get back on stage as soon as realistically possible, with further releases scheduled alongside some exciting collaborative plans.
Listen to 'The Weekend' HERE Instagram: @femitahiru
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