“We’re only ever really accepted when we play into what they already believe..” - Miles from Kinshasa
“You have to give the people what they want, but also know what’s best to give them”
PC: @elenacremona
If not now, then when - A CONVERSATION WITH MILES FROM KINSHASA
So I had the pleasure of sitting down with Miles From Kinshasa earlier this month, ahead of his latest mixtape release “if not now, then when”. We talked about all things love life, stereotypes, childhood, music and more.
Prior to our sit down I asked MFK to select a restaurant of his choice because what beats a good conversation over some good food right? We dined at a North London based Eritrean-Ethiopian restaurant called NAKFA where we enjoyed a platter of authentic homemade cuisine.
The few interactions that we’ve had, I wrongly assumed that ‘Miles’ was his name because Miles from Kinshasa? But on this day I quickly realised that I was in fact wrong. When asked why the stage name “Miles From Kinshasa” he explained..
There are a couple of reasons why I chose the name. Early on in my music career, I created a song called ‘Miles from Kinshasa’. I was born in Congo, and Kinshasa is the capital of Congo. I moved to London as a child which is obviously miles away. The name just made sense at the time and stood out for me.
What music did you listen to growing up, did this have any influence on your music?
Growing up, my parents would play a lot of Congolese music around the house. So a whole lot of Fally Ipupa and Koffi Olomide, then when I could choose, my first choice genre of music was pop. So like Pink when we thought she was black, NSYNC and some grime and rap too.
When did you know that you were musically talented?
To be honest, there wasn’t a moment that I just knew. It was more of a ‘work hard and perfect the craft’ until I gradually got better at it. It’s still something that I practice today.
We discussed unreleased music and artists having a habit of holding onto tracks that may never see the light of day. I asked MFK why some if not all artists do this...
Do you know what it is... it’s definitely a catch-22. You have to give the people what they want, but you also know what’s best to give them. It should never get to the point where people decide what you release, you get me?
From what I’ve heard in your music so far, a number of your songs are about women and relationships. Would you say that you’re the problem?
He laughs. I’m part of the problem for sure. I love being able to take the bad parts of a relationship and laugh at them. Essentially that’s what I’m doing in my songs, I can look back and say “Hey, that happened to me”. I think that when it’s put that way it's easier for you as a listener to relate. I know it might sound like I’m playing the blame game but I try my best to not make it seem as if all the fault lies on the woman, or myself. I like to see it as “Guess I’m not good at this, guess you’re not good at this too”. It’s still something that I’m actively working on because that's not just what my life is about. For whatever reason, I’m good at writing about it!
Black musicians have often had to overcome societal and cultural stereotypes and expectations, such as assumptions that their music should only be limited to specific genres, such as rap or R&B, rather than being recognised for their talents across a broader range of music styles.
In one of your Instagram stories , you said something along the lines of “Black music in the UK is not a monolith”. What do you think has influenced that way of thinking, not only in music but across the creative industry, especially in the UK?
If you think about it, we’re only ever really accepted when we play into what they already believe. I remember in one of my early interviews I was asked what genre I would put myself under and I specifically said Rumbapop (a mixture of rumba music and pop music). I know that I'm automatically going to be put under the R&B or rap genre because I do a bit of both. That’s what I meant by “as black creatives, we are not a monolith” because there are so many of us that are like that, including yourself.. we just need the room and the space to show that, and eventually more of us will be more comfortable to do more than what’s expected of us.
2 of your singles, IVRY & This Side, differ a lot in sound. What mood do you have to be in to decide what type of vibe you’re going for during the creative process of your songs?
It’s a progression of the sound, it goes back to what I was saying about the rumba pop genre... When I made IVRY, I had no idea that later on, I'd make a song like “This Side. I guess that my influences and what I like to make changed me in terms of time. IVRY is a song about me having a conversation with God and why I wasn't “blowing” in my career yet, whereas This Side is a song where I’m speaking to a woman and I’m basically saying “I know you’ve had these bad experiences with men, but you haven’t had them with me'“ in a nutshell.
What’s beautiful about it all is, I wouldn't have been able to write a song like This side, when I wrote IVRY and vice versa. So I think it’s more about my situation at the time.. that’s how I decide the vibe of the song when I’m writing it.
Favourite verse on Don’t Be An Opp II?
Funnily enough, I’ve never looked at it as the mandem have to spin each other or one is better than the other because each artist has their own style. Knucks verse is one where you HAVE to listen to it a few times just to understand how hard the verse is. I feel like I set the tone for the remix, Sam Wise came on a cheeky vibe and Kadiata’s verse was my personal favourite. Who starts their verse with “Big boss, I’m Hugo”?
Any dream collaborations ?
This is so random, but Phil Collins. He’s a normal guy from Chiswick, who can play the drums amazingly and he’s great at coming up with a melody. Sade, George Michael (RIP) and Tame Impala to name a few. Remember these are DREAM collaborations!
What’s the meaning behind “if not now, then when”?
I think the reason why I chose this as my mixtape title is because I ask myself that. Like “ what are you on bro? what are you doing?”. I feel like people can relate to that, especially having come out of lockdown, feeling a bit restrained like we couldn’t really do anything, this past year everyone is kinda like “okay cool we’re back outside now” we can really strive towards the things that we really want to do now hence “if not now, then when” you get it?
Lastly, what can we expect from the mixtape?
I want to sum it up in a couple of sentences. It’s 7 songs, my shortest project so far. No interludes, none of that. Just straight bangers. A lot of replay value, but also I think this is the best version of me so far. Also, I feel like a lot of people will miss some of the soundscapes and stuff from previous projects, but the good thing about that is once you listen to it, if you decide to listen to my older projects in order, it’ll be sick because you’ll see how much I’ve grown musically and hopefully continue to follow my journey.
Check out some BTS footage of the lead-up to the “if not now, then when” release below and stream the mixtape (executive produced by Kadiata), out on all platforms now!