'5 Questions With': Crayon

Growing up in Iba, Lagos, Crayon began making music at the tender age of 16. Drawing inspiration from Davido, Bryson Tiller, and Justin Bieber to name a few, the young artiste began making music to connect with others in the community, merging street experiences with his creative flair to paint a fruitful story of his upbringing and the ever-growing man Crayon is today. Bursting into the scene with a carefully packaged body of work that seamlessly encapsulates the vibrance of youth culture, Nigerian heritage and feel-good vibes, we have been graced with a perfectly timed project to carry us into the Summer season, ‘Twelve A.M.’. Effortlessly fusing together Afrobeats, Pop and Caribbean sounds, ‘Twelve A.M.’ shows off Crayon’s versatility while remaining true to his roots. With additional support from fellow West African hitmakers Rema and One Acen, Crayon warms us into the project with the smooth entry of ‘In Sync’, before picking up the tempo with Rema fuelled party hit ‘Too Correct’. We are then introduced to the anticipated Summer 2021 Afrobeat anthem ‘Mandem’ which reveals the well-complimented collaboration with UK songwriter and producer, One Acen, tying the tape together with percussion filled track ‘Jackpot’. Cementing himself as one to watch for 2021, we caught up with Crayon to ask him 5 Questions about his new project and what’s to come.

Read the full interview below…

Words & Interview by Danielle Temeng

“…I was always surrounded by a lot of music from different genres; this allowed me to explore different sounds and cultures even while I was at home.”

EQ: Your brand-new EP ‘Twelve A.M.’ is out now, congratulations! What was your creative process like on this project and did COVID restrictions create any issues for you?

C: Thanks family! I actually think COVID helped me go even harder during my recording process. There were fewer distractions and I really got to take my time and focus on my creativity. I went through an intensive writing and recording period and ended up with literally dozens of songs. The songs we eventually chose to reflect where I am in my journey right now and I hope that listeners will feel that.

EQ: You’ve collaborated with some great names in the industry such as Rema, One Acen and Bella Shmurda. How did those collaborations come about and what was the experience like? And if you could work with anyone in the industry, who would it be and why?

C: Rema is my bro for life, and we’ve actually recorded other songs together before Too Correct. We recorded this one on such a spontaneous vibe and the energy in the studio that day was really amazing. Bella and I actually came up in the same hood (Ojo to the world!). He’s doing amazing things right now and recording with him was a great experience. His sound is unique, and I think we made magic on Jackpot. The track with One Acen is actually my first UK feature and it’s been great to explore that sound. His energy was amazing and we both genuinely enjoy each other’s music so it was easy to catch a vibe and make a great track that I hope will appeal to listeners on both sides.

If I could collaborate with one person it would definitely be Drake! He’s been such a huge influence on me and my musical journey. It’s definitely one of my goals to collaborate one day.

EQ: What have you got planned for the remainder of 2021, is there anything we should look out for?

C: More music, more performances and, most importantly, trying to make sure that my music touches as many people, in as many places as possible. I definitely hope to come through for my fans in the UK this year as well.

YouTube/MavinRecords

Stream ‘Twelve A.M’ HERE

Follow Crayon on socials:

Instagram: @crayonthis​​

Twitter: @crayonthis​

Twelve A.M. Tracklist

1. In Sync (prod. by London)
2. Too Correct Ft. Rema (prod. by Andre Vibez)
3. Mandem Ft. One Acen
4. Jackpot Ft. Bella Shmurda