Nigeria born Anjel is winning fans for her infectious Afrobeat sounds. Her new single is ‘Sere’, inspired by a nostalgic trip to Lagos. Also a model and actress and a former child star Anjel blends African influences with contemporary RnB and Pop. An adventurous soul, she previously toured Denmark with heavy metal band ‘Siamese’.
You’ve had a diverse career from acting to music. How did your early experiences in TV and theatre shape you as an artist today?
It has really helped me in being able to understand what I want to see and hear across all aspects of my music. It has fostered a creative discipline without me which is something I cannot help but be always grateful for. With the stage being my second home, it can also be hard in the sense that it’s the only thing I have been trained for since I was five, so when I am not doing it, I can feel very frustrated, pushing me to always want and need to create.
Can you describe the transition from performing in a heavy metal band to creating Afrobeat and R&B music? What did you learn from each genre?
Nerve Racking. If that’s one word to sum it up. In Rock, as a person of color, there was this monopoly I felt, and not in a good way in the sense that I worried that people looked at me and heard the music and felt a disconnect, and this was expressed to me in multiple ways. With Afrobeats, it felt very natural, it’s something I grew up surrounded by and could not escape being Nigerian. Rock taught me how to write beautiful, deep, wild, intense music which goes well with my personality. With Afro beats, I have to relax, and be playful and it taught me to learn how to channel the fun, outgoing side of myself into music
As an artist who identifies as a musical sponge, who are some of your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your musical style?
Oh I would have to say Lady Gaga, Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless, Rihanna, Queen, Doja Cat, Arya Starr. I have learnt from these artists that music is beyond music, it is artistry, it is theatrical, it is art, it truly should be like going to see the circus for the first time, something that leaves you with a feeling of euphoria. I try to recreate this for my live shows and also for the music I make.
Your performances are known to be electrifying. How do you prepare for live shows, and what do you enjoy most about performing live?
With live shows, I approach it like when I was in the theatre, every aspect has to be meticulously planned and entertaining. Every aspect of my performance has to be planned out from the graphics, props, intermission even, outfits, movements, etc. With Rock music, I could be alot wilder and command a heavier stage presence, which I have thankfully been able to translate into Afrobeat . I don’t think I have a thing I enjoy the most about performing live, cause I enjoy every single aspect of it. If I had to pick one, I would have to say, hearing the crowd having fun is my favorite part.
Looking back at your creative journey, what would you say has been the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect of your career?
I would have to say it was my career playing rock. I made my first album with great people that did pretty well, I got to tour Denmark twice and play in Tokyo. I learnt so much about music from some pretty amazing people I got to share the stage with, I was able to develop my skills on stage and off stage and create some epic music.
