Sipho the Gift is cooking up his next album
Rapper and producer Sipho the Gift returned to Red Bull Studios Cape Town to work on his 4th, as of yet untitled album. Having released 'iNDiGO' last year, parts of which were recorded at Red Bull Studios, his upcoming release will see him share more of his own journey as an artist and person. We caught up with him while he was in studio to find out what he's been up to since the release of 'iNDiGO', the thematic and sonic progression of his new project, potential collaborators and where he is drawing inspiration from. Read the full interview below.
You released ‘iNDiGO’ last year which was recorded at Red Bull Studios Cape Town. What was the response like to that release?
It was really cool. Especially since I got to do a whole bunch of other things that I always wanted to do. That was really well received. So it was pretty chilled, I was happy with it. Still not done with the roll-out, there’s another video that needs to come out and more content. So it’s still going.
Photo by Ashiq Johnson
How soon after ‘iNDiGO’ did you start on your next project?
I started mid ‘iNDiGO’ already! That’s the thing, I’m working on multiple ideas at a time. Even now I’m working on two or three projects. It’s just about making things come out in one way so that people understand the full project before I give them something else.
Have the sounds you are exploring shifted since you released ‘iNDiGO’ at all?
It’s an extension of ‘iNDiGO’. Obviously I’ve grown since then, the subject matter has grown. It’s just perfecting that same sound. That’s all it’s been. In between, I’ve worked with different styles to try and find what works and what doesn’t. Those songs will come out, but it was just an exploration to find what works.
Photo by Ashiq Johnson
How have things shifted thematically?
Since I make a lot “conscious” music, it’s always geared towards my feelings and where my headspace is at. I think I’ve grown in the last while. Especially with the great reception of ‘Kintsugi’, it’s opened a lot of avenues, so I don’t have the same problems that I had before and now I’m just diving deeper into self-reflection. Because there are a lot of questions people have about exactly who Sipho the Gift is. A lot of questions I have not personally answered in a palatable way. That’s what this new project will be about. It will be presenting Sipho the Gift in a more biographical way.
What form will the release take?
It will be a full project. Around ten songs. But before that, I want to give people breadcrumbs to lead in that direction. So there will be a few songs, maybe an EP that lead people in that direction. So it’s not just like ‘boom’, here’s this new sound that we don’t understand. So there’ll be a gentle slope basically towards that sound.
Photo by Ashiq Johnson
Where are you drawing inspiration from currently?
I’m listening to everything. I find I draw a lot of inspiration from alternative artists. Indie, grunge, RnB because it’s vocal and expressive, so I draw a lot of elements from that and apply it to what I do. I’m interested to hear what other people think of it because it draws from everything.
Can you tell me about your upcoming music video?
The music video will be for the song ‘Boy’. I wrote the screenplay for it. I just wanted to tell the story. Although the song is trappy and energetic, it’s heavily narrative-driven. So I just wanted to translate that narrative. It kind of tells my story in a better way, the people who played a role in my life and inspired me, leading me in the directions that I went. Guiding me as a boy through different stages. I think it’s beautiful, but it’s a cinematic retelling of what I say in the song.
Photo by Ashiq Johnson
Are you collaborating with anyone on the upcoming EP?
I’m collaborating with a few producers. Nothing is set. I’ve got a mock tracklist in my head so I can’t say who is on it or not. But I’m working with a few rappers, some from Nigeria, the Congo, some singers from Nigeria, Amarafleur and some of the same producers I usually work with, but mainly myself on production.
Do you have a tentative release date?
No, I don’t even have a title yet! Thematically I’m working with something but I just want to figure out these next few releases and then it’ll paint a better picture in my head. But I’m looking towards around June/July. That’s what the music feels like, it doesn’t feel like the season yet. It feels like the start of a colder, more contemplative season.
What do you want to explore in the future?
The full project is taking up my time right now. That’s the end goal. I don’t want to think to far ahead of that. I’ll let this music do what it does and then once I get to that, maybe I’ll have worked on something else. But I’m not thinking further than that. In my head, I started three to six months ago so it’s been close to a full year of planning, so I just want to see that plan out and then start another one.
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This interview first appeared on Red Bull Music.