Grammy Award-winning artist Venna on finally making music for himself
Welcome to CHEW THE FAT WITH…, our long-form profile series where we invite you to sit down with fashion’s next generation as they dig deep into their memories. To chew some fat - defined as an informal conversation brimming with small talk - we encourage you to pull up a chair and take a big old bite as we spill the tea on the life and work of the industry’s need-to-knows. Just remember to mop up after yourself.
Cool, calm and collected: that’s just how VENNA made me feel as we sat down - albeit virtually - on a sweltering hot summer’s day in London. Venna’s warm energy matched the weather as we talked about his upcoming project, Venology, his debut body of work as the headlining artist. Already a well-known presence behind the scenes in his industry, the shift from making music for others to now making music for himself is a new career journey for Venna, aka Malik Venner. And from what we’ve heard so far, it’s a journey that’s off to a flying start.
A first taste of Venology came in the form of Standard, a high-octane and expertly crafted single featuring none other than South Kilburn’s KNUCKS. The mesmerisingly mellow track offers up softly-spoken yet confident bars and an intoxicating saxophone melody that lingers on the mind long after the song’s end. It feels like an instant classic - the kind of song one can imagine people of all different ages and musical tastes asking ‘who’s this?’ before Shazam-ing away and adding to their respective playlists. “The drums tell the story of where I should next go,” he says of songwriting. “I normally start with drums just to get the backbeat. I feel like when there is a sample first, sometimes you might slack on the drums because certain frequencies are taking the place of what the drums would do. So I always start with the drums first now, and then the rest of the music will follow.” This initial peek into the jazz-influenced world of Venna leaves lots to be excited about as we await his solo entity.
Charlotte O’Neill: How did Venology come to be?
Malik Venner: At the start of lockdown, Marco Bernadis (of Radiant Children) and I were sending some ideas back and forth. I had a whole other project I did before this one that I did via the internet. I remember it was around April last year, my birthday just passed and I spent it in the house. I was like, ‘ah I’m tired of this, I’m going to the studio’. So I started going to the studio and Marco eventually started linking me there. Each time we linked up we just started making some music, and slowly the project started to take shape. I remember for one tune in particular, I was really down the day it was made. It was when there were protests for police brutality in Nigeria for the #EndSARS movement, and I was really down. I went to the studio with Marco and I was just chatting to him about life, and that was the first tune we made. When you hear it, I feel like it will make sense how I was feeling that day, and by the end of the day I was alright. There’s two sections to the song - the first section is quite dark and the second section is quite bright, like night and day.
CO: Tell me about your relationship with music early on. How did you get started? Was it something you knew you always wanted to pursue or did you fall into it?
MV: I started piano lessons when I was six. My mum put me into music lessons every Saturday - religiously - every Saturday without fail. I would say “Mum, I want to go play football,” and she’d reply “No, let’s play music.” It was music this, music that. So I started piano at six and to be fair it was classical piano, so I didn’t really enjoy it too much, but I was playing that until I was about twelve. In between that time I played guitar a bit but I wasn’t good at it. My fingers were too sensitive for guitar strings. When I was twelve, I started playing sax, and that’s when I really started enjoying music. I started learning jazz and from there, I knew I wanted to do this.
CO: Is your mum musical as well?
MV: I think my mum was just trying to find extra-curricular activities that would help me in life. Well, not necessarily life - I don’t think she knew that I was going to do this as a career, but the schools that I was applying to liked kids who did extra things like drama and music. I used to act as well.
In Standard, Knucks has a line that says “I came in the game like a thief in the night.” I ask Venna if he shares that same sentiment, too, now that he’s setting off on this new journey in his career. I wonder if it feels like he’s dropping a sneak attack on this industry with his solo work. “Knucks definitely came in the game like a thief in the night,” he replies, “but I feel like I came in steadily. I’ve been around since I was about 16 when I met certain people. It’s been steady and I feel like if you’ve been paying attention, you would see.” Venna is no rookie to music by any stretch of the imagination, but that sort of ‘if you know, you know’ way about him makes his impending project even more special, as if those on the outside are finally about to be let in on a big secret.
Having worked with the likes of WIZKID, J HUS, AJ TRACEY and more, it didn’t come as a huge surprise when the highly praised saxophonist and producer won a Grammy Award last year for his work on BURNA BOY’S African Giant. What was more of a surprise? “This is my first interview,” Venna admitted to me after our relaxed chat, in which he thoughtfully discussed his career and upcoming project like he’s been doing these interviews for years...as if he was born to do them. Because, well, he was.
CO: You have a Grammy! Congratulations. What does this mean to you as a musician, and what would it feel like to win such an honourable award for your solo work?
MV: It’s one of those things...certain things don’t soak in for me. I don’t really know how to take it in, but I feel blessed to be able to say that, I guess. I don’t know! I try not to let things get to my head so I just take it on as another accomplishment. If I won one myself - for me - that would mean a lot to me. Because it would be my whole body of work rather than just assisting somebody with their dream, if that makes sense. If it was my own Grammy and I got the trophy and everything…it’s a beautiful day.
CO: You have been the wizard behind the curtain in the music industry for quite some time, having worked with top artists as both a producer and saxophonist. How do you think working out of the spotlight has shaped or prepared you as a solo artist?
MV: I am so grateful. If you met me four years ago, I would have been saying to you “yeah I’m working on my first project!” and everyone who knows me would be asking “where’s the project?” I’m happy that I kind of gained experience in other fields and different genres by helping other people out. I feel like I learnt so much from different producers - just seeing how they work as top producers in the game and bringing certain things from them into my music.
CO: Almost like it bought you extra time to really nail what you wanted to put out?
MV: Yeah, for sure. And for sax, I feel like I can play anything sax-wise but production-wise I’m a bit more niche, so I feel like it gave me more time to kind of earn it - my production and me as an artist. It just gave me more time to really become one with myself and figure out what I should do, what I want to create and what I want to stand for.
CO: What artists would you say have most influenced your work?
MV: It’s the people around me that I know that have influenced my work the most. When I work with Wizkid, Burna Boy or even AJ Tracey, it still sounds like me from what people say to me, but I try to cater to them and try to compliment the record. It’s not a thing where I will just do whatever - I try to compliment the record rather than make it all about me.
With the music industry slowly but surely coming out of hibernation as restrictions are lifted and vaccinations continue to be rolled out, I’m curious if it feels more or less nerve wrecking for Venna to be releasing his debut project just as the rest of the industry has been given a fresh start. “I’m a big believer that good music will cut through everything else,” he explains. “I try not to be nervous about things because I feel like if you have a positive mindset, things will just prevail the way you want them to be. So I try to just stay calm and collected.”
I suppose it’s easier to keep calm when one’s confident in their work and abilities. Another bar in single Standard boasts, “If you tryna get a feature of mine, better get that shit now what a reasonable time.” Venna is more than aware of his worth. “ I know my music’s good,” he confirms. “Not in a big headed way or anything like that, but I know it’s good. I listen to good music, I consume good music and am around great people who make great music, so I believe my own music is great.” As August crawls along and Venology’s release date approaches, nerves are thankfully not getting the best of him. “I’m not nervous. It’s more of a thing like, wow, it’s really here, this thing I’ve waited so long for. And I’ve been sitting on these songs for so long, so I just can’t wait for people to have their first listen and make their first impressions of the songs and hear what they think. I’m more excited. It feels good.”
This self-assurance comes, in part, from Venna’s trust and reliance on his own gut instinct. “There’s these kids at the end of my road and I see them as my younger self in a way,” he reflects. “They remind me of me when I was their age, trying to figure out life and maneuver this crazy world, so I always just tell them to stick at it, whatever feels right. Just follow your gut and 9 times out of 10 your gut will take you where you need to be. If your gut’s saying don’t do it, don’t do it. If your gut’s saying to do it, you’ll be fine.” I ask what Venna could tell his younger self if given the chance, and his response perfectly matched this narrative. “Just stick at it, keep practicing, keep trying to network and meet new people. You’re doing the right thing right now man. Just keep going bro, don’t stop.” And with the talent that Venna has, we hope he never does stop.
Venna’s debut EP, Venology, is out August 27th and can be pre-saved on Apple Music.