FROM DREWMULA *WITH LOVE*

Hey Drew, what’s up?

Hey! I’m very well thank you.

Give us an intro for the people who haven’t met you yet - who are you, what’s your favourite thing in the world and what pisses you off the most?

My name is Drewmula, and I am a recording artist from South London. What is my favourite thing in the world? That’s a really tough one, because I have many favourite things in my life, but I’d say my family and the close friends I surround myself with daily. The thing that pisses me off the most is cracking an egg and having to fish around in the goo to get out the smallest piece of shell possible.

You’ve just put a new album out, where can we listen?

Yes! I have indeed, and I’m so excited about this! The album is available to stream and purchase across all digital streaming platforms.

Tell us about it: what’s it about, what were its inspirations and how do you feel now it’s a real life thing people can bop to?

The album is called WITH LOVE. I’ve always wanted to create a body of work that conceptualises some of the different types of emotions surrounding love. I wanted to create this through my lens, whilst exploring different genres that I’ve become familiar with throughout my musical journey so far. It feels surreal now that my baby is out in the world for people to bop to and enjoy. For me, this is the best part of the whole creative process. A lot of my ideas stem from personal experiences, or through past conversations and stories with friends. If I could show you my Notes app right now? It’s full of random ideas, clogging up my storage space!

How long have you been working on the album?

I’ve been working on the album for the past year and a half, so for the majority of the time I was locked up at my spot during lockdown.

Who has been your biggest cheerleader throughout the process? Who’s kept you going?

My team and my closest friends have definitely been the thing that's kept me going throughout the whole process of making WITH LOVE. Me and Junior SSC, my fellow labelmate, text each other virtually every day with new ideas to check out and explore, whether that’s musically or visually - our chemistry is crazy!

What’s your favourite track & why?

My favourite track from the album is CANDY featuring Dark Damz. I really enjoyed working with Damz. We have a few mutual friends and I’d been following his music for a while, but I’d never met him before; when I’d laced my verse and hook for the song, something was still missing, and I knew Damz would be the missing piece to the puzzle. From the get-go it’s been nothing but pure energy and good vibes between us.

How was the process for you - any highs or lows that stick out to you?

Apart from a couple of minor setbacks with instrumental clearances, the whole creative process has been memorable, and one that I'll never forget. I chose to work alongside friends for this project, and to be able to bring all these ideas to life together is beautiful to me.

I generally tend to use music as a form of therapy, and don’t necessarily need it when I’m feeling happy. If I’m feeling happy, I’m out with my friends and actually living life – so I gravitate towards it when I need it. This new found balance has definitely helped my creative process in the long run, and I’m really blessed to be around this energy.

What artists inspire you and influence you?

The artists who inspire and influence me tend to change periodically. I’m forever discovering new artists, and I’m open to approaching new sounds that are totally out of my comfort zone. At the moment, I’ve been listening to a lot of Mansur Brown, he’s a really special producer and multi-instrumentalist from Brixton. Junior SSC, Dark Damz, Kelvin Krash, NYJA, are a few other artists who inspire me also.

What’s the reaction been like so far, with your friends and fam?

From the friends and fam that I’ve spoken to so far, they love it! My sister has been having a sneak peek into the album for a while now, as I’d always play some of the demos in her car and wait to see her reaction. If my sis doesn’t bop her head to the song I’m currently playing, I automatically know that it isn’t the one, haha!

Can we see you anywhere over the summer, any good gigs lined up?

At the moment there are a few good gigs that are lined up but yet to be confirmed. I can’t wait to perform some of the songs. There’s nothing better than performing the songs you’ve created - keep on the lookout on my socials for upcoming announcements!

Will you be wearing Lazy Oaf? What’s your favourite item from our recent collections?

Of course! Lazy Oaf clothes complete the set for me - I automatically go into ‘Drewmula’ mode as soon as the clothes are on. You know when Clark Kent puts on his Superman suit before he goes into action mode? That's how I feel when I put on Lazy Oaf clothes just before my performances - obviously I don't have any Superman superpowers, but at least I have the ability to change into as many outfits as I want! My favourite item from your recent collection is the Tied Up Tracktop and Trackpants set, with the Tied Up Bucket Hat to complete the look. The colourway is so sick!

If you could get Oaf to create one new style just for you, what would it look like?

If Oaf were to create a new style just for me, it’d firstly have to be a matching set, there’ll need to be a mix of bright, stand out colours across the top and bottoms, along with a consistent pattern/logo too. I think the set would need to be oversized, with stripes of sparkly sequin across both the top and bottoms. I could go on? Haha! It’d just have to be the boldest, most colourful, standout piece.

What are your hopes for the future? Any big goals you want to hit?

I’m really excited and hopeful to continue creating more purpose-led projects this year and for many more years to come. King Owusu’s capsule pieces in collaboration with yourself on Do Good Art Club, for the UK charity Thrive, was really inspiring and had me thinking about ways I could use my music to further inspire and help the community around me. I’m currently in the process of collaborating with South London DJ and producer, 95 Bones, to recreate one of my singles for a charity called AfriKids in my homeland, Ghana.

Any words of wisdom for the people?

Love first, trust yourself, and be your own greatest fan; some people are always going to have an opinion on anything you do, whether good or bad. As difficult as this can be, try to not let the negativity in this world change who you are. We all live life through a different lens on earth, so it's important to be kind to one another, and most importantly, try to keep an open-minded approach to anything that you encounter.