Maverick Sabre is the amazing contradiction between cultures and genres: Ireland and England, hip-hop, reggae and folk.
Now based in London, the eery-voiced nineteen-year-old spent most of his childhood in Ireland, although was born in Hackney. “Being a mixture of two different cultures kinda moulded me and then there was the travelling. Always flitting between cultures makes you see things from a different perspective.”
Hearing Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’ aged eight, he begged his dad to show him some chords. “He taught me four which I learnt immediately and started writing songs.” Influences included the So Solid Crew, Tupac, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.
“For me, hip-hop and folk are about talking directly to people. I want to bring back that connection, speak to people again.” So, following a string of support slots with The Game, Lloyd Banks and Plan B, his writing accelerated and, at sixteen, he dared to go on stage in London with a guitar. His free download ‘Travelling Man’ mixtape has since been hammered across the UK.
His attitude of realism and hope is reflected in his songs. Currently working on his debut album with producer Utters, he claims: “It feels like I’m back making tunes in my bedroom, not a studio. Utters takes the song and vision and makes it bigger and universal. My music would get lost if I stayed acoustic.”
“Nothing is ever finished,” he continues. “Everything can always be changed. I really do believe that. Even some situations which may seem so deep-rooted, they can be changed.”
Words by Jaime Scrivener
Where: London
What: Hip-hop/reggae/folk
Unique Fact: He makes up the guitar chords he plays.
Get 3 songs: ‘Look What I Done’, ‘Run To The Roof’, ‘Break Me Down’
