After the success of their critically acclaimed EPs, ‘MinimumN’ and ‘MediumN’, GRAMN. have set high anticipations for their forthcoming EP, from which the infectious new singles, ‘Glow Up’ and ‘Norman Bates’ are their first offerings.
GRAMN. are a refreshing new addition to the UK’s R&B scene. Hailing from North London, the trio use their musical innovation and creativity to create an eclectic range of tracks, infused with experimental beats and jazzy melodies.
During a chat with Aux, the lead singer of the Hackney-based collective, Clash learnt more about where the idea for GRAMN. came from. “Everything in life can be sold by the gram and artists have to put a significant amount of ourselves into songs and even though we do that, we only get three minutes of that. The end result is just a gram of who we are.”
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Alongside Aux are multi-instrumentalists, James Lowe and Johnny Tomlinson and together they blend their different tastes in music. “Johnny is classical trained and can play a church organ, James has a metal background and wrote hardcore screaming music and mine [Aux’s] is R&B soul – without one of us it wouldn’t be the same.”
Aux pulls inspiration from the Hip Hop genre, having grown up listening to the likes of Travis Scott and J Cole, but it was the ‘Alright’ rapper, Kendrick Lamar and newcomer Enny that heavily inspired ‘Glow Up’. “For ‘Glow Up’, I listened to Kendrick, that ‘we gon’ be alright’ energy, it was very Enny, ‘Peng Black Girl’ was at the front of my mind.”
‘Glow Up’ is a mellow, neo-soul track that praises the togetherness of the Black community, particularly in the face of adversity. The track opens with soothing Spanish lyrics, a choice made by Aux who uses the verse to recall happy memories of her childhood surrounded by her family in Spain. “I was like this can’t be in English and I thought about all the joy and understanding from being in Spain, it’s where all the joy and my want for freedom came from and so it only felt right that that would be how we start the song.”
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As the song continues, the outpour of love and reassurance in the lyrics melds with the carefree beats, creating a homely ode to the Black community. “Being a British artist, Black people make 3.5% of the population so my audience is predominantly white and ultimately, it feels like people only want to buy into pain… but we have joy and Black people are amazing. We’re not composite of struggle, we’re made of light, of love. I think there's a lot to being Black.”
The music video, directed by Krupa, offers a similar experience and perfectly depicts the theme of Black excellence and love through nostalgic, golden-filtered visuals, showing Aux and her friends vibing in Hackney Downs. In solo cut-scenes peppered throughout the video, Aux is surrounded by flowers and plants as she sings. “My mum told me ‘if you have something to say, say it, don’t let anyone step on your light’. I’m used to being told to be quiet and [the scenes] needed to be like ‘hey, there’s a Black girl here and she has something to say, she’s gonna dance and have a good time and you’re going to appreciate it.’”
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GRAMN.’s latest drop ‘Norman Bates’ sonically takes a turn and adopts a synth-pop sound as Aux fulfils her ex’s fantasy of becoming the villain he painted her to be. “The line between love and hate gets blurry sometimes and Norman Bates is a reflection of that. My relationship deteriorated and the way it ended made me angry and I said to James, ‘nothing would bring me more joy than to choke this man to death on a song’ and so we started ‘Norman Bates’. I never write songs about exes, it doesn’t serve me, but this one cut me differently.”
A visualiser for Norman Bates may be in the works, but more importantly, the upcoming EP is said to hold exciting things and huge progression for GRAMN. “I might be rapping. There’s something so cool about female rappers that I thought I couldn’t tap into. They have this untouchable thing about them and it’s so cool but I never felt that until lockdown and I was like I feel like I’m good at this.”
As well as experimenting with a new flow, we can expect a collaboration from Baely on a track that has already been performed for the lucky audience at Jazz Cafe. “He’s so hard, he can sing! He was a dream collaboration so the fact he said yes was honestly an honour. He’s a perfectionist, so for him to listen to it and go yeah I want to be on that made me feel like I did something right.”
As our chat comes to an end, Aux assures me that she will become a legend and it doesn’t seem far off, GRAMN.’s socially conscious lyrical drive and hypnotic fusion of soul, R&B and pop creates a dreamy yet refreshing soundscape that most definitely sets GRAMN. apart from the competition.
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Words: Lauren Gordon
Photo Credit: Nathaniel Bailey
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