‘Blinding’ – the brand new single from East London singer, songwriter and musician J Appiah – is a frank examination of J’s interior anxieties with his developing career. In an industry that literally commodifies artists, it’s a cautionary tale of the mental labyrinths an artist passes through just trying to stay human in a world that peddles idols and products.
It as well as touching on the worship of idols, J’s ‘Blinding’ is heavenly in other ways: featuring shades of gospel and blues – by way of a hip-hop beat – emanating from a soulful vocal delivery, beautifully accompanied by Submotion Orchestra’s Ruby Wood.
The track also evokes Appiah's home city of London, in all its diverse, vibrant, expansive, nocturnal glory: reminding us of what it is to be real and alive – and to be human– in its cold concrete embrace.
J’s pointed, observational songwriting stems from a lifelong fascination with people on both microscopic and macroscopic levels, having graduated with a degree in Social Anthropology. According to him, people “bring colour to life” and “life is at the heart of everything”.
J Appiah says of “Blinding’: "This new track ‘Blinding’ is about my desire to be well known as an artist but also my apprehension with regards to the pitfalls of it. It’s about people judging you for who they think you are before they’ve even met you.
“It’s also about being seduced by the idea of popularity. I think today there are many ways you can become well known, everyone seems to want their 15 minutes of fame.”
Tune in now.
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