SOLOMON’s debut EP ‘For Starters’ has left his stamp on the UK music scene, capturing the sound and style of the artist in its truest form. Starting with ‘do you want my love’, the intro track kicks off with SOLOMON’s naked vocals, setting the tone for what to expect from the project. Listening to the EP as a whole takes the fans on a rollercoaster of emotions, reaching its pinnacle with the Timbaland-aided ‘sore loser’ before bringing us back down to earth with the soft energy of ‘burn out’ and ‘loosely’.
Hailing from North-West London, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter draws inspiration from his diverse background and experiences, infusing his music with a rich tapestry of influences. His songs effortlessly blend elements of R&B, soul, and pop creating a unique sonic landscape that resonates deeply with listeners. From an early age, music became an integral part of SOLOMON’s life. He found comfort in expressing himself by pouring his heart and soul into his compositions. Blending introspective contemplation with poignant storytelling, his lyrics possess a raw vulnerability that strikes a chord with audiences worldwide.
Talking to SOLOMON about his early life and getting into music the artist says: “I started playing guitar when I was nine years old, performing, and I use the word performing loosely because I was like 11 at my local pub and open mic set; then at the age of 15/16 I started writing my own music and it all sort of snowballed from there.”
Adding about his earliest music memories SOLOMON says: “I have quite vivid memories of my first ever music lessons in school. But in terms of listening to music I just remember dancing around to Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson when I was a kid, my mum also liked playing the Beatles and Stevie Wonder”.
Following that, Clash asks Solomon about the moment he knew he wanted to take music seriously, and he responds: “I always knew I was going to be doing music, that was just out of the question, it was a given. I just didn’t know at what capacity. And it got to a point where all these songs had been written in my room by me for however many years and people were starting to like them on social media lives and TikTok, and in a way I needed to expel them out of my system, I just felt like they weren’t just for me anymore. I just feel like writing and releasing music acted as a form of therapy for me, it’s like venting, like a release”.
WHAT: Broad-ranging songcraft rooted in emotion.
WHERE: London
3 Songs: ‘phases’, ‘burn out’, ‘fingerprints’
FACT: BROCKHAMPTON sampled SOLOMON for their own ‘Listerine’.
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Words: Flore Ghulam
Photography: Bella Howard // @bybellazine
Styling: Sabrina Soormally
Solomon wears Flow Overshirt, POA; by Axel Arigato.
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