At times, it's almost impossible to believe that HUNTAR could be so young.
The South London artist released his 'BITTAR' mixtape this year, a spiralling fusion of R&B and left field electronics which tapered into deeply emotive territory. Yet it was the sense of control, the sense of purpose which truly left an impression; HUNTAR seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
Although, speaking to Clash, it seems there actually was no master plan. “It started off a couple of years ago, when I was just tinkering around with the music,” he explains. “Writing tracks on piano and guitar, thinking: how can I make a sound that I completely love, which involves my inspirations? I tend to start with just tinkering around, trying out every little instrument, seeing which one worked and how I wanted to make music.”
Brought up on a strict diet of Prince and classic – for which read 90s – R&B, HUNTAR swiftly found a space to mark out as his own. “I adore Prince. As I got a bit older, I listened to Miguel, Jai Paul and The Weeknd – I think they all rub off on what I do. My dad force fed me Prince when I was younger – and you can definitely hear that my melodies have been inspired by him.”
An ambitious, dexterous artist whose abilities seem able to push him into fresh spaces, HUNTAR refuses to be bound by expectations of what he should write or sound like. “I don't really feel that genres are relevant any more,” he says. “It's such the case now, that there's so much music that we can listen to that I don't think people can stamp genres on it as much, any more.”
“Every song is different,” he explains. “I don't really have a system because then it becomes very regimented and it takes the fun away from it. Whatever happens, happens.”
Dominated by collaborations, HUNTAR is aiming to follow 'BITTAR' with a statement of his own, one that will continue to chart his evolution. “I'm working on the sound,” he explains. “There's no reason to ever stop learning. I want to write better and get better and produce better, but I think we're getting somewhere with what's going on.”
Words: Robin Murray
What: Continually inventive R&B laden with electronics
Three Songs: 'The Woods', 'Hold On', 'All That I Want'
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