Wordsmith-in-demand flips the switch
Who?
Hailing from Kentish Town, North West Londoner Natty Wylah has already been through a musical revolution or two in his young life. Raised on a diet of dub, jazz, punk and anything in between, Wylah first appeared on radars over a decade ago via the underground hip hop scene, showing genuine promise as a poetic lyricist. Still, you never would have guessed his sound might firework into the many shapes we find him making now. In recent years he has featured on garage-inspired cuts with NIGE (Nine8 Collective member alongside Lava La Rue), kept pace with Footshooter’s bruk beat-inspired jazz (see the blazingly catchy ‘Lay’), all the while pumping out his own alt-rap material (culminating in 2021’s ‘Bruce’). And in the past six months, Wylah has begun experimenting with electronic compositions, showcasing them at the Southbank Centre’s ‘Futuretense’ series and Nabihah Iqbal’s specially curated Glory To Sound night.
Why Natty Wylah?
Too many artists say what’s easy to say and end up risking nothing. Wylah meanwhile approaches each breath like it’s his last opportunity to reveal his true self to the world, whether speaking on the daily grind, relationships, surviving rampant neoliberalism in his home city, or finding balance in his English and Chinese identities. A modern-day bard, Wylah relegates his own ego in favour of finding something new and intimate through heartfelt music, which importantly, is imbued with an innate sense of vibes.
Tell Us More…
Aside from music, Wylah also digs a bit of magic, though “not the Disney glitter, but more the slimy, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ type”, he says. An otherworldly essence is most definitely evident on his new single, ‘The Caterpillar’, where over a spectral textured ambient soundscape, he muses aloud in mellifluous tones about the pitfalls of artificial intelligence and the greed found in contemporary society. Indeed, all signs indicate that Wylah is set to butterfly this year.
‘The Caterpillar’ is out via Spotify
