In Conversation with WildboyAce

WILDEST (1.0) dropped without warning. No singles beforehand, no campaign. WildBoyAce

just put it out and let people find it.

The North London artist and producer, originally from Lagos, has been releasing consistently for

a while now, and this five-track EP is his strongest case yet for why you should be paying

attention.

The production is atmospheric, the writing sits somewhere between desire and

ambition, and the whole thing carries the looseness of someone who made it without

overthinking. This project is about energy and feeling, not overthinking.

Just creating and letting people tap in naturally. We spoke to him about the EP, the decision to drop it quietly, and what independence costs.

You dropped WILDEST (1.0) with no singles, no announcement, nothing. What made you decide to just put it out?

Honestly, all that ‘rollout’ stuff drains my energy, I just love to put the music out and

figure it out afterwards and in this case, thankfully, it’s paying off so far as people are

checking it out organically and making the connection with the listener much better.

That's a risk though, especially as an independent artist. Were you not worried it would just get buried?

I was never nervous of it being ‘buried’ because I got more music to go again and I think

that is the difference. A lot of artists are scared to drop due to being seen as a failure if

people don’t check it out but where I come from, ‘failure is a stepping stone’ and should

not be seen as negative. There’s always a positive.

Let's go back a bit. You were born in Lagos and grew up in North London. What did each place give you?

Growing up in Lagos, I was accustomed to rhythm, soul and eclectic vibes.The first

album I actually bought was Sean Paul’s ‘Dutty Wine’ album as a kid. That’s how much

vibes I was around. Also moving to North London in 2009, I became accustomed to the

UK rap scene so when I started producing in 2012, I had a range of musical influences

to go with hence making me a versatile producer/artist.

So when you're making a track now, where does it actually start? You're producing and writing everything yourself.

Usually how a track starts is I make the beat, record a full song of melodies, figure out

the words to the melodies and record again, mix/master the joint and that’s it. Simple,

efficient, I don’t complicate my creative process at all .

Was there a track on the EP that fought you? One that took the longest to get right?

I made the whole project in 10 days, I locked in. However, with ‘CONTROLLA’ with

Deziah, she recorded her part on my beat 5 years ago. Whilst working on the project, I

revisited the idea she layed, reworked the beat, added a new verse myself and voila! It’s

actually the most streamed song on the EP so far.

And on the flip side, which one came together fastest?

The song that came together in a single session was ‘SHE WAN’ FCK”. My guy, Luhkio

from ‘101’ came to check me and around 9am, I started the beat and he just spazzed on

the hook quickly, I layed my verse and we finished it pretty quick tbh. Ain’t think much of

it but when I was ready to drop the EP, I thought I’d put it out and it’s becoming a fan fav

atmmm!

There's a lot of desire and tension running through the writing. Is this EP about someone specific?

You’re right about the tension. I didn’t drop any music for almost 2 years and that

affected my vibe a lot so going into this project, I let everything out and you can hear it in

the music. The tracks definitely has a lot of specific moments and person(s) involved but

they know who they are! They love the music too so that’s all it’s about! WILDEST!

Five tracks feels deliberate. Why stop there?

I’m a fan of music myself. If someone dropped more than 5 songs on an EP, I struggle to

listen through so I put myself in the shoes of the potential listeners. Give them just

enough until they demand more.

And the (1.0) in the title. Is that a promise?

There’s definitely 2.0 coming, no doubt!! LOOK OUT

You've flipped the usual model, pushing tracks after the project instead of before. Which one do you want people to find first?

I am pushing out individual tracks that people are connecting with separately as the

days/weeks progresses. For instance, if this week of July 6th, ‘TEMPTED” is the most

streamed song, I’ll shoot content for it. Essentially, letting the music lead the way.

Be honest. What's the one part of being independent you'd hand over tomorrow if you could?

Hmm, I’d say trying to get the songs on playlists. Everything else, I can pretty much do

myself alongside my close friends like Joey but I enjoy everything being independent

brings. New challenges everyday but I love it!

So what's left for the rest of the year?

More music, more vibes!

WILDEST (1.0) is out now on all major streaming platforms. Listen first, then go back and read

his answer about the quiet drop again. It might make more sense.

Interview by Valentina Reynolds

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