LISTEN UP: Olami Still talks 'Birkin', studio rituals and more!

Listen Up - Bi-Weekly Release Radar by 1994 Collective

Shining the spotlight on releases from artists you should most definitely have on your radar, 'Listen Up' is a bi-weekly feature brought to you by '1994 Collective'.

Who are 1994 Collective?

We are an Artist Relations Agency committed to championing and showcasing the best in emerging talent both across the UK and worldwide.

We strive to collectively challenge many of the facets within the music industry that hold artists and creatives back from excelling in their respective field and fulfilling their purpose.

​Founded in January 2021, in a short space of time we have already begun to make our mark amongst many different areas of the industry - specialising in Artist Relations, PR and Creative Consultancy.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @1994collective.

Our first featured release is ‘Birkin’ from South London’s Olami Still. No stranger to the industry, Olami has previously collaborated with notable UK artists Not3s and One Acen, as well as performed alongside J Hus, Stormzy, Kojo Funds and Yxng Bane. We caught up with Olami to find out about the single and more...

So you just released your new single ‘Birkin’ - what’s the support been like so far?

It's been good! We got some love from Capital Xtra and Kiss Fresh on the weekend so shout out to them. The video has already hit 15k views on YouTube aswell, so I think everyone's feeling it! It's definitely one of my strongest tracks I've put out, so I was pretty confident.

What’s your process when it comes to creating new music?

Whatever comes to my mind – I just express it. Most of the time it just comes to me during my day when I’m not even trying to make a song, then I’ll make a song from my thoughts. I try not to over think it, that's when I create my best work.

Do you have any ‘studio rituals’?

I just like a good vibe – good people around or no people at all depending on how I'm feeling. I also need water so I sound clear, that's a must!

The 'Birkin' video also just dropped, directed by yourself and Jalen Gravesande. What was the inspiration behind it?

I was actually inspired by Travis Scott & JACKBOYS. They have a song called 'Gang Gang' and in the music video the director made a nice show of cars and other automobiles surrounding Travis and his guys in a junkyard. It was very dark, very grungy, that was the exact look I was going for when I drafted the 'Birkin' treatment.

Originally, I wanted the cars doing donuts in the junkyard but we couldn’t pull it off in time – you know how these things go. No doubt we still made it work though. We got the cars out, got my boys out and we just had a good time. Jalen done his thing with the graphics and edit though for real, too – shoutout to Jalen!

What’s your main focus as an artist for the rest of this year?

Really just to keep dropping fire and giving the people whatever they want from me. To keep working on my skills and better myself, too. It's not just about the music, I always try to make sure I'm levelling up myself aswell.

What should we expect from you?

You can most definitely expect more music, more vibes, more videos, and another project real soon!

More about Olami…

Olami found himself immersed in music from a young age. At 14 he began independently releasing music, and had the streets buzzing from the moment he started dropping freestyles via varied online platforms. Across the span of his career, he has been supported and played by national radio stations such as BBC 1Xtra and Capital Xtra, as well as notable London stations Reprezent, The Beat, Flex FM and Pulse88 to name a few.

At just 23 years old, Olami Still releases his music through his very own label ‘No Place Like Home Records’, setting the bar high for new-gen artists alike.

Be sure to check out the visuals for 'Birkin' below and connect with Olami on Instagram and Twitter!