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Obaro Ejimiwe (born 18 January 1983) is a British singer, songwriter and musician better known by his stage name Ghostpoet.[1] Ejimiwe is based in Berlin.[1]
Ghostpoet | |
|---|---|
 Obaro Ejimiwe (Ghostpoet) in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Obaro Ejimiwe |
| Born | 18 January 1983 London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | ghostpoet obaroejimiwe |
About
editHis first album, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize. His 2015 album Shedding Skin was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.[2] His fourth album, Dark Days + Canapés, was released on 18 August 2017. His fifth album, I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep, was released on 1 May 2020. Since 2021, Ejimiwe has expanded his artistic practice into installation, photography, and sound art. He lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
History
editIn June 2010, Ghostpoet self-released his first EP, The Sound of Strangers, and was later featured in The Guardian's "New Band of the Day".[3]
Ghostpoet's first single, "Cash & Carry Me Home", was released on 24 January 2011, followed by the debut album on 7 February 2011, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam. His single "Survive It" was launched in Rough Trade East Record store, on London's Brick Lane on 9 May 2011.[4][5]
In 2011, he supported Metronomy[6] and Jamie Woon[7] on their tours and performed at Glastonbury, Sónar, Latitude, Secret Garden Party and Bestival, among others.
Ghostpoet was among the nominees for the 2011 Mercury Prize.[8] The winner, PJ Harvey, was announced on 6 September 2011.
Ghostpoet's second album, Some Say I So I Say Light, was released on 6 May 2013.[9] The album was preceded by the single "MSI musmiD", made available as a free download from SoundCloud in late February. "Meltdown", with guest vocals by Woodpecker Wooliams, was released as a single in April 2013.[10]
His third album, Shedding Skin, was released on 2 March 2015. The album featured guest appearances by Nadine Shah, Etta Bond, Mélanie De Biasio, Lucy Rose and Paul Smith. The album was shortlisted for the 2015 Mercury Prize.[11]
Ghostpoet's track "Finished I Ain't" appeared in the soundtrack of Sleeping Dogs.
Ghostpoet was featured on Massive Attack's song "Come Near Me", the B-side to "The Spoils".
In 2016, Ghostpoet curated the West Balkans edition of the British Council's interactive music project Mix The City, travelling around the region to record samples with various local musicians, and creating his own mix for the region.
In April 2017, Ghostpoet released the single "Immigrant Boogie" via Play It Again, Sam. The track was produced by Leo Abrahams and mixed by Leo and Kristofer Harris. The track is the first from the album Dark Days + Canapés.[12]
Ghostpoet released his fourth studio record, Dark Days + Canapés, on August 18, 2017. His fifth album, I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep, was released on 1 May, 2020. In 2023, he was invited to perform on a new version of Massive Attack's "Paradise Circus" for the feature-length film Luther: The Fallen Sun.
Genre
editSince the beginning of his career, Ghostpoet has avoided identifying his music as belonging to a particular genre. In March 2018, during his European tour, many venues started listing Ghostpoet as "hip hop" or "trip hop". Ghostpoet promoted the events via Twitter, always including a declaration along the lines of "I am not Hip Hop".
Visual art
editSince 2021, Ejimiwe has expanded his artistic practice into photography, installation, and sound art. In 2022 Ejimiwe premiered, in collaboration with artist Luiza Prado de O. Martins, the large-scale installation and performance series "Blacknuss! Technologies of Joy, Care, and Intimacy" at the Kampnagel Summer Festival, in Hamburg.[13] In his work, Ejimiwe explores themes related to African spiritualism, colonisation, masculinity, identity, and Black joy.
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Released | Label | UK peak chart position[14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam | 4 February 2011 | Brownswood Recordings | 119 |
| 2013 | Some Say I So I Say Light | 6 May 2013 | Play It Again Sam | 73 |
| 2015 | Shedding Skin | 2 March 2015 | Play It Again Sam | 52 |
| 2017 | Dark Days + Canapés | 18 August 2017 | Play It Again Sam | 39 |
| 2020 | I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep | 1 May 2020 | Play It Again Sam |
Singles
edit| Track | Released | Label | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cash and Carry Me Home / Cash and Carry Me Home (feat. Kano)" | January 2011 | Brownswood | 3:35 |
| "Survive It" (feat. Fabiana Palladino) | May 2011 | Brownswood | 4:21 |
| "Liiines" | September 2011 | Brownswood | 4:51 |
| "Meltdown" (guest vocals by Woodpecker Wooliams)[10] | April 2013 | Play It Again Sam | 5:05 |
| "Off Peak Dreams" | February 2015 | Play It Again Sam | 3:18 |
| "Immigrant Boogie" | April 2017 | Play It Again Sam | 2:40 |
| "Concrete Pony" | January 2020 | Play It Again Sam | 4:07 |
| "Nowhere To Hide Now" | May 2020 | Play It Again Sam | 3:11 |
EPs
edit| Year | EP | Released | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Sound of Strangers | 1 June 2010 | Self-released |
Remixes
edit| Year | Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Entrepreneurs | "Fuck Tactics" (featuring Foe) | Fear And Records |
| 2011 | Metronomy | "The Look" | RCRD LBL |
| 2011 | CocknBullKid | "Asthma Attack" | Moshi Moshi Records |
| 2011 | Birdy | "Skinny Love" | Warner Music UK Ltd. |
| 2012 | Alt-J | "Matilda" | Infectious Music |
Guest appearances
edit| Year | Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007/8 | Micachu | Filthy Friends Mixtape | Rough Trade |
| 2009 | Micachu & Kwes | Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 | Self Released |
| 2011 | DELS | "Trumpalump" (Quiet Remix) | Big Dada Recordings |
| 2011 | The Streets | "Tidy Nice and Neat" | Self Released |
| 2012 | Micachu & Kwes | Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.2 | Self Released |
| 2013 | Africa Express | "Season Change" | Transgressive Records |
| 2016 | Massive Attack | "Come Near Me" | Virgin Records |
| 2017 | Lost Horizons | "Reckless" | Bella Union |
| 2022 | Federico Albanese | "Feel Again" | Mercury KX |
References
edit- ^ a b "Ghostpoet". Discogs. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Mercury Prize 2015 shortlist". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ Lester, Paul (2 June 2010). "New band of the day 799: Ghostpoet". Guardian.co.uk.
- ^ "Disorder magazine Ghostpoet Interview at Rough Trade East Album Launch". Journalist Jameela Oberman. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011.
- ^ Kennedy, Adam (2 February 2011). "An early contender for 2011's finest out-of-leftfield long-players". BBC Music.
- ^ "Ghostpoet unveils new single and support slot with Metronomy". Blindfun. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
- ^ "Jamie Woon/Ghostpoet". Soundlab. 22 February 2011.
- ^ "2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Announced". Mercury Prize. 19 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Ghostpoet: Some Say I So I Say Light – review". The Guardian. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Watch: Ghostpoet – Meltdown". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Mercury Prize 2015: The nominees". BBC. 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Ghostpoet returns with menacing new single "Immigrant Boogie"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ^ "Blacknuss! Technologies of Joy, Care, and Intimacy". Kampnagel Hamburg. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Ghostpoet | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 August 2017.