For the Nigeria-born, London-based singer-songwriter Azekel, making music is a labour of love he’s been working at for years. The undefined assembly of Afrobeats, R&B, highlife, hip hop and more that he specialises in has allowed him to carve out a career making music that has lasted more than a decade, but despite his years in the biz, he hasn’t let the industry swell his head. He’s already a seasoned musician with an admirable track record, but that doesn’t mean he stops looking forward.
shirt and trousers by GUCCI, shoes by EMPORIO ARMANI
Azekel writes, produces and mixes his own music, helms his own label, has collaborated with cult gems like Dhanya, Kokoroko and Anaiis, and one of his first musical escapades was the 16-million-streams-strong track Ritual Spirit with trip-hop legends Massive Attack. He also designs and sells his own range of bespoke bucket hats. But Azekel doesn’t seem interested in the greater recognition this could bring him. Despite this impressive roster, he’s reserved and humble, which makes you want to cheer for his success that little bit more.
from left: trousers by ERNEST W. BAKER; jumper by OFF-WHITE, trousers by TOM FORD
“My mum bought me my first guitar,” he says, describing his childhood as one surrounded by music. “A lot of Black music,” he corrects himself. Yoruba funk, early millennium R&B, hip hop, Afrobeats and jùjú were all present, reflecting the musical heritage of Azekel’s native country. Born Ademola Azekel Adesuyi in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, he moved to East London when he was seven, where his musical exposure was restricted but not absent, especially for a persistent teenager intent on new discoveries. “I found things online,” he says of how artists like The Smiths and David Bowie infiltrated his sonic palette, bumping grime and garage (the sounds most prevalent in Ilford and Newham, where he grew up) onto the bench. It was around this time he started to realise the power music has. “It gave me a different world view without having to move,” he says. “It helped me have a different understanding of expression from a young age.”
from left: blazer, shirt and trousers by ERNEST W. BAKER; vest by BIANCA SAUNDERS, shorts by GUESS USA
Digesting his emotions before reproducing them in his music is a process Azekel knows well. His most extensive work to date, a 17-track emotional excavation entitled Analyze Love Deluxe (a June re-release of the LP he dropped two years prior), is evidence of this. A series of major life changes, including becoming a father and a shift in family dynamics, all played into the record’s initial creation. “That’s life. People die, people are born,” he says, insinuating that the loss of someone close to him was also a catalyst. The chorus of the track In Memory Of seems to delve into this shift. “When I think about the memories, I know they never fade / because I still remember everything, just like it was yesterday,” he sings calmly. The album is heavy stuff, but Azekel’s reaction to being probed about whether he finds it challenging to excavate these painful experiences is nonchalant. “I was just finishing the song, getting the emotions out. Afterwards, you realise how personal it is.”
shirt and trousers by VERSACE
It’s this go-with-the-flow attitude that informs his eclectic tastes, too. “I think all of the genres blend in,” he says. “It’s really about the feeling you can take away from a song. A song about love, for example, carries that feeling. It’s the spirit of it.” This system seems befitting of a cultural climate that feels increasingly fluid, but in the wrong hands could come across a bit frothy. Yet, as much as Azekel is about the vibe of a song, he also isn’t afraid to build in some social and political backbone to his work. The fingerprints of authors James Baldwin and bell hooks are all over Analyze Love and its Deluxe sister, he tells me. “[Informing my work through Black thinkers] isn’t something I’d done before or necessarily what I’d always intended to do, but at the time of making the album it felt right. Love isn’t just an emotional topic, it’s social and political as well.” Does this mean he considers himself to be an artist who pushes a political point of view? Not really. “I’m more about ideas that move things forward or start conversations,” he says.
from left: trousers by VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
What’s refreshing about Azekel is despite the meatiness of his work, he’s not afraid to admit that lots of it happened quickly or, in some cases, was stumbled upon. Appearing all-knowing is of no interest to him. Exhibit A is teenage Azekel working behind the tills at Topshop in 2016 when he got a call from Massive Attack asking him to come to a studio and work on some music. “I didn’t know who they were at the time,” he confesses. “We worked on a couple songs but they didn’t like any of them. Then, in the last 30 minutes before I was meant to leave, I tried something in the studio and they really liked it. That’s what eventually became Ritual Spirit.”
from left: jacket and trousers by DSQUARED2; jacket and shorts by CARUSO, shirt by PHIX
Looking back on his life so far, Azekel is proud of what he’s accomplished when it comes to “making music and art that stands the test of time”. He’s confident in the growth he has experienced so far, both musically and personally. Now he’s setting his sights on the “golden egg”, which he describes as music “that’s progressive but also liked by a lot of people”. This goal of creating work that is truly timeless, rather than churning out music he doesn’t believe in, is one of his sustaining strengths. It’s why his most popular tracks range from ones created in 2016 all the way up to 2025 and why rising stars see the same thing in him today as the veterans did 10 years ago. And if it’s the long game Azekel’s playing, copping a ticket is going to be worth it.
10 Men Issue 62 – BIRTHDAY, EVOLVE, TRANSFORMATION – is out September 18. Pre-order your copy here.
FREE THINKER
Photographer IB KAMARA
Fashion Editor ANDRA-AMELIA BUHAI
Talent AZEKEL
Text BELLA KOOPMAN
Hair LAURAINE BAILEY
Grooming NAT BURY
Make-up CHARLIE MURRAY
Set designer NANA-YAW MENSAH
Fashion assistant MACY RICHARDS
Production TOMOS MACDONNELL
Post-production THE HAND OF GOD
Necklaces throughout from 4ELEMENT and EMANUELE BICOCCHI, rings throughout from BUNNEY, BLEUE BURNHAM and THE ARC LONDON, bracelets throughout from GILLIAN HORSUP at ALFIES ANTIQUE MARKET and D’HEYGERE, belts throughout from ELLIOT RHODES and THE ARC, hats throughout by LONDON LEATHERMAN, sunglasses throughout by SAINT LAURENT
On the cover AZEKEL wears coat by MCQUEEN, trousers by ERNEST W. BAKER
from left: coat by MCQUEEN, trousers by ERNEST W. BAKER; trousers by ERNEST W. BAKER
