Real Sounds Feature
IBack - Video Interview
By Real Sounds
We had the chance to interview IBack before their upcoming show with us at The Macbeth! IBack is a rising multi-talented UK rapper from...
We had the chance to interview IBack before their upcoming show with us at The Macbeth!
IBack is a rising multi-talented UK rapper from South East London. Inspired by the likes of Aitch, Jack Harlow and Russ, IBack shows off her addictive fresh flow and self reflective lyricism over a notable selection of UK rap beats. With her undeniably captivating stage presence and infectious persona, IBack is without a doubt one of the most exciting new artists to come out of the UK!
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Transcript
Yo everyone, it's IBack. Welcome to Real.
Thank you again for being here.
Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming. Very exciting.
Just my first question, easy one. What inspired you to become a rapper and songwriter and how did you come about writing your first song or one of your first songs?
Okay, so originally I started off being a drummer. That was my thing. I played drums for about seven years. I haven't touched it for a while, but that was sort of my trade. And it was sort of about the time that Aitch, I don't know if everyone knows Aitch, but his Keisha & Becky remix, around that time is when I first discovered rap. And that's sort of when I started, around 2019, towards the end of it, lockdown, that's when I started rapping. And I never really listened to rap before that, which is quite odd. I listened to Taylor Swift, soul, country music, all of it.
Wow, that's so different.
Yeah, so rap sort of is how I express myself. I guess it's similar to drumming in the sort of like rhythm and stuff. But yeah, 2019, 2020.
And did you start with writing words or did you start with actually writing music?
I think it was more sort of verses when you, it's different to like songwriting as a singer. When you, when you rap, you write verses and that sort of can turn into a freestyle and can turn into a song from that. So it was more so always writing on my notes on my phone. I can't ever write on paper because it doesn't come out quick enough. I can't write it quick enough. So yeah, it was always on the phone notes. Just went from there. I used to do like remixes of different songs and challenges on TikTok. Oh no, before TikTok, sorry, it was Instagram.
Oh yeah.
On the, on the Instagrams and those sort of started doing well and I was terrible. I wasn't great. And I've just kept at it. And we're here now. At Real.
You talk a lot about your stepdad, and he played such an important role for you, which I noticed through your Tribute for Wayne project. Can you share a bit more about his story, and how are you raising lung cancer awareness through your music right now?
Oh, that's a very nice question. Thank you for bringing that up. So yeah, my stepdad Wayne was a huge part of my life, especially like my older years. And for my little sister and my brother, great man, a brilliant man. And he passed away from lung cancer last October, which is why this year I haven't really released any music or done any shows until recently. And so I wrote tribute for Wayne to sort of, it was my way of expressing the sort of upset and trauma and channeling it into something productive and raising awareness, like you said. And yeah, that was before releasing any other music this year after Wayne had passed away, I sort of went quiet. And that was for me the most important thing to get something out that showed or expressed what I'd been through and what's going on in my life before releasing any like upbeat music really. So this year's just only been tribute for Wayne has come out.
What other things are you doing to raise cancer, lung cancer awareness? Are you doing anything else or?
We did. Yes, we did. You've reminded me we went on a, I can't remember how long it was, but it was a really massive walk to raise money. And it was on the Seven Sisters coastline, the sea trail. And it's, if you've ever been there, it's, it's amazing. You should go. And it's like along the coast can be quite dangerous because you're literally on the edge of a cliff. And so we've done that to raise awareness. And we were doing, we're looking to do walks. So raising awareness walks as well. I'm still going to upload music about cancer awareness and yeah, to help people if they've been through it, maybe they can relate to my lyrics. And I've had a few people, there was a supporter on one of my live streams. And she said, this is so strange. And I'm so sorry if this upsets you or not, but I have a St. Christopher and this is Wayne St. Christopher. This one here. And she said, my mum passed away. Sorry, the microphone. My mum passed away from cancer very recently and I've got her St. Christopher and I wear it too. So even though I'm not that big of an artist yet, to hear that from someone that I don't even know is pretty amazing. It's just to help people who've been through similar things to me.
You talked about being on BBC 1Xtra, Kiss FM, Croydon FM, Represent Radio and an interview for BBC Introducing.
Yes.
How did this exposure impact your career and what was your most memorable moment in terms of recognition?
Recognition. Do you know what? Probably, I mean, the radio interview with Lady Leshurr was insane because she's a huge female advocate, rapper. It's like crazy. So to have an interview that early on for just my main song that I released, which was Can't Lie, it was insane. That was very cool. And it was live as well. Not a lot of people know that, but I was on the phone and it was live. So that was quite crazy. But my probably proudest moment is the Brynn Faces remix. That was insane. The open verse challenges on TikTok? Yes. I'm sure you're aware. Brynn, who was a former contestant on the Rap Game UK, which is a show that is very great. So she was on there and she's one of the best female rappers. I think personally, she can sing, she can rap. She's a lovely person as well. And so it was a few days before the deadline for the challenge. And I was in my bed and I was like, right, I've got to write to this because if I don't, I'll regret it. So I wrote it really quickly, went to bed the next day, had to go to work. And when I got home from work that day, I recorded it and I posted it. And then the next day after I finished the shift at about eight o'clock at night, I got out and I was like, oh my God, the video had blown up. And that was like my first sort of experience of something going massive, right? It had over 200,000. I think it's sitting at now. And for me, that's like insane. I was like, wow. And obviously Brynn saw it and it got round. And I was one of the three that were chosen to be on the remix and went down to our studios a few months later, recorded it and it's out. And yeah, that was probably the proudest moment. It was a really cool experience.
And going on from that, what would your best advice be for artists who are looking to get exposure? Advice you've heard from somebody else, or from your own experience?
Probably just consistency: being consistent, doing shows, for example at Real. You guys are amazing. Definitely doing shows, keeping on posting on social media, and keeping on writing. Especially if you're an upcoming musician like myself, sometimes you're doing your nine-to-five job and things you don't really want to be doing, and you don't have as much inspiration to write. My advice would be to keep writing. Even if it sometimes feels like a chore, you'll reap the rewards because you'll be consistent and your work will get better. That's what I do. I try to write every night. Consistency, doing shows, posting, and believing in yourself. The more shows you do and the more music you put out, the more your confidence will grow.
My question is, if being a musician, musician, if being a musician didn't exist, what career or industry would you have probably ended up in? Does being a drummer count? Does that not count?
Nah. Sorry.
What about, being still sort of in the industry, but as a videographer?
That counts. I would love to do that. If I could video my own music videos, I would love to. I need to clone myself.
Is that possible?
One day, I'd love to do that. Definitely. Because I'm into sort of visuals.
Would it be more like video editing or video?
Both. The whole package, I reckon. Yeah, the whole package. Maybe not color correcting and that. Maybe I need a bit more experience with that. But definitely, probably something like that. Or acting.
Oh, acting?
Yeah, that as well.
What sort of role would you like to be in?
I don't know, maybe something comedic. We'll see. Maybe one day.
Harry Styles turned from singer to actor. It is possible.
True, he did. I think he's very good. I love Harry. Shout out Harry.
I guess you already said this before, but do you produce as well as write the lyrics? How do you approach the songwriting process, and do you usually collaborate or is it completely solo?
That's a good question. One of my tracks I released called Motive. I produced that. Not a lot of people know that because it's not very big at all. But I produced that for one of my uni assignments and then I got it really like sort of mastered so it sounded solid. So, I do sort of produce. I don't, at the moment I'm not doing it for my releases because I'm not at that level yet. I feel like my rapping is definitely above my production skills. But definitely in the future I'd love to get in the studio with a producer and work alongside him or her. And yeah, I'd love to do that. Definitely.
And do you prefer conveying sad or happier emotions in your songs?
That's tricky because probably happy. But then again, Tribute for Wayne was a really special project. And I think I do both, I guess. But when performing, probably definitely more upbeat and… Exactly. Motivational. I like motivational rap and cheeky rap as well.
Touching about that, what's the most recurring, like what's the recurring message throughout your music and what is the message you'd like to give your listeners?
For me, I've always sort of been like a popular loner kind of thing. And then in saying that, I feel like now I'm a popular loner. But in my younger years, like in secondary school, I was sort of like bullied a lot and didn't have any friends. Still don't have a lot of friends. I can count them on this hand. But you guys are friends. So, exactly. But yeah, so I guess it's just for me, I don't really have a specific message. I don't know if that's good or bad. But I feel like all of my songs, they do have a message in them, right? But there's not like, as an artist, I'm not giving a message yet. Because I don't know what that would look like. I guess it's just, I'm trying to make a name for myself. And through that, I hope that people will find that inspirational or find like an artist that they now want to listen to. So possibly that. So possibly that.
If you could get a new skill or ability instantly, what would you choose and why?
Good question. This is not exactly a skill, but possibly the ability to get into important venues with important people and network. Also cooking. I'd like to be better at cooking. I'm not bad, but I'm scared of cooking chicken.
Are you scared of cooking chicken? I'm a vegetarian.
You're vegetarian? Well, that solves it. Maybe I should be a vegetarian. I might be a pescatarian; I love fish. But definitely cooking, and maybe being able to be invisible and go into the places everyone wants to be when they're an upcoming artist. It can be intimidating to go up to a group when they're talking together and say, hi, I'm an artist. There's no obvious way of getting in there with all these big names.
And what are your goals now and where do you see your music career evolving in the coming years?
In the next three, two to three years, I hope that I'll have like some sort of presence higher than I am now, obviously. I mean, this year I sort of, I've been doing a lot of shows towards the end of the year. I did a Real show. That was a great gig. The best. I've done a…