Talking to: Liam Mera Kai

Rising South London rapper Liam Mera Kai released his debut EP It’s Fine Once You’re In on May 29th which was a masterful blend of heartfelt vocals and a bouncy rap flow. The six track EP was born out of vulnerability, self-doubt, and exploration, birthing an honest yet entertaining record.

The release opens with Wishbone, a soft neosoul track with a jazz-infused cadence reminiscent of Loyle Carner. Violet follows with a catchy hook and Passionflower (the villain) delivers an introspective spoken word over a rhythmic beat. With a strong RnB and experimental influence, the more upbeat I Wander was a standout on the EP. The hook is infectious and the production is seamless, making for a strong debut.

The EP does well to bring together traditional tenets of rap with experimentation, imperfection, and fun. It’s Fine Once You’re In fuses uncomfortable topics over beautiful melodies. Liam Mera Kai is definitely one to watch.

I had the opportunity to talk with Liam about his debut EP and hopes for his career:

Your EP blends alt hip-hop, neo-soul, RnB, even touches of UK garage, was there a moment you stopped trying to define your sound and just let it evolve?

LMK: The lines between genres feel super blurry nowadays. I think because it is so easy to find new music, we can almost be inspired whenever we like. You might hear something and think “that’s cool, let’s see if we can explore that world”. So it was less of a moment and more of a natural realisation that we should be evolving.

Defining a sound and restraining yourself within the boundaries of genres overcomplicates things, holding us back from making what we’re meant to make. Moving the concept of genres to the back of our minds makes the writing experience way more natural, leaving us more open. We have the ability to combine elements from different types of music that have inspired us – that’s awesome.

To me, it would be crazy to miss out on that.

You’ve mentioned writing from a place of vulnerability, how does it feel to expose your thoughts and emotions to the world through your music?

LMK: It’s a strange feeling. I got so used to keeping my thoughts to myself but I found writing them down was a healthy way around that. Even if you’re not talking to someone else, there is something healing about giving those words some space to breathe. I have always said that writing feels like a place to talk without the pressure, a way to process feelings and emotions - especially ones that we struggle to talk about.

Exposing those words through songs is one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve done but you end up making something completely honest, relatable and (fingers crossed) beautiful.

‘It’s fine once you’re in’ sounds like a mantra, what led to you giving your EP this name?

LMK: It actually started as a joke between some of my friends when we were travelling. We were in New Zealand and any time we would swim in the sea, a lake or some sort of water, someone without fail would ask “how is it...is it cold?”. To which whoever was already in, usually freaking out, would give the classic answer “it’s actually fine once you’re in”. Eventually, it became this running joke that no matter where we were, someone would say it. No matter what we were doing, someone would say it. One day we were just talking and thought “hold on, couldn’t you apply that to so many different aspects of life?”.

Usually the first hurdle is the most difficult but if you really want to do something then it gets to the point where you just have to try. Self-doubt is crazy. We’ve all been nervous or apprehensive about doing something but It’s rarely as intimidating as it seems. It ended up massively influencing my decision to start making music. Putting yourself out there is a lot. Starting something is a lot. Sometimes you just have to jump. You just have to dive. Usually, it’s fine once you’re in.

How do you personally push through self-doubt when creating or performing?

LMK: The mantra!! I’ve heard that it’s fine once you’re in… Seriously though, I think it’s all about trying to understand that not everyone is gonna love it. Once we can accept that, we can start to push creative boundaries but also, we can start to have fun. That should be the goal. It’s so obvious when someone is loving what they’re doing…especially when there’s a room full of people watching them. That’s the nature of art. It isn’t perfect. Whether someone is listening or watching live, you’re giving them something that they can feel. They themselves can figure out if it touches them. If it doesn’t, then it wasn’t meant for them - and that’s okay!

You explore overthinking and movement in ‘wishbone’, do you find clarity more in motion or stillness these days?

LMK: When I’m reflecting, focussing or even feeling overwhelmed I like to say, “find peace in the noise, be loud in the silence”. Finding ways to remain calm when the world gets a little too loud – now that is something I’ll always aspire towards. However, when the world is silent, when people can hear, when people are listening to you, when it is your turn, use your voice and be confident with it.

Give out your kindness. Your voice is way louder than you think.

Do you think pain or joy has taught you more as a writer so far?

LMK: Pain, pain and more pain!! Not in a bad way, though. I just think we’re so much quicker to talk about our “wins”. Quicker to talk about happy things. Writing about pain can be overwhelming but far more rewarding to me. I think pain is something I’ll never stop learning from. Without the losses, the wins would feel nowhere near as sweet.

What was your favourite music video to film and what would you like your next music video to look like visually?

LMK: The ‘I WANDER’ video was definitely one of my favourites to shoot. Sam and I decided pretty last minute that we wanted to shoot it at night and base it in an environment that felt close to home. He’s a very talented guy and being able to fully trust someone’s vision is something that I’m very grateful for. I would love to shoot a one-shot video next with a moving set that moves between different scenes in a subtle and creative way. I’ve always thought a pub would be a cool place to start. There’s always so much going on. So many different stories playing out at the same time. All connected by the same roof but each still pretty much oblivious of the others. That’s definitely something I’d love to capture.

You reference artists like Dijon and Bon Iver, what draws you to these boundary-pushing artists, and how do you resist mimicking while still being inspired?

LMK: It’s the rawness in their work. Raw music reflects the intensity of our feelings and emotions. Sometimes music is far more powerful when left unpolished. It’s so explorative, too. Every creation has been inspired in one way or another. Very little is completely original in thought. Of course things can sound new and unique, but something has always played apart.

That’s why people will always make comparisons! Because we’ve all subconsciously been inspired by something. Whether it’s music, art or conversation. I’ve always thought that you’ll know when you’re “mimicking” because it won’t feel authentic.

If you could play your EP to your younger self, which track would hit them the hardest, and why?

LMK: I think maybe ‘passionflower (the villain)’. It’s about figuring out how much you can give someone and whether you can give them what they deserve. That’s something I’ve always thought about but never really knew how to express. It’s rarely an easy conversation, either. I reckon my younger self would be able to relate to that quite nicely.

What’s something totally outside of music, like a hobby or weird habit, that keeps you grounded or unexpectedly fuels your creativity?

LMK: I played a lot of cricket growing up. I think it taught me a lot of things, maybe even subconsciously. The greatest lesson being patience. Let’s just say it’s not a short game, but I guess nothing is. I see that in music all the time.

Creating something takes a lot of time and dedication and it’s my consistency that I’m always trying to improve on, especially nowadays. Trust me, I’ve written plenty of songs that I refuse to let see the light of day... but you just have to keep showing up until something nice starts to come together.

Listen to “It’s Fine Once You’re In” here. Find out more on the artist’s Instagram, Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud.