Alaska´s Very Own: R&B Artist Shamil [interview]
Music From the Coldest Part of the World
When you think of Alaska, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Cold weather? Maybe snow? Well, Shamil is a proud music artist of Alaska that has been paving his own way for the past 4 years. Wherever he goes, the Anchorage native is making sure to bring forth his roots and a side to North America that we have never been exposed to. With a mixture of moody rap and psychedelic singing vocals, Shamil has all of the ingredients to potentially become the next star up North. On a lovely Monday, we sat down via Zoom call with the ‘LARGE AMOUNTS’ singer to discuss his unique upbringing, how he fell into music and releases he has planned for the future.
Laurėne: First and foremost, thank you for joining me for this interview. How have you been?
I’m doing pretty well. How are you?
Laurėne: Great. I’m going to start with a very generic question that needs to be asked; in your own words, who is Shamil?
Shamil: I’m an artist from Alaska, North America. I guess I’m just a regular guy who’s been on a crazy journey and seen some crazy things.
Laurėne: Sounds about right. You mentioned Alaska and where in Alaska are you based?
Shamil: I’m from Anchorage, Alaska.
Laurėne: You know, it’s not everyday that we come across someone living way up North. Just tell us a little about your upbringing and how did you land into music?
Shamil: Music has always been a part of my life. I have an auntie who did her thing in Pakistan but, I feel like I really got into music about… I mean, I was in choir in high school. That was my first experience diving into music and from there, I just never stopped.
Being in Alaska, it got to a point where eventually, we had to start making things for ourselves. Just music was always at the centre of it, you know.
Laurėne: Yeah, it makes sense. When I think of Alaska, I’m trying to picture everyday life. Although it is part of the US, I believe you have more in common with Canada due to geography. I mean, you have PARTYNEXTDOOR on one side, Drake and The Weeknd, of course. This kind of validates the tone and mood of the Northern region. I’m curious, how would you describe your sound?
Shamil: I believe my sound is heavily rooted in real Hip-Hop. That was kind of what I grew up on, as well as a bunch of other influences, right. You know, coming up, we listened to a lot of different kinds of music. I feel like it’s a very healthy blend of alternatives but everything always comes back to Hip-Hop.
Laurėne: Could you just tell us a few names that were on rotation growing up?
Shamil: I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music but it was super diverse because of my upbringing. I remember my mom listening to old Bollywood records and 80s Pop music like Micheal Jackson and Madonna. Whereas with my sisters, I was listening to everything from Lil Wayne and Jay Z to Florence and the Machine and Trent Reznor (NIN), so I grew up with an appreciation for all music.
Laurėne: Interesting. Let’s move on from the past now. What about the community in Alaska right now? Are there any particular artists or organisations you think are on the rise just like you?
Shamil: The creative community in Anchorage is actually really dope, being that the city is so remote compared to any other city in any of the other states. It kinda forces creatives and Artists to do more because if we didn’t, there wouldn’t really be anything going on, the result of that leads to a lot of unique experiences you can’t have anywhere else except Alaska like summer solstice parties that last for 3 nights but the sun never goes down so it feels like a day, or this event we have called Fur Rhondy which is like a carnival we have every year in the snow and that’s just some of the big stuff. You also get a lot of people who throw their own events, one of the most lit ones is called trick or freak or bootycon; last time I went to it I think there were over 1000 people that came through. I missed the last one but I heard that it was even bigger. All of these things really built the community and as an artist I don’t think you could ask for anything better than to be surrounded by so much creativity.
Laurėne: You mentioned London which is a melting pot for music and culture right now. Is there anyone in particular that you dream to collaborate with?
Shamil: From London, I would really love to work with either Central Cee or Stormzy. Back in the States, I would love one day to do a record with Drake. I think it would be amazing.
Laurėne: That sounds very promising. Speaking of future plans, where do you see yourse lf in 5 years from now?
Shamil: In 5 years from now, I hope we’ve done a few tours. I know I’m going to be making music but I hope I will be still making music [laugh]. I really take things day by day, you know. This is my life and as long as I’m still doing what I love to do, I’m good with that, you know.
Laurėne: Thank you for your time Shamil.