Jagga is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most exciting new talents. Having already gained a large following on Twitter as well as having celebrity fans, including Katy B, with whom he’s toured with, and West London trio TMS, who he has now teamed up with for the release of ‘I Need You’. Described as an “Almighty force whose own brand of high-octane, cross-genre floor stompers and signature charismatic vocal have propelled him from the streets of Hackney to the forefront of the UK’s underground music scene.” Flavour caught up with Jagga for a chat about his ambitions, touring with Katy B and his trademark afro.
Let’s go right back to the start. Can you remember the moment when you first decided that you wanted to pursue music as a career?
It was after having a few rubbish jobs which I didn’t enjoy doing. I also got laid off because I was always turning up late and when you don’t like something you tend not to really have much motivation. [Laughs]… So I thought to myself life is too short and soon after I began my journey in music.
Your sound is quite unique especially as it fuses a mixture of dubstep, pop, electro and a drop of dancehall. But using three words how would you sum up your musical sound in one piece?
A lot of people keep asking me to describe my sound but I really don’t know… [Laughs]… At the moment, I am in the studio experimenting with different genres while trying to take things in a lot of different directions.
You cite your musical influences from Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix. Why is that? Do you think you have much in common?
I don’t reckon I have much in common with those guys but they are just people that I admire very much. If you go on to my Facebook then you will see people like James Brown, Sizzla and a lot of other groundbreaking artists whose music are special to me.
Many people may easily recognise you for your style and also your trademark afro. How have you managed to keep this up in an industry that is always about appearance?
To be honest I haven’t really thought about it as I like to dress the way how I like, and the reason why my hair is the way how it is because it’s much easier to take care of. I think that it’s important that you be yourself, but obviously I wouldn’t walk on stage in a pair of old tracksuit bottoms. However, it can get a little difficult for some artists as people always want to repackage you to fit their idea of what the public wants.
Jessie J in recent times said that Lady Gaga has made it more complicated for artists as she makes everyone else look uninteresting. Do you feel that musicians need to stand out to an extent in order to be successful?
I respect what she [Lady Gaga] does, but I think, to a certain extent, sometimes that you have to realise it’s more about putting on a show and that’s exactly what she does. In a way I admire that because I don’t think you can moan about the fact that she’s making everybody else uninteresting, but she’s definitely made a name for herself so good luck to her.
You have just been supporting Katy B on her tour. What was that like?
The tour was sick! I was out with her for about twenty dates, but it was a lot of fun we also had a lot of late nights and loads of madness but it was great. She’s also a really cool girl and it’s nice to meet people like her who’ve had a couple top ten hits and still remains very down to earth and natural.
Speaking of Katy B, we’ve been a bit baffled from her recent single in which she said she was on a mission. Did she by any chance reveal to you what exactly this mission was?
[Laughs]… I don’t know maybe she’s talking about just doing her thing, which could either be going to party… [Laughs]… I’ve never really thought about it.
Are you pleased with the response from your new single ‘I Need You’ featuring TMS?
Yeah! When you put a single out there that you like you sometimes think is anyone else going to like it or are people going to be feeling it, but there are all sorts of things that can hamper your efforts in trying to push what you’re doing forward. So far, we’ve received a lot of love, but we are hoping that it keeps on growing and we develop a wider audience.
And finally, what are your future plans from here?
I would like to have the freedom to be able to make the records that I want to make and have people behind me who are willing to support my ideas, and the fans out there that would to buy the records.
TMS Feat. Jagga – ‘I Need You’ is released on June 13.
You can also follow him on Twitter @JaggaOfficial
Interview by Noel Phillips
