Seb Kojo - An Undiscovered Talent
Seb Kojo may just be a Music Producer and Artist in his spare time, but his ambitions go way beyond someone with a relatively small following. Here he speaks about his earliest music memories, his inspirations and the drive to stand out in such a competitive Industry.
You’d be forgiven for assuming Sebastian Brough, ‘Kojo’ to his close friends, was currently studying a music based course in his third and final year at Chichester University. After all, singing and producing has become something he is recognised for with his first release ‘Lightning’ gaining over 1000 streams in a few months on Spotify. You may then be surprised to hear that he is in fact studying Sports Coaching, whilst also mulling over the thought of taking a barbering course after he’s graduated. “That’d be cool. I just wanna be versatile, and not just fit under one label”. Whether it’s indecision, the desire to be a jack of all trades or both, if there’s one thing he’s not, it's a one-trick pony.
He’s dressed in a blue denim jacket and black jeans as he sits on his living room sofa, smiling widely as he exclaims “This is the first proper interview I’ve done. Actually excited”. I may have the privilege of being the first person to interview Brough, but if recent traction and attention is anything to go by, I won’t be the last.
So, when did this passion for music begin? “I’ve always been into music. My parents would always listen to the old school stuff, Luther Vandross, Nat King Cole, Bill Withers. I think that influenced my taste growing up, although I’ve been able to develop my own more modern sound now”.
​
“My parents would always listen to the old school stuff, Luther Vandross, Nat King Cole, Bill Withers”
​
Going to University and studying a Sports Course was something that Brough believed would pave the way for a career in Sport and Leisure and whilst it still might, it is during his time in Sussex that he has discovered that music may be his true calling. “It’s more than a passion really” he says. “it’s involved in pretty much everything I do. I can’t imagine a day without music”.
​
When not attending a Lecture or catching up on work, Brough can be found hanging out with housemates Hector and Matt or more often than not in the confides of his room or as he likes to call it ‘The studio’. “It’s not much of course, but it's somewhere I can get a bit of peace and quiet and just mess about really”. He may refer to it as messing about, but recent releases have seen Brough gain a solid following around University and back home, and it’s something he plans to build on.
​
‘Lightning’, an upbeat Pop/RnB track went above and beyond expectations for someone who worked on it with fellow producer Jacob Green, using nothing more than Logic Pro X software whilst writing lyrics in his spare time. “It was actually a guitar loop I found on a free sample website. I just started writing, came up with a chorus and then went from there”. It took Brough 7 months from start to finish to work on and eventually release the track, and when the creative process was finally complete, it was a huge relief. “It was something I’d been working on with Jacob for a while, but with Uni work and other stuff it wasn’t easy to get everything done quickly. I was also wanting to make it as close to perfection as possible”.
Barbados Producer Jacob Green, better known as IAMJAG may have been the man behind the Instrumental but the lyrics were entirely Seb’s work, with his inspiration being his relationship with his Girlfriend of 2 years. “I think you can be given any instrumental as an artist and have little clue what to write about, but once you have a melody in your head then lyrics just come to you”.
​
“Once you have a melody in your head then lyrics just come to you”
​
When it was finally complete and released across multiple platforms, the initial reaction and feedback was overwhelming for Brough even though he ‘had a positive feeling’.
“It was mad. The main thing was I had loads of friends sending me videos on social media of them dancing to it, and telling me how much they liked it. People I hadn’t spoken to in ages got in contact just to tell me they were a fan. It was a great feeling”.
If this reaction was a surprise for the young talent he only built on it with the dance/pop tune ‘Firelight’, a song he wrote and co-produced with his two housemates also proving a hit with his ever-growing fan-base. He speaks of someone with maturity beyond his 20 years when asked about what he wants to achieve as an artist.
“At this stage, I’m just enjoying myself. Music makes me happy, and if something makes you happy, I believe you should do it. If something comes of it, great, but either way what I’m creating enables me to express myself in ways I couldn’t otherwise do.”
Eagle-eyed fans will have noticed Brough’s ability to write creative and meaningful lyrics to a variety of differing instrumentals. When asked about this skill, he explains that an interest in poetry and English Language may have played a big part.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
“When I was at school, I used to write poems in English. I actually remember winning awards at times” he laughs. “I wrote a poem about my love for Basketball and my teacher read it out to the school in assembly”. This interest was developed when at secondary school and studying English Language, one of the few subjects he enjoyed. “I was good at creative writing, any piece of work involving story-telling was something I could do without thinking too much.” This is something that translates into his music even years later, and will stand him in very good stead for the future.
​
As the interest in his music continues to grow, so too will a demand to know more about Seb Kojo - the person behind the artist. So how would he describe himself as a person, and what are his other passions? “I’m a laid-back guy, I like to think I’m easy going and have time for everyone. I also have a crazier side which not many people see which is probably a good thing! I’m adventurous as well, I’ll always listen to other people, but I’m not scared to go against what people say either”. And as for his other interests - he’s a huge Basketball fan and Rugby fan, his teams being Miami Heat and Wasps. As some might expect, fashion is also something that is close to his heart with his own personal style being influenced by many of his favourite musicians and celebrities. “I’ve been a trend follower for a while” he smiles. “Now I’m developing my own style though. I think that’s important for anyone, especially an artist. Music is something that has always influenced fashion, and vice-versa”.
​
Brough can be seen as part of a new era of upcoming artists who produce and create music almost entirely digitally, something that is becoming increasingly common. But whilst it's something he is proud of, he doesn’t want to let the opportunity to play various instruments pass him by. “I’d love to be able to play the guitar and the piano one day. I think it’s a different experience and skill to actually be able to play one of those and perform. It’s something that can’t be left behind, and I don’t think it will. There’s still a demand to see an all-round performer and that’s what I’d like to become”.
​
​
“There’s still a demand to become an all-round
performer and that’s what I’d like to become”
“There’s still a demand to see an all-round performer and that’s what I’d like to become”
This ambitious attitude and a desire to keep learning have led to him producing his upcoming releases ‘Bad Love’ and ‘Comfortable’ entirely on his own, something he has found both challenging and rewarding. “I love working with other producers, but having complete creative control has been really cool for me. I wanna be able to produce independently but also collaborate with others of course. Versatility, that’s what it’s about”.
This versatility is evident when being played a short snippet from each track, the first being of a slow-paced, dreamy R&B style and the second having a more upbeat, sing-along vibe to it. If these previews are anything to go by, then his followers are in for a treat. Asked when the two will be released, he replies “sometime in January”, not giving much away. He says it’s his “ultimate goal to have an EP recorded by the summer”.
His work is accomplished in sound, and eloquent in style. For someone for whom this is still only a hobby, it’s certainly impressive. Seb Kojo may still be a relatively ‘undiscovered’ artist, but the future looks bright for this young prodigy.