Spotlight On... Rpizy
Having just released his debut solo EP, we shine a spotlight on Glasgow producer, singer-songwriter, artist and creator Rpizy
Nigerian-born, Glasgow-based producer, singer-songwriter, artist and creator Rpizy has been living in Glasgow for ten years now, representing both African and Scottish culture in his music-making. As one half of the duo Cold North, he released the album Argot in 2019 and he worked with Bemz on the track Suddenly, which featured on Bemz's SAY Award-nominated record Saint of Lost Causes.
Skip forward to July 2022 and Rpizy released his debut solo EP, West Road, which you can listen to in the below Spotify player. To find out more, we shine a spotlight on the Glasgow artist to find out more about him, his influences, the EP and what he's got planned next.
You just released your debut solo EP, West Road, but before that you were making music as part of the duo Cold North, and worked with a whole host of much-loved names in the Scottish music scene, including Bemz – how did these collaborations come about?
The quality of music I make as Rpizy and as [one half of] Cold North does definitely attract like-minded artists who want to create something positive and captivating. I’ve been making music for quite a while with Connor, who is the other half of Cold North. When we released our first body of work called Argot, it attracted some interest. One of which was Bemz who was working on his debut record at that time. I remember Bemz coming to the Cold North studio; how Connor described it was Bemz loved our sound and the rest is history.
What has led you to this point in time, going solo and releasing your debut EP as Rpizy?
I have always imagined I’d get to this point but just didn't put it into action until lately. Cold North prepared me for what was next, we experimented with a lot of sound, we had a jazzy Afrobeat/urban-synth combination, that kind of moulded my sound into what it is now.
Tell us about the EP – what are some of the themes found on West Road?
There's a lot more meaning behind West Road than what you’d think – this is the street I grew up on, it has a lot of significance to me and I felt the best way to release my solo career would be to introduce people to my roots. It’s always important for me to have that personal touch.
The EP has a lot of different vibes; I wanted to create something everyone could relate to in different aspects. In as much as trying to keep that feel-good factor, I also wanted to create awareness for issues happening in the world. Everybody was a conscious track trying to talk about people going through struggles and [how] a bit of love would go a long way if people just opened up. Whereas Ride With You is a summer tune for the ladies, haha. Same with Sunrise and Bumper, just feel-good, good vibes kind of tracks. This pretty much defines my sound. Fun, upbeat, feel-good but with a bit of consciousness.
And who or what would you say has helped influence your sound?
Growing up I listened to a lot of Fela Kuti, my older siblings introduced me to music that was from before my time, my brothers had a vast music collection and a lot of variety within that. From Anita Baker, Maxwell & The Roots, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and a bit of The Carpenters, ABBA etc – it was very varied. When I got slightly older I got captivated by the sounds of The Neptunes, Frank Ocean, I loved the sound of the producers more – Timbaland, Just Blaze, along with the likes of current Afrobeat legends such as Burna Boy, Davido etc
Now that your debut EP is out, what’s next for Rpizy?
This is just the beginning, this is just a scratch of the surface. I have a few current projects I’m working on with different artists, I’m working on an album with Sean Reid as well as some more solo projects which I’m hoping to drop by the end of the year. Full steam ahead for Rpizy.
West Road is out now