Maleek Berry is back and, like the warmth of the sun and the yellow-orange hues of summer, the theme of his season is joy. With keen intention, the Afro-R&B pioneer is instilling this joy into the spirit of his listeners by way of his vibrant new album If Only Love Was Enough. The 15-track body of work is a stunning depiction of the multifaceted nature of Maleek Berry’s craft. The largely self-produced new album is a triumph in sonic agility, wandering between genres whilst exploring topics of vulnerability, love and pleasure, and doused in a star-studded line-up of features including Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Zlatan and Ruger. Having expanded beyond the boundaries of his South London hometown, through the journey of his career, Maleek Berry has embraced his Nigerian roots and made his mark as an award-winning, international star and trailblazer. Berry has grown with the industry for 15 years and counting, but he shows no signs of letting up.
Maleek Berry sits down with GRM to talk about the new music, his colourful background, his quintessential sound and the impact he wants to have on us all.
How does it feel now that your new album, If Only Love Was Enough, has been shared with the world?
“Ah, it’s a relief. I’m just coming off the high of the release, just letting it all sink in. I’ve been sitting on this music for too long so finally allowing people to hear the songs, man, it feels good.”
So the album has been years in the making, but in what ways does it reflect where you’re at in your life right now?
“I feel like it represents a lot of growth, a lot of maturity. Sonically, my music has grown quite a bit, as well as the songwriting – I feel like I’m a lot more vulnerable. But yeah, I think the all-round word is maturity.”
Let’s get into the title of the project: “If Only Love Was Enough”. What did the process of christening the album look like?
“Usually, I like to have an idea of the concept early on so then I can build the world that the music is gonna live in. Most times, the name comes at the start [of the creative process] because I like to know where I’m going, to have a sense of direction. Having a theme and a concept allows me to have my sat nav in place so I can drive and take the journey. For example, with If Only Love Was Enough, there’s a theme, colour palettes, there’s a mood when you’re listening to the songs. And if you listen to some of the music, you can feel the brown tones and the mood of 2000’s R&B.”
And there are some huge collaborations on the project too. Is it true that all of the collabs were recorded in-person in the studio?
“Yes, literally every single session was done in-person! You know how the industry is now – everybody’s busy, nobody really has time to get into studio sessions like that. But one thing I take seriously is connections with people that I’m working with, and the song always turns out like 1000 times better when you’re in the studio with the artist because of the chemistry and the energy.”
So what stands out as a favourite memory from when you were recording the album?
“When I made ‘Situation’ [with Wizkid] – we didn’t know what kind of record we were gonna make, but we just knew that it was gonna be a good one. It’s always like that when we’re in a studio together. I think that was probably the most exciting memory.”
And what are some key ingredients in a quintessential Maleek Berry track?
“Ooh, that’s a big question. I’d say: a good topic, a good theme, very melodic and great production. So once you’ve got all of those elements, you’ve got it. And as long as the topic is great, the lyrics don’t have to be that deep! It’s about the concept and the sound.”
What are the roots and artistic influences that guided you to this sound?
“I think it just came naturally. A lot of it was about intentionally sitting down and saying, ‘What sounds did I grow up listening to? Can I put them together?’ So whether it’s the R&B, Afro, the fuji music from Nigeria, the highlife, I just put all of those sounds together. I’ve been doing that since my first EP. I feel like that’s why my sound reaches so many people – because I’m always thinking about how many genres I can put in one song.”
And you were born in South London – how do your South London roots play a part in your art?
“South London, and London in general, is like a bedrock of different cultures, so growing up around all sorts of ethnicities allowed me to soak in a lot of culture. By the time I started going back to Lagos more, I was getting very experimental with my production. That’s what helped me become unique… my music sounded completely different from what everyone was making at the time. And that was because I was taking my experience of growing up in London and blending that with whatever I was experiencing back home [in Nigeria].”
Tell us more about that decision to go back home to Lagos?
“I was about 21 at the time, I think. It was a brave move but I always knew what I wanted to do, I always knew that this is who I wanted to be. I had an idea of how I was going to get there, I just didn’t know that I had to go back home to my roots to do it. I thought I was gonna blow from London. But I went home to reconnect and rediscover my roots… I spent most of that trip around Davido and his camp, and that’s when I got connected to his crew. And through him I met Wizid. That was a destiny-defining trip for me because I met a lot of the people that I would later go on to build with.”
And if we go back even further, when did music-making truly begin for you?
“I’ve always been in love with music but it started when I was a kid in the church. I had a rap group and I was the one who was making a lot of the beats. When we first started, we were rapping over Jay-Z and Nas beats. I remember one day, we were performing over this Nas beat at a church conference or whatever, and one of the uncles in church came over and said, ‘What are you doing? I know that song!’ And he said, ‘How about you make your own beats?’ And that was the light bulb moment for me. I was young, that was in secondary school.
And later, you went on to study computer science at university. How do you think that background plays a part in your music making?
“In computer science, they teach you how to be a problem solver in every aspect. So if I can’t get the right snare or kick or bass or whatever, I’m gonna go and find the person who can. Through computer science and tech, I learnt how to solve problems and move very quickly.”
And on the business side, you’re an independent artist and you have your own label, Berry’s room. What does your label mean to you?
“Ooh, it means everything because I’ve always been an independent artist and I’ve always championed ownership for artists and producers. My label represents that for me. A lot of young artists come to me asking for advice – who would I be to give them that advice if I’m not the blueprint for this whole thing that I’ve been preaching? Berry’s Room represents these dreams coming true and being able to build something from four walls that reaches the rest of the world. Berry’s Room literally started from my bedroom and some of my biggest songs that have changed my life were made in my bedroom. So Berry’s Rooms is deeper than just the label.”
What do you think has allowed you to have such longevity in this industry?
“I don’t have any superpowers – just keeping God first, staying focused, keeping disciplined, keeping real ones around me. As an artist, it’s easy to have ‘yes men’ around you but you need to have people who can tell you when you’re going down the wrong path. That’s kept me solid.”
And finally, when people talk about Maleek Berry’s impact on the world in many years to come, what do you want them to say?
“That I inspired them to be great, to be greater than who they were before they heard my voice. Just that I inspired them.”
Make sure to soak up Maleek Berry’s album, If Only Love Were Enough right now!