Meet The Artist: In-Conversation with uyi.

Birmingham-based rapper, poet and vocalist uyi. (a.k.a the sadboii) is an upcoming rising star looking to take his craft to the next level with his forthcoming 2-part project ‘The Blood on Our Leaves EP’ due to drop in the summer! uyi. has already released a bunch of alternative rap projects that showcase the vocalist’s unique ability to self-evaluate and express emotions thoughtfully and eloquently. We had the amazing opportunity to chat with uyi. in the run-up to his EP, to discuss a wide spectrum of topics such as his musical roots, his music-making process and dream collaborations in the future! Here’s what came of our discussion:

Introduce Yourself?

uyi: Hi! I’m uyi. an artist from Birmingham in the UK. I’m a rapper, poet and writer.

How and when did you get into making music?

uyi: It sounds a little cliche but I’ve been always been into music. I’ve loved making music from a young age. When I was in secondary school I was sort of writing acoustic songs and just whatever came to mind. I was one of those kids with a songbook and one day I was on YouTube and I found an instrumental to Tinie Tempah’s ‘Written in the Stars’ and I wrote my first proper rap verse which led to me starting to rap. At the time I did GCSE music which led to me being in a band with my producer (Michael Who) and one of our friends, I would rap over acoustic songs and then I began wanting to make my own songs and I kinda just went from there… I’ve spent so long on YouTube with thousands of instrumentals, just figuring out my sound and how my voice worked. Eventually I came back to Mike and the rest is history.

How would you describe your up-and-coming project ‘The Blood on Our Leaves EP’?

uyi: This project to me is a combination of the last few years of my life, I like my projects to snapshot into what I’m feeling at the time and how I’ve dealt with emotions and issues I’ve had. To me the idea of the blood on our leaves on a macro level represents the connectivity of humanity, sometimes I feel like it’s important to remember we are all one, despite our differences, we can’t really progress without each other and from a day to day perspective I like to think of myself and others as trees, that need nurturing. We go through seasons of change and growth just like trees, I imagine our thoughts and ideas as the leaves and us all in little gardens which we call families, it might sound a bit weird but to me, that idea really put life into perspective how important family is and how important it is to help people to grow their leaves.

Top 5 rappers dead or alive?

uyi: Ahhhh the ultimate question, I don’t even like answering this one but I’d confidently say without these rappers I wouldn’t be one. The songs they’ve created and the way they’ve connected with me are something I’ll cherish forever. My top 5 in no order are J.cole, Dave, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller and Potter Payper

What does family mean to you?

uyi: Everything. To me, it’s so so important not only in a blood way but also people in my life who I would consider family, who have done more for me than I could ever repay them for.

What does your music-making process entail?

uyi: I try to write something most days, even if it’s just a line or making a melody and day to day I meet people who inspire a thought or idea and that’s kind of how most songs start and then it is a case of meeting up with Mike and we always joke that we are just throwing paint at a wall until we feel something. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I keep songs for ages and just live with them for a bit and then every so often we make some changes until it’s in a space where I feel like it’s finished.

If you could collab with any UK artist who would it be?

uyi: I don’t think I could pick just one there is some serious talent in the UK but the main artists I want to work with right now are Maverick Sabre, Jorja Smith, Dave and Loyle Carner.

What’s the story/reasoning behind your nickname - ‘Sadboi’?

uyi: Honestly, it’s just the reaction people gave me to my music… I get messages all the time about how my songs feel sad and reflective and they bring people to a really interesting place most say it’s sad but I don’t think it is so I kind of flipped it on its head to make it a little bit more fun. With music, I’m always looking for a feeling and it doesn’t feel sad, it’s more calming than anything I use it as a way to relax and organise my thoughts and feelings. So yeah… Sad boy for life.

What keeps you inspired during those ‘tough periods’?

uyi: There are a few things I use all the time when the days get chaotic, one was from an Instagram live with Fraser T Smith in which he talks about longevity in music and how it’s impossible to constantly be chasing a moment because they aren’t sustainable. I accept that life ultimately is unpredictable and is the longest thing I’m going to ever experience. This allows me to calm down and take stuff one step at a time, I think more than anything that’s the most important thing to do especially when the days feel like they are a lot to handle.

What do you want to get out of music in the long run?

uyi: My ultimate goal is to really just be able to provide for the people I love and get to live with. I often dream of moving out to the middle of nowhere and starting some books and painting. I’m a ‘creative’ more than anything so I would like for music to allow me to do that, whatever the medium. I’m not really an awards/glamour kind of person, I just want the music to connect with people and to find some sort of peace in life.

What’s your biggest achievement to date?

uyi: I’m incredibly proud of my spoken words, I love writing poetry and from where I started a few years ago I feel like I’ve progressed a lot and I find it so rewarding to capture such emotion in such short amounts of time.

What’s next for you as an artist?

uyi: I have a few projects coming out this year and some shows I’m currently planning. The thing I’m most excited about is my next two EPs titled ‘The Blood on Our Leaves’ they are a two-part project and I really stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to push myself to create something more complex concept-wise.

Where can people find you?

uyi: I’m on everythangggg my socials are all @longliveuyi

Be sure to follow ‘uyi.’ on his social pages:

Instagram | Spotify | Twitter | Soundcloud

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