British singer-songwriter
Musical artist
Sekou Sylla is a British singer from Leicestershire . He was nominated for the Brit Award for Rising Star in 2024.
From Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire , he attended Ashby School and Ivanhoe College .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4]
Described as having a rich and bottom-heavy baritone voice, Sekou was signed to Good Soldier Records at 16 years-old after posting songs of himself singing on platforms such as Tik Tok and Soundcloud .[ 5] [ 1] [ 6]
In 2022, he played in the BBC Music Introducing tent at the 2022 Glastonbury Festival after being handpicked to play by Arlo Parks . Prior to that he performed at the wedding of Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz . He also supported John Legend on tour that year.[ 7] [ 6]
His debut EP Out of Mind was released in June 2023, was released when he was 18 years-old. He co-wrote songs on the EP with Dixson as well as working with Sounwave and Al Shux [ 1] [ 5] His single Better Man and follow-up Time Will Tell , co-written with Theron Thomas , were released in 2023.[ 8] [ 9] In 2023, he performed on the BBC Two television show Later… with Jools Holland and had his music featured on the television dating show Love Island .[ 4]
Sekou was nominated for the Brit Award for Rising Star at the 2024 BRIT Awards .[ 10] [ 11]
In 2024, Sekou performed the theme tune for the BBC One musical drama This Town , created by Steven Knight and set in the West Midlands .[ 12]
Extended plays
Singles
"Better Man" (2023)
"Forgiving Myself" (2023)
"Time Will Tell" (2023)
"Crying" (2024)
"Let Go of Me Slowly" (2024)
Guest appearances and collaborations
^ a b c Snyder, Taryn (31 July 2023). "10 QUESTIONS WITH SEKOU, AHEAD OF HIS LONDON SHOW THIS EVENING" . 10 Magazine . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ Garrett, Lee; Hodgkiss, Samuel (21 June 2022). "Teenager from Ashby performing at Glastonbury" . Staffordshire-live . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ Garrett, Lee (24 April 2023). "Rising singing star Sekou welcomes Ashby homecoming gigs after previous cancellations" . Leicester Mercury . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ a b Garrett, Lee (18 November 2023). "Ashby rising star Sekou set for BBC Two Later with Jools Holland in TV debut" . Leicester Mercury . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ a b Soetan, Sope (24 January 2024). "Sekou is the soul star that the UK has been waiting for" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ a b Steel, Louise (20 June 2022). "ASHBY TEEN SEKOU PERFORMS FIRST GIG AT GLASTONBURY" . Leicester Times . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ Garrett, Lee (17 May 2022). "Crazy few months will see rising Leicestershire star perform at Glastonbury and support John Legend" . Leicester Mercury . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ "Rising Vocalist Sekou Debut's His First Single "Better Man" " . New Wave Magazine . 5 December 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ "Next Wave #1145: Sekou" . Clash Music . 8 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ "Sekou nominated for Brits Rising Star award" . BBC.co.uk . 28 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ "BRIT Awards announce Rising Star shortlist for 2024" . NME . 28 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024 .
^ Garrett, Lee (3 March 2024). "Ashby's Sekou to perform theme song for Peaky Blinders creator's new BBC show This Town" . Leicester Mercury . Retrieved 6 March 2024 .