Sekou (singer)

British singer-songwriter

Sekou

Birth name| Sekou Sylla[1]
Born| Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England
Genres|

* Soul
* R&B
* pop

Occupations|

* Singer
* songwriter
* musician

Instrument| Vocals

Musical artist

Sekou Sylla is a British singer from Leicestershire. He was nominated for the Brit Award for Rising Star in 2024.

## Early life

[edit]

From Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, he attended Ashby School and Ivanhoe College.[2][3][4]

## Career

[edit]

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]

## Discography

[edit]

Extended plays

* Out of Mind (2023)

Singles

* "Better Man" (2023)
* "Forgiving Myself" (2023)
* "Time Will Tell" (2023)
* "Crying" (2024)
* "Let Go of Me Slowly" (2024)

Guest appearances and collaborations

* "Longevity" (2024) Collaboration with Skrapz and Potter Payper
* "Limitless" (2025) Collaboration with Central Cee

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ Garrett, Lee; Hodgkiss, Samuel (21 June 2022). "Teenager from Ashby performing at Glastonbury". Stafforshire-live. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
3. ^ Garrett, Lee (24 April 2023). "Rising singing star Sekou welcomes Ashby homecoming gigs after previous cancellations". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ a b Steel, Louise (20 June 2022). "ASHBY TEEN SEKOU PERFORMS FIRST GIG AT GLASTONBURY". Leicester Times. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ "Rising Vocalist Sekou Debut's His First Single "Better Man"". New Wave Magazine. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
9. ^ "Next Wave #1145: Sekou". Clash Music. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
10. ^ "Sekou nominated for Brits Rising Star award". BBC.co.uk. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
11. ^ "BRIT Awards announce Rising Star shortlist for 2024". NME. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
12. ^ 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.