Sala Apolo, Barcelona (26 jul). Protoje came, delivered and surprised… Our gig review in Spanish is published on Reggae.es. To stay for our gig review with Protoje himself on the spot, just keep reading here:
ilo: This is inews24.co.uk with Protoje, we’re welcoming him back, to Spain, in Barcelona.
Protoje: Yes, it was awesome, one of my favorite shows of all the tour, Barcelona. It’s crazy, very high energy, they know the music very well and I am thankful for the support.
ilo: They know, yes. They knew all the lyrics, actually yes. I saw it.
Protoje: Yes, you know, there must be a lot of work going on from the soundsystems and the culture keeping it alive. So I am very grateful that they came out, come and see me.
ilo: Well, it’s an interesting date too. It’s the Wednesday after the Tuesday that „Blood Money“ dropped, the video, the visuals.
Protoje: Yes, yeah, the video just came out, doing well. I wanted to give a visual representation of the lyrics of the song but in a different way, you know? I didn’t want the video to be doing the same thing I am singing about. It’s really well created by Che Kothari and I am hoping people can see it all over the world.
ilo: Where did you meet Che Kothari?
Protoje: Che used to be my Manager, at one point of my career. We are good friends, you know? He is a world class photographer and I am glad we got the chance to work together.
ilo: Ok, cool. The other side [end] of the time was, you’re traveling to Africa?
Protoje: Yes, tomorrow, for my first time in Africa. So, it should be very memorable in Ethiopia, we’re playing Addis Ababa. Looking forward to this for a long time. So, I am getting to go now.
ilo: So, at which year of your career are you now? Well, we can’t count really because we’ve done interviews years ago and we’ve talked about 7 years and 8 years [“The Seven Year Itch” and “The 8 Year Affair“].
Protoje: Yeah, well.
ilo: And actually, with Africa now, something is ‘coming true, which, I think, you wanted to do for longer, or?
Protoje: It’s been about, I’d say 7 years since my first song, almost 8 years since my first- when “Arguments” just came out. So-
ilo: that was when I interviewed you years back.
Protoje: You interviewed me, I think, first time in 2011, so I mean, it’s been lots of work, lots of songs, lots of effort, lots of touring, lots of ups and downs but I am very glad where I am at and I am very grateful for the support. And finally I get to go to Ethiopia and play music. I am glad my first time there is to play music.
ilo: It’s such an exciting date really, I’d love to join and see the vibe there, see how they will welcome you-
Protoje: yeah, yeah, I am looking forward, I am looking forward to this.
ilo: Absolutely. It’s one date in Africa and it’s Ethiopia, that’s on Saturday.
Protoje: Is it? And then I come back and finish up Europe, do some shows and then I go back home.
ilo: And then you go back home, I see, yeah.
Protoje: Yeah and I go work on more music.
ilo: You go work on more music, wow, that’s – Today I heard something newish, in the first quarter of the show?
Protoje: Was it “Strolling“? Maybe? It’s the song I’ve made with Alborosie.
ilo: Ok. Yeah that’s very possible.
Protoje: We made a collaboration together, you know?
ilo: It’s new?
Protoje: No, no no, it’s last year.
ilo: Ok.
Protoje: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
ilo: Ok, so when you will go back, will you look for some more collaborations to do?
Protoje: Yeah, always, always. I just got to see and work on new music, trying to put out some new. Like there’s another project very soon. It is just to go back, see what we have, see who we are going to work with and take it from there, you know?
ilo: So there is something in place already?
Protoje: There’s always something in place.
ilo: Some hint?
Protoje: No, no, no, no hint. We just, I am just working, I am always working hard to give to people. I want to be consistent, I want to be, I want to be- you know, in the lineage of great Reggae artist that have come in the history and you have to work really hard and smart to be, to get to that level. So I just have to keep working hard.
ilo: Yeah, you need to keep your discipline but you have got a good one, so-
Protoje: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
ilo: Absolutely so. And what we loved is actually hearing [a cover of] Nirvana?
Protoje: Yeah well, I love Nirvana. I love Rock, I love Rage against The Machine and Nirvana a lot. So, just having fun singing some songs I like.
ilo: I didn’t know about this influence at all, ahem, yeah, you’re speaking to someone who was at Kurt Cobain’s last gig-
Protoje: Oh shit, that’s epic!
ilo: hearing [“Smells Like Teen Spirit” of the album] “Nevermind” on Protoje stage?
Protoje: Yeah “Nevermind” was one of my favorite albums, really respected his songwriting and inside. So, it’s just another influence I have. And Rage against the Machine, I used to look on Zack [de la Rocha] on stage and he is so active and all the move and I always wanted that energy. So I picked a lot from different, different influencers and stir it and I come up, you know?
ilo: Absolutely, I see this, you pick from completely different sides, I didn’t expect this. I like it, you know, you’re taking from lots of sources?
Protoje: True, true, yes.
ilo: And life treats you good, Barcelona treated you good? You were here for a couple of days?
Protoje: Yes I was here for 4 days, walking all around, observing. Yes life is good. Life is up and down, its moments are good and bad. It’s a wave, so you just have to have a positive outlook and give thanks for what you have right now.
ilo: Yes, give thanks, “Hail Rastafari“, give thanks for playing that song tonight as well.
Protoje: Much love, much love.
ilo: Love it, yeah. We’re here now a couple of years from when it all started and it goes into a good direction. I see you’re developing musically. You took that “Blood Money” song [to stage], it has a very difficult topic [corruption], which ahem, I don’t know, were you quite sure to do it or was it something to try and see?
Protoje: I just wanted to- Every album I wanna come with a different style, a different approach. I don’t want it to be the same. So for this I wanted something more in your face, more direct, more to the point. And it is very potent, I just think it works. People like it and it is music, music is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable, so-
ilo: to make people think?
Protoje: Yes.
ilo: To make people start thinking. Ok, it definitely did. You are speaking about Jamaica, we have a lot of that [corruption] in Europe, so- I guess it’s-
Protoje: Yeah Jamaica is just a metaphor.
ilo: It’s just a metaphor.
Protoje: For everywhere, you know?
ilo: Yeah, micro, macro. Or how it goes. Alright. That’s what I wanted to see clear. So, big up Protoje. Thank you so-
Protoje: Thank you so much.
ilo: so much.
Protoje: Bless! Salute.
Interview by: Ilona “ilo” Kepic
More tour dates:
AUG 4 – Esperanzah – Floreffe, Belgium
AUG 5 – Reggae Sun Ska Festival – Bordeaux, France
AUG 6 – Ruhr Reggae Summer – Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
AUG 11 – Boomtown – Hampshire, UK
AUG 13 – Jamaica House 2017 (Indigo at the O2) – London, UK
AUG 26 – AfroPunk – Brooklyn, NY
