Zarif
u
s
i
c
M
Fresh, exciting,
extrovert and
talented
The child of a Scottish father and Iranian Jewish mother, the 25-
year-old Londoner has crammed a lot into a short space of time,
making her name in an underground London scene. And her
unusual background helps explain her singular and eclectic
approach.
London’s soul singer-songwriter open mic circuit is one of the
Benjamin
capital’s best-kept secrets. At a series of venues across the city,
songwriters get to test out new material in front of their peers. It
was on one of these stages that Zarif was spotted by legendary
Taylor
DJ/producer duo ‘The Nextmen’, who asked her to be the featured
vocalist on 3 tracks on their recent album. This lead to her
performing at countless festivals last summer including Glastonbury
The Killing Bite
and Global Gathering.
Her explosive, sassy, feel-good debut single ‘Let Me Back’ was
released on April 6th and is written by Zarif, and co-produced by
‘Kung Folk’ seeks not to know the answers but rather to
Tommy D (Kanye West, Corinne Bailey-Rae). It’s edgy pop with a
understand the questions. Benjamin Taylor’s memorable melodies,
nod back to early Jackson 5 and the rare groove classics. Zarif’s
immaculate acoustic guitar playing and insightful, honest lyrics
eclectic debut album will follow early next year. a73
demand your attention with 10 songs that come straight from
the heart. With his third full-length album, ‘The Legend of Kung
Folk, Part 1 (The Killing Bite),’ Taylor puts the “kick” back into folk
music to reveal the humour, wit and skill of a singer-songwriter
who’s comfortable in both his own skin and with his impressive
musical legacy.
The son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, Ben’s life was always
centred on music, although he spent several years travelling the
world, developing a deep appreciation for the earth and the
outdoors. His acclaimed previous releases include his debut album,
‘Famous Among the Barns,’ and ‘Another Run Around The Sun,’
which was hailed on Radio 2 as “LP of the Week.”
Making music has become as natural as breathing to Ben.
Accordingly, this approach has coloured his songwriting on ‘The
Legend of Kung Folk’ –
“Once you write it, a good
song stands up on its own.
You just have to be careful
not to dress it in anything
that will inhibit its natural
potential. This time around
I’m trying to focus less on
making music and more on
helping the music to make
itself.” a73
44 the north magazine
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