UV Boi فوق بنفسجي
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

UV Boi فوق بنفسجي

uvboi.jpg

UV Boi is one of many underground artists that can be considered a Soundcloud success story, after taste-making Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth seemingly plucked him from obscurity. Their subsequent collaboration Gods propelled the softly spoken teenager into the national spotlight. “I’m just enjoying this ride so far,” he says. “I’ve played at some amazing festivals and had the chance to support some of my favourite artists.”

Despite being in such high demand, UV Boi, or Emmanuel John to his friends and family, remains humble, choosing to let his music speak for itself. “I just want to create music from the heart and hopefully other people will like it too,” he says. Acting on the advice of his friend Flume, staying true to himself is UV Boi’s number one priority. “I try not to let anything influence me too much. I just write what I like.”

While UV Boi’s career is still burgeoning, his love of music began to grow as a young whippersnapper. One of his fondest childhood memories is listening to Danish pop duo Junior Senior’s mega smash Move Your Feet on repeat. However, it wasn’t until he reached high school and began playing around with a Windows program, chopping up songs and making mixtapes for his friends, that UV Boi discovered a hidden talent for music production.

After a few years of honing his production skills and immersing himself in hip hop, dubstep, trap and electronic music, UV Boi uploaded Thank U and Ghost to Soundcloud and began booking club gigs, regardless of the fact he wasn’t old enough to legally attend his own shows.

“I was still in high school when I started UV Boi,” he says. “I wasn’t really into going out too much, so being thrown straight into playing shows in clubs before I’d even been to one was something really different. It was like being the main attraction at a carnival before I’d even experienced being a carnival punter.

“When I first began making music, I didn’t have too many goals, so to speak, but I did have dreams of being able to travel, play shows and meet fans. And now I’m doing all those things. It’s been really fun.”

At 19-years-old, UV Boi has the world at his feet, and he’s looking forward to the future. “Music has opened up a lot of avenues that I can explore now,” he says. “I’d love to get into film directing or creating compositions for films, and I really like animation as well, so I’d love something to do with that.”

As a self-confessed durag and squat enthusiast he says that he’s open to any opportunities. “I’ve always loved fashion too, so I’d consider doing something in that field, but everything will still revolve around music – that’s definitely what I plan to stick with.”

While 2015 is drawing to a close, things aren’t slowing down for UV Boi. “Next year will be really busy – I’ve got a lot of things planned. I’ll be at Beyond the Valley for New Year’s Eve and I’m playing with [Swedish rapper and producer] Yung Lean.  Then after that I have a tour with Kilter, E^st, and Dylan Joel, they’re all-ages shows. That’s all happening in January and then my EP will come out.”

Teaming up with Eastghost on If She, If He, UV Boi is fast becoming known for his masterful collaborations. He says he’s been hard at work on the forthcoming LUV EP. “It’s all been coming together naturally. The next feature on my EP is with a Brisbane band called Mtns.  We met randomly at a show and we just kind of hit it off, so I said, ‘Hey, let’s get into the studio soon,’ and we did. They did the lead vocals. It will come out in February and it’s really amazing. I think we will work on a few more tracks together. I’m really excited to finally have some new music out and just see where life goes from there.”

BY NATALIE ROGERS