Monjola is at the helm of a burgeoning wave of new sound and new culture. The Irish-Nigerian alt-R&B artist represents something much bigger than his music.
Monjola was a Covid baby. Experimenting with his younger brother, musician and producer Moio, the duo have prospered together ever since.They engage in the creative process with the trust and confidence of siblings, and the artistic intuition of musicians.
"It's beautiful. I find it a lot easier to be vulnerable", says Monjola on working with his brother Moio. "It’s therapeutic, I can say anything without being judged."
Taking the music thing seriously seemed to kind of just happen for them. Written in the stars or spiritually predestined - you can determine that one. But it was organic, so there was no pressure.
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"We built a community around us. It just happened. We all met up every Sunday and made music. No one was taking it seriously and I think that was the most beautiful part."
By 2022, Monjola was opening for Kid Cudi in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Milan on his 'To the Moon’ world tour.
"That was crazy. That kept me going. If you don’t feel like quitting every day, you’re not a real creative. You kind of have to be a bit deluded with all of this stuff - I’m trying to make a living from being an attention seeker. The tour gave me the motivation to keep going."
Monjola’s first EP, iTs NoT tHaT DeEP NoT tHaT DeEP, was released in June. It’s a concept record. The whole thing is a contradiction. Its title (a phrase I say way too much probably punctuated by a totally unnecessary ‘like’) screams denial.
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The EP is bound together by a delicate vulnerability that attempts to work out the painful complexities of a relationship.
Initially writing down a disorganised rush of mixed feelings that didn’t really tell a story, Monjola collected his thoughts into a chronological diary-style format, laying out his emotions in an evolving storyline.
"I never wrote the songs with the intentions of - this is exactly what I want to make. It just came out and then I put the story together and realised what I was saying. Subconsciously, this is what I’m going through right now. It was a bit of work for me too - I was like, "what am I trying to say?
"I was in my head for the whole project. I made something last year then scrapped the whole thing. I was in my head, overthinking a lot."
You can feel the energy. We're all invested in each other. We’re all collaborating.
This EP has been highly anticipated. After four extremely successful years of releasing tunes, now seemed to be the time to put out a body of music.
"I don’t know. Is there ever really a right time? It felt right," says Monjola.
"This had to be it. I don’t think I’ll ever take this long to put out a body of work again. This was something I was really attached to."
You are in Monjola’s thoughts. In the volatility of his emotion. Nothing is filler or fluff. It’s lyrically and musically thoughtful. Romantic and raw. And it is here that lies the irony. You can see why this one felt like it was worth putting out.
Monjola is shaping Irish culture. His collective Chamomile Club - a creative house (headquartered on Dublin's Fade Street) started alongside brother Moio and partner Aby Coulibaly - has become a high profile musical-cultural space that is getting a lot of attention.
"The scene is growing at a rapid pace. We’re getting more international recognition. People are taking us more seriously. I think the standard has gone up. People are making good sh*t ", says Monjola
"You can feel the energy. We’re all invested in each other. We’re all collaborating. It’s about time."
Referred to as an "authentic movement" and "creative house" by its founders - it is difficult to define by what feels like a somewhat insufficient definition. Hosting colourful block parties in urban spaces is what it does. As is acting as a brand umbrella for Irish artists and their music. But it feels like a lot more than that.
Chamomile Club is creating something that people want to be a part of. People get it. They see the vision and they want to be a part of it. Ultimately, they believe in the potential of Monjola and his peers. They foresee the success and are therefore somehow part of it. And if you weren’t there - you missed out on something big.
iTs NoT tHaT DeEP is out now. Chamomile Club host their biggest party yet, The Chamomile Garden on Saturday July 27th, at Orlagh House in Rathfarnham, Dublin - find out more here.
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