His father was deported, his brother jailed for murder and he became a No 1 artist. In an exclusive interview, we sit down with Dave (@Santandave1) to discuss life so far and the new album inspired by his mother. thetimes.co.uk/article/dave-t…
Dave’s second album, We’re All Alone in This Together, had just gone straight in at No 1, with the best opening week sales figures of the year.
It is his second No 1 album. His debut, Psychodrama, marked him as our most urgent young artist.
It is his second No 1 album. His debut, Psychodrama, marked him as our most urgent young artist.
His songs tell of expensive watches and fast cars — standard in hip-hop — but then veer towards immigration, domestic violence and racism. All are backed by gorgeous piano melodies he can write having achieved grade seven as a teenager.
📸 Andrew Timms
📸 Andrew Timms
Dave’s new song Heart Attack sums up his life to date. It starts with snippets of TV news about knife crime, before he tells of gangs and prisons and how his mother, Juliet, once fell down some stairs. “I used the word ‘fell’, with commas inverted,” he raps.
It ends with a recording of Juliet, a Nigerian immigrant and nurse, weeping over how she has been treated in this country. “Every day,” she says, “I’m in pain.” It is the most jaw-dropping track of the year.
Why did he put his mum sobbing into a song? “Sometimes I wonder if it was right to include it. But that pain? My mum is a good person. A nurse. She don’t trouble nobody. People need to hear it.”
📸 Andrew Timms
📸 Andrew Timms
“We’re All Alone in This Together is my mum’s story,” says Dave. “The two people in the boat on the cover [inspired by a Monet painting] represent me and my mum and, also, everyone who tries for a better life in the United Kingdom.”
We talk about the abuse his friend Marcus Rashford received after the final of the European Championship. “This country? Nothing surprises me,” says Dave.
“But it’s hard, because the moment you speak about the country everyone gets offended and says, ‘I’m not racist.’”
“But it’s hard, because the moment you speak about the country everyone gets offended and says, ‘I’m not racist.’”
He segues into his other burning issue, misogyny. “So when women say men are a problem, you’ve got to go, ‘That’s a not a lie.’ Why play blind as a man . . .? Look at the statistics.”
Dave’s emotional vulnerability puts him on a pedestal.
“I just play my position,” he shrugs. “I’m such an emotional guy and that is a skill.”
📸 Andrew Timms
“I just play my position,” he shrugs. “I’m such an emotional guy and that is a skill.”
📸 Andrew Timms
Read the full exclusive interview with @Santandave1 thetimes.co.uk/article/dave-t…
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