Previously self-releasing their single ‘This is the Life’, the pair immersed themselves in their African roots, taking everyone by surprise as they veered from the ‘pop’ world in to a more honest representation of their sound and style. Drawing on Dancehall and Afrobeats for inspiration, Reggie ‘N’ Bollie garnered a wealth of support across BBC Radio 1Xtra, Radio 1 and Capital Xtra, laying a strong foundation for the release of ‘Bumaye’.
We spoke to the pair as they got back on the campaign trail for their new single!
Your photos on social media show a fun summer holiday; what have you been doing?
Reggie: Relaxing with our wives and our kids, and all of that. Bollie was in Slovakia and the Czech Republic; I was in New York and Miami for a few days.
You have a new single out called ‘Bumaye’. How would you describe it?
Bollie: The single is a song we’re really proud of. It’s actually a song that we set to do at one of the sessions that we had to push in, as we had a song on our album and the label showed an interest in it, so we had to push that away and do something to replicate that. It was actually the last song we recorded on the album. We went into the studio with three other songwriters and the whole vibe was amazing, and the song came out as it is. It was the last song we recorded but we’re going to push it straight away.
‘Bumaye’ is the special charm about someone that makes you like them. There are certain people around you but you don’t know the reason why you like them. Any time that thing happens, it’s Bumaye.
In the context on the song that’s what it means but it’s a word that already exists. It’s a Congolese word [and it was used in] the Mohammed Ali fight.
How would you say your sound has changed on this new release?
Reggie: Yeah. As the months and years go by we’re doing our best not to be too predictable, and doing the same things over again. Obviously there’s a certain sound that most of our fans and people know us for, so we try not to become predictable as then people lose interest. We always make sure we experiment with new vibes and new styles and this one is a typical example. The afrobeats side of our fans are really loving it. The dancehall fans side are loving it; [plus] the pop fans and everyone. That means a lot to us; to do a song that is not limited to one genre.
Will there be a video coming out?
Reggie: We are actually in talks with a video director, building the storyboard and everything. We will be filming very soon. We want to make sure that the video comes out and does even more for the audio that people are already enjoying. It will be out very soon.
You have launched an independent music label; is that helping you make the music you want to make?
Reggie: To release music on our independent label gives us more freedom, creatively. Obviously when you are with a big label the machinery always does a lot for you, but when you are an independent artist you need to believe in yourself, and invest in yourself, and that’s the reason why we keep doing what we’re doing. When you think about it, all the big labels you see today, started small and grew bigger. That’s our vision; [take] Jay-Z’s interview where he was talking about how they started Def Jam and Ron Nation and all those things. It’s good for everyone in the industry to be that daring when the time comes.
How’s work going on your debut album?
Bollie: It’s around 98, 99% [done]. At the moment we’re at the documentation side of things, making sure everyone involved has got the paperwork signed and everything. When the time is right we’ll release it, but [it’s] definitely this year.
Have you got any live dates coming up?
Reggie: In about two weeks time there’s a festival, the Solihull Summer Festival, and we’re performing with the likes of Peter Andre and other well known artists. Apart from that there are other shows that have been booked. After we’ve released our album, a few weeks or months into that, we’re going to announce our own tour where we get to play around all the towns and cities people have asked for.
You have a very energetic stage presence; is that important to you both when you perform?
Reggie: We definitely believe in being fully present in that moment. That is one time when people actually get to believe you as an artist. Maybe you’re on a live TV show; the song goes straight to number one in the charts. We take it very seriously. There may be times when people hear your audio and can’t really connect but when you perform [live] this is your chance to say why you should believe in me [and] this is why you should support me. And that’s why we have that energy.
Finally what are your ambitions for the rest of the year?
Reggie: We’ve got really huge ambitions. For the long term we are working hard on our label to be able to grow it, and even sign other artists. Obviously within the next six months we’re releasing our album and we are putting everything into it, so it gets the best success that it can. We want to see our songs getting into the charts, to the top positions. If we believe and work hard enough we can achieve that, so that’s why we’re working every day without stopping!
