W7lF (pronounced Wolf) is a new brand of hip-hop artist to enter the realms of the industry, and makes his mark with brand new single 'Nana's Song'. It's a blend of sounds you will have never come across before, and makes you feel like you're on a beach in the Caribbean whilst also keeping that hard hitting concept of realism and the gut wrenching tale in his lyrics. We caught up with W7lF to learn all about it.
Please talk us through the meaning of your powerful new hip-hop single ‘Nana's Song'.
The disappearance of a great love. End of last year, before releasing my Debut EP 'Along Came A W_lF', I met a wonderful woman. After months of texting & making plans, we finally set a date on when we should meet up. That day, we had the most amazing time. Everything clicked. Our conversations, our mannerisms & the way she looked at me..
We ended up opening up to each other in ways that I've never opened up to no one. I've let this person into the deepest part of my heart. She was the one, out of eight females I've truly liked or loved, that chose me. So, I had little space for where my heart hadn't been broken & she occupied it. And as I kissed her, I truly fell in love with her. And as she kissed me, I knew she fell in love with me.
After that magical day, however, she became distant. Plans were ignored; Excuses were made; Messages were responded to days (sometime weeks) later. Eventually, I decided to cut this person out. Despite my great love for them, I decided to leave. That hurt. I was out of it for almost 6 months before I decided to write this song. I still loved them & I wanted to convey that. I also wanted to convey my understanding of their reasoning & how I felt about them leaving. Nana is a nickname that I gave her.
What is it about 'Nana's Song' that made you want to make it your next single?
A feeling. Sometimes I feel like I gotta' do something that I can't quite explain & I usually end up following through. If I had to explain it somehow, I'd say I thought it would be a great way to show my love. The "Boom-Box playing outside of the girl's house" kind of romantic gesture. I also thought that It would be a great way to relieve the crippling pain I've felt for months on end.
Do you have to be in a certain mood to write?
For this one, yes. I needed a healthy mix of melancholy & reminisce to write this song.
However, that's not a rule. There are times when I'd listen to an instrumental & I'd immediately be put into a mood to write to it. Other times, I would have to be in a certain mood to write.
Sometimes, I would start to write because I need to. Whether it is to finish out a song or just to push myself to start working on a song. There are times when I'd be upset & I'd write a happy song.
With all that being said though, I am a moody person, and while I understand the need to be mature & controlling your mood swings (especially since I have ADHD), when I do end up writing a song that conveys the mood I'm was in, while being that mood, i consider those to be the perfect songs. Nana's Song is certainly one of them.
How was the recording and writing process for 'Nana's Song'?
Natural. It took a couple of takes, while recording, for me to lay my verses in the right tone, but once I got it, everything else sorta' fell into place.
What was the inspiration behind the song?
Nana. The girl I truly loved. The girl who disappeared out of my life. The girl who now made me also afraid & wary of the 'Good girls' that crosses my path.
Where do you live? What’s the music scene like?
Born a Libyan, but currently residing in Perth, Western Australia. The Perth music scene is undervalued; In that, it has a lot of gems of Artists from a multitude of Genres. The Perth scene is also a bit closed off as the state in itself is quite isolated. It is however quite lively with Gigs & shows happening on a weekly basis. I think the Perth scene is at its infancy stage & it'll soon prosper into a powerhouse in the Australian music culture.
Lastly, what's next for W7lF and his journey?
'Nana's Song' was the latest Single of my batch of 3 Songs I've recorded & released ('The Fallen', 'Mythical' & Nana's Song') in the past couple of months. I am currently working on the 2nd batch of Singles to release sometime in the next 6 weeks. All these songs are part of my next Album called 'Dangerous Information: Vol 1' which is set to release hopefully sometime this year.
Check out 'Nana's Song' for yourself here: