Name: Celeste Okonkwo Davies aka Azul Kechi
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: Nigerian-British
Current release: Azul Kechi's “Temporary love” is out now.
Recommendations: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a great book that definitely changed the way I see the wider world, and my life within it. I think everyone should read it …
In terms of music, Tchaikovsky’s Seasons is a great piece reflecting the natural movements of the Earth. It’s a timeless piece for everyone.

If you enjoyed this Azul Kechi interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you’re listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I think it’s important to be able to listen to music both ways. You definitely shouldn’t limit yourself, music can and should be enjoyed in so many different ways.

Listening to music on a long walk or run where the physical movement coordinates with the rhythmic movement of the music is such an eclectic feeling - I’m someone who dances as well, so the way I really connect through music is the physicality of it, the way the beat makes my body want to move.

Every song for me is a different colour or emotion, that’s why my music taste would look so diverse because the way I see it with songs and music, I don’t see genre, I see feelings and emotion.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

To be honest, I feel like I am currently in those first steps now as we speak - my musical journey has definitely only just started. But I feel like I have come a long way.

I’m a lot more confident in what I do, and for me that’s the main thing. When I was really young, I always knew I wanted to sing, but I was always too shy to actually put myself out there.

Looking back, I can see how in just a few years I’ve really come out of my shell and developed who I am as an artist and person, and letting the two merge naturally.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Music was everything! 13-16 was a weird time in my life. I was going through a lot. I didn’t enjoy school, I hated learning academics and really wanted to just do music and acting full time. I dreamed of going to a performing arts school and not having to learn maths and English. Everyone around me was happy in school and wanted to study medicine or law, go to university, and just get a decent career.

This was never what I wanted to do, and not knowing any other creatives or knowing where to start it was really daunting. I listened to music for inspiration from great storytellers who have come from struggle and hardship like Eminem, and this gave me faith that dreams really come true when you work hard and believe.

Everyday I would write, and anything negative or testing I’d face growing up I’d just turn it into a song or poetry. And to this day, it’s still the same.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

My most important tool is my emotion. Emotion drives everything for me, it’s really important to not be controlled by your emotion, but it’s definitely the driving force for my music, and it always has been.

Life experiences, good or bad, also fuel great music. My songwriting skills have developed so much from this, and over time I have been able to become a lot more vulnerable and open up a lot more emotion and storytelling from my music.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Each song is like a piece of me, a different chapter in the life of Azul. Every song directly translates to a time in my life, and my upcoming album reflects this so much.

I’m so excited to share my album with the world, it’s a celestial journey of self-reflection, and as emulated in my song ‘Highs & Lows’, there’s been ups, there’s been downs, but all of these experiences make me who I am as a person and artist.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What’s your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

Paul Simon is correct. Each component is important in its own right, but they come together to create the overall sound, and the aura of the music.

Lyrics do speak a lot to me, more than anything else, but great lyrics don’t get enough standout recognition unless the overall sound fits. It’s super important.

My personal sound I think is one that cannot be defined as it is ever evolving. But it is soulful, it is strong and it’s confident.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you’ve had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I think the sound of water and the ocean is magical. There’s something about the anatomy of water that is so different and so interesting, and the sheer vastness of the ocean and the depth of it is fascinating.

Every night, I sleep to the sound of either the ocean, rainfall, or a river flowing. It’s so comforting, the sounds of water movement. In a sense, it's like music.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I like the simplicity of music. Sometimes, a simple melody is what creates the most iconic song, and less is more. But every song is different, and I can always appreciate the diversity of music.

For every emotion I crave a different type of sound.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

As a pop singer, definitely verse-chorus. But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to experimentation. Music should speak to you, and you create what you want with it. There are zero rules.

An example of this was one of the last songs I wrote in my album, 'Miss Understood’. It’s an unstructured spoken word song, but with a repeated A and B section. I’d love to make more songs like this in the future.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that is particularly dear to you, please?

A standout one would be one of the songs from my upcoming album, ‘September Blues’.

During the time, my producers (Eraserhood Sound), sent me the instrumental and asked me to write something to it. It was lockdown, it was the middle of September, I hadn’t been out for ages, I had no inspiration, was feeling very unmotivated, and had no ideas for music. So I literally just wrote a song about that.

And it turned out to be, in my opinion, one of my best songs to date. You can feel the vulnerability, the emotion, and the yearning in the song, and I love that. It’s definitely a sentimental one for me.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you’re making music?

I love space, and always have. The stars and the galaxies above have always fascinated me, and reading up on new discoveries from NASA always excites me and inspires me.

In my music I always use references to the stars and space, as that’s where I feel I’m truly from. A child of Venus and Mars …

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Music is my life. It’s also an extremely powerful tool that can tap into your subconscious.

So it’s very important to listen to good music that speaks to you. Lyrically and emotionally.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn’t or wouldnt in more tasks?

Music is an expression of self. It’s a reflection of what's going on in the inside.

Everyone has their ways of self-expression, and with music for me, you get to tap into that special part of you mind that allows you to just be free and express yourself. It’s magic.

Every time I listen to Albedo by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can’t explain?

So many songs. A particular one is ‘Mirrors’ by Justin Timberlake.



It’s a powerful song, with so many elements, musically, and lyrically. I was obsessed with it when it first came out, and it touched me so deeply, and still does to this day.

I was going through a lot of mental challenges growing up when this song first came out and it really got me through it.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you
would like to see and hear?

I would just love to see artists pushing boundaries and making music that is inherently different. I feel like a lot of music sounds very similar these days, and is very formulaic.

To become one of the greats you have to be different and break the rules. I want more artists to do that, and redefine music. There’s nothing to lose.