Name: Lookman Adekunle Salami aka L.A Salami

Nationality: British

Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current Release: L.A Salami's Ottoline is out via Sunday Best.

If you enjoyed this interview with L.A Salami and would like to stay up to date on his music and tour dates, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Soundcloud, and twitter.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I’ve personally experienced all of these forms of inspiration.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

It depends. Sometimes it comes in a spontaneous flash fully formed, other times it’s a slow chiselling away until it matches a visualisation.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

This too depends on the particular circumstance.

One idea might require deep thought and research, another might just come fully formed out of nowhere.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Lighting, scents and exercise play a more overtly practical part of creating I feel.

Sometimes it’s the first step to attend to the positive reinforcement of your senses in order to make it easier to create

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

It can be difficult to force yourself to tap into certain forces.

Personally, depending on the project, it’s good to just take lots of notes and make sense of them later, like fitting a puzzle together.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

I find melody of equal importance to lyrics.

A lot of the time it’s not what you’re saying but how you say it – you find yourself subconsciously asking whether the melody accurately translate the meaning of the song you’re attempting to find.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I honestly couldn’t say, but it’s something you know instinctively when it’s “right“ and ready.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It can be much like carving out a shape from a block of stone when it’s slow going, or, when it’s fast, rediscovering a series of snapshots you took whilst black-out drunk.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

Yea, there are occasions where you might writing on autopilot and you follow the characters, or your own subconscious, only fully understanding what you meant by it months or years later. Though there are other times when you have something very specific to say / get across/translate which dictates how you approach the art.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Yes. I probably deal with them in the wrong way – but putting the constant nag of inadequacy that comes with unattended ideas aside – I try not to lose sight of the finish line if there is one …

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Calmness, mindfulness in action. I genuinely believe artists are conduits for the intangible certainty of the universe – one can call that God, and you may categorise it as spiritual – however you describe it, it just is what it is.

If you could express things without poetry then you wouldn’t need poetry. Art exists because it must.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

You just know when you’re done I think ….

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

It’s very important – I got into music late, so I’ve had to learn along the way, but recording something is very delicate, you have to stick to a record.

The same song can take on so many forms when played live depending on infinite factors, but recording something means you have to consider all the things that intend to make it worthy of revisiting.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Yes I can. Usually it’s motivated by feelings of wanting to do better than last time, having zoned in on the flaws of what you’ve just released into the world.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing 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 wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Yes, I feel you’re translating the mysteries of the universe for coherently the more accessible the art form you’re using to express yourself … and that isn’t to say that one can’t experience the beauty of the universe whilst sipping a really good cup of tea.