YOUR FAVOURITE MTV SHOWS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON PARAMOUNT+

Get To Know: Suzi Wu

We're Getting To Know the difficult-to-define North London artist in this weeks introducing interview...

Suzi Wu's sound is difficult to define, and that's a fact which she embraces.

Suzi describes it as "electronic grunge", yet she draws from inspirations as far reaching genresas psych-rock, all the wayto hip-hop. Listening to her EP,'Teenage Witch'takes these inspirations and pools themtogether to form a really unique sound that simply can't be caged in definitions. Her delivery has the appealing drawl of King Krule, her lyricism the punk abruptness of Patti Smith; both spoken word and singingare delivered inanattractive mellow drone,with a trance-likequality that impressively (somehow) simultaneouslyblends with, and sits on top of, her grungey and driving melodiesà la The Jesus and Mary Chain.

The third track, embedded into the four track EP, is a cover of Tom Waits' 'JockeyFull of Bourbon' - but you wouldn't realise it. She completely makes it her own and it fits perfectly within the rest of the EP - which is testament to how well she's found her aesthetic and voice. The rest of the song writing comes from a narrative place both submerged in her world, and one poetically reflecting upon it - "Yesterday I developed a terrible smoker's cough // I don't think I'll ever sing the same again" she speaks between the verse and chorus on 'Teenage Witch'.

Suzi'sadditional focus on the electronic production side of thingsgives the aesthetic she's striving for a whole new face, it both contributes to the melodic nature of the tracks and the noisey grit of them.She's presenting a sound that's verynew, yet - in the best of ways - still manages to feel familiar.

Suzi Wu
Suzi Wu

The aesthetic of the whole EP is a very honest one, the vibe evoking the day-to-day of "rebellious artistic youth"growing up in North London. Deriving from that, there's an unmistakable roughness to it all, being stuck in the in-between,and the subsequent spoken word, singing and instrumentation is more than just the sum of its influences - it provides a unique sound through which Suzi can escape.

Check out her video for 'Taken Care Of' and get to know Suzi Wu in our interview BELOW...

1) For those who don’t know about you and your music, tell us a little bit about who you are and where you’re from…

"My name is Suzi and I'm a songwriter/musician/vampire who only goes out at night. I live in North London with my mother and sister."

2) Describe your sound in three words…

"Lonely, drunk and wailing."

3) Who inspired you to start a career in music?

"Nobody. Music just always was. Like a rhythmic fact coming from the kitchen or something..."

4) Who are your biggest musical influences?

"Patti Smith, Tribe called quest and Princess Nokia."

Suzi Wu
Suzi Wu

5) Tell us about the writing and recording process for your new single/album…

"The one coming up has been born from a lot of traveling. Find it easy to write with a little white noise so trains and planes are where the lyrics and melody start. Then I bring it to my studio or to a session with a producer and I see what happens."

6) What can we expect from your live shows?

"Energy, everything, anything."

7) What has been your biggest career highlight so far?

"Probably playing South by Southwest, or when I heard myself on the radio for the first time. Baby Wu would have loved that."

8) Have you met anyone and been totally starstruck?

"Nardwuar the music journalist from Canada. I saw him on the street in Texas and internally lost my shit. He is the most real music fan working in music so meeting him was an honour."

9) What’s on your playlists that people wouldn’t expect?

"I can't think of anything but I will recommend 'All you do is dial' by Heatwave if you’re looking for a summer tune."

10) When can we see you live?

"I'm playing Latitude festival in July!"

Words by Alex Beach

Latest News