Spotlight Music: “The wealth of a place is in its people”

By Lottie Kilraine
lottie@slpmedia.co.uk

Love by name, love by nature. Former Clean Bandit star, Love Ssega, hopes to clean up South London with a new track highlighting the impact of climate change on black communities.

Ssega, a former member of the chart-topping band Clean Bandit, was brought up in Lewisham and featured residents in the video for his track Our World (Fight for Air).

The British-Ugandan musician grew up around the South Circular Road, on the edge of Catford and Forest Hill, and still lives in the area.

He said: “Covid-19 grounded me in Lewisham, so musically I had nowhere to go, so I had to write about my area. Music has given me the opportunity to travel around the world, first with Clean Bandit and then again for my solo career. I’ve been really fortunate in that way, however, I love coming back to South London. When I’m here, I notice the issues going on, of which there are many, so I figured highlight this directly in my music.”

Apart from eight years spent in Cambridge, the 33-year-old has lived in Lewisham for most of his life.

He attended St George’s Forest Hill, formerly known as Christ Church Primary, and lived around Perry Hill, Stanstead Road and Catford Hill while growing up.

“I feel lucky to have grown up when I did,” he said. “I don’t think it can be underestimated the effect of being a black teenager from South London around the time 21 Seconds from So Solid Crew came out.

“It was great because we also had our own black-owned station Choice FM based in Brixton as well as the multitude of pirate stations. Having stars like Asher D from Peckham made it feel like black superstars were in touching distance for the very first time. Grime gets a big mention these days, but there was also a great era of UK rap such as Blak Twang from Lewisham and the recently departed Ty, who were early purveyors of bringing an authentic UK voice and accent to hip-hop.”

For Ssega, the devastating impact of pollution on his community has been one of the hardest things to witness.

Research by Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF) has shown that dangerous nitrogen dioxide pollution produced by traffic is up to 31 per cent higher in areas where people from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are most likely to live.

Pollution levels in Lewisham are way above the national average with children under nine being 40 per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma.

That figure jumps to 78 per cent for children under 19. Ssega was invited to apply for a commission by Season For Change, run by Arts Admin and Julie’s Bicycle, and supported by Arts Council England and Paul Hamlyn Foundation to specifically create an artistic response to the climate crisis.

He said: “My community has been heavily affected by Covid-19, due to structural inequalities in society that I believe are due to systematic and institutionalised racism.

“I wanted to make sure voices from the black community in particular were put forward in the climate movement and this response.”

He was spurred on further following the landmark inquest last December into the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah who died as a result of dangerous levels of air pollutants.

The nine-year-old, who lived 25 yards from the South Circular Road in Forest Hill, suffered a fatal asthma attack in 2013 and became the first person in the UK for whom air pollution is listed as a cause of death.

“The tragic story of Ella Kissi-Debrah was a big motivation for writing about air pollution, as her story could have been mine,” he said. “I too went to a primary school on the South Circular as did my siblings. It’s a tragic situation and really a great shame on what is meant to be one of the world’s richest nations.

“I salute Ella’s mother Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah.

“Her whole family’s battle is so awe-inspiring and humbling as she is fighting for all of us, having gone through such tragedy and not given up. I have yet to meet her, but I hope one day I will, although I believe she might have seen the music video.

“Obviously the past year with the inquest has been an overwhelming time for the family, so I’m just happy to support her with my art and if I have the pleasure to meet her, then that would be a bonus.

“One group I must mention are Choked Up, who really have been doing so much in this air pollution space and staggeringly are doing so while sitting their A-levels. One of the founders was Ella’s classmates, so I equally salute Anjali Raman-Middleton, Destiny Boka-Batesa, Kaydine Rogers and Nyeleti Brauer-Maxaeia.”

As part of his project, Ssega produced a music video featuring Lewisham residents and commissioned billboards across Lewisham highlighting climate change through a tear-off comic strip.

He said: “The number of comments I got from people stumbling past the billboard is fantastic.

“I commissioned a comic by Andrew Kiwanuka called Project Earth that shows three black teenagers discovering issues about climate justice in a way I hope will appeal to other children and especially children of colour who might not often see themselves in stories of climate justice or even in comics at all.”

The billboard campaign is running near New Cross Gate Station, the old Post Office in New Cross and near Lewisham Hospital.

“Sometimes we need to make art for our areas and not just for a faceless void that we refer to as online,” he said. “The beautiful music video was directed by Lewisham resident and black film-maker extraordinaire Tracy Kiryango

“I think the wealth of a place is in its people, so we should show that more than anything else. It was great to have a list of community groups, shops and clubs involved who appeared just out of love for the song and message. I’d really encourage everyone watching the video to click through to their pages and sites.”

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Spotlight tracks

JB Rose – Gold (feat. 2b3 Productions)

Her first single shot to number one in the Urban Influencer Chart where it stayed for a solid six weeks, and now the singing vegan mum is back again.

JB Rose, originally from Lewisham, released her first single Back to Love last summer – written after her cousin was killed in a knife attack and to “encourage people to be our brother’s keeper and love one another”.

Her new single, Gold is set to light up the specialist soul charts after it dropped last month.

With the up-tempo, soulful new single encouraging self-belief and self-love, many will surely be dancing with her.

Jessica Wilde – Cruel

Brixton artist Jessica Wilde’s track Cruel delves into her first love, a toxic relationship that inspired a harnessing of her bisexual identity but also led her to addiction.

Cruel harks back to golden age tracks from the 1990s, then crescendos seamlessly into modern sassy lyrics delivered in Wilde’s undeniable London twang.

Wilde opens a doorway into her past by returning full circle to her South London roots, combining her sharp-witted lyricism through spoken word/rap alongside her raw soulfulness.

Ray Blk – Dark Skinned

Catford-raised Ray Blk has released her new single Dark Skinned, along with a live Vevo performance of the track last month.

The song, featuring a catchy chorus and powerful lyrics, is a celebration of being dark skinned.

“A lot of people told me it would be hard to break into this industry because of the colour of my skin,” she said. “But I believe that whatever the situation, I am going to shine regardless and I refuse to cater to that ideology. I want people to say yes to themselves when the world keeps telling them no.

“The conversation around race often feels heavy and negative, but I love my blackness and it is a privilege to be black.”

The single ends with what sounds like a voicemail message – a rousing, determined call to Ray from her mum, who advises her: “Everything that you have in your mind and you think this is a good idea, don’t be talked out of it. Pursue it with everything in your power.”