A Handstamp Interview with Uwade
Album cycles, One Direction, PhDs and bus tours
What a summer, sports fans. Recently, when not reading Patric Gagne’s Sociopath, my hours have been filled by Kendrick Lamar & SZA mega shows, fruitless last-minute Oasis bargain hunting, Euro 2025 penalty madness and a truly great Wimbledon – a tournament also closely followed by Nigerian-American musician and international scholar, Uwade Akhere.
Common ground wasn’t hard to find between Uwade and I, even beyond our Jannick Sinner enthusiasm. Between major milestones in her burgeoning career as an artist, she has spent extended time in the UK as a student and has established a strong relationship with the place. This connection will be strengthened later this month, when she visits The Lexington in London, before heading south for End of the Road festival.
I caught Uwade a couple of months after the release of her debut album, ‘Florilegium’. However, as always, I wanted to start at square one and find out how her relationship with performance began.
Handstamp: I know you left Nigeria at an early age, I suppose you didn’t have much exposure to music before you moved to America?
Uwade: “No, not really. I did eventually, when I returned for the first time at 10 years old. Those were mainly in the context of family gatherings and community events, rather than going to see an artist.”
Handstamp: Ok, what does that look like? I have spoken to people from Ireland, New Orleans and other places where music is an unspoken aspect of their cultural identity, did you find that to be the case in Nigeria?
Uwade: “I think so. Concert culture may be becoming a thing now, but in general, from my experience music is an element of gatherings, rather than the highlight. Everything contributes to the experience in a beautiful way, but you’re not going to the gathering just for a performance. However, my mom has told me stories about seeing Fela Kuti when she was in college. But yeah, music is in-built, it’s a major part of life in Nigeria.”
Handstamp: So, your first experience of ‘going to a show’ would have been in North Carolina?
Uwade: “Yes! My first big concert was either Ed Sheeran or One Direction.”
Handstamp: Wow. You’re so young. More to the point, I’m so washed.
Uwade: “I just turned 26, so I would have been maybe 12 or 13. But yeah, the Ed Sheeran show was when he had one album out, small room, just him and a guitar. I haven’t kept up with his live act since, but it was beautiful.”
Handstamp: Was it quite rap-heavy? I know he was freestylin’ a lot at the time.
Uwade: “Yes and a LOT of playing with the guitar, using it as percussion. It was really good.”
Handstamp: Not a huge fan, but my impression is that he still keeps it pretty basic, as a live act, despite playing stadiums. Either he is keen to eliminate overheads or just believes in that type of ‘pure’ performance. Tell me about the One Direction show, were you a ‘Directioner’?
Uwade: “I was a Directioner in middle school, very much so.’
“My parents were always really skeptical of large gatherings, so concerts were not usually encouraged. However, my mom told me I could go, if she came with me. We were in the nosebleeds and for me it was a religious experience, but for her it was a social experiment, watching all the fanatic men, women and children losing their minds.’
“Music aside, the feeling in the air, there was something powerful about it. Right then, I knew there was a difference between listening alone and hearing things, in all their variations, live.”
Handstamp: You chose to put music aside for that one, but do you remember the first show where maybe the music inspired you to perform yourself?
Uwade: “Yeah. I went to a festival named The Weenie Roast in Charlotte.’
“Weezer played, Fitz and The Tantrums too. I didn’t know any of them super-well, but knew them peripherally. I didn’t know how to play an instrument, didn’t know how to write a song, but something about singing with a bunch of people was compelling to me and encouraged me to keep pursuing some type of creative expression.”
Handstamp: Amazingly, you’re not the first person to bring up the Weenie Roast to me. At least this time I don’t need to ask what a weenie is, I’m clued up on that part of the culture. Where are some of the major North Carolina venues?
Uwade: “Well, I live in Charlotte, which is the banking, baseball, football and beer headquarters of the state, so most are outside of Charlotte.’
“In Durham there is a place called Cat’s Cradle, which is very storied and beautiful. Sylvan Esso lives there and does a lot of work in the area. Then in Asheville there is a place named The Orange Peel. I’d say Asheville and Durham are the cultural hubs of North Carolina.”
Handstamp: Great. I’m going to put a wager on me not being the first white man in his 30s to say that the first time I heard your voice was on Fleet Foxes’ Shore.
Uwade: “[laughs] Really? That’s crazy!”
Handstamp: Indeed. It was beautiful, immediately grabbed my attention and added a new dimension to a well-established band. Great record and your contribution was excellent. Is it a complete coincidence that you and Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) both studied at Columbia University?
Uwade: “Total coincidence. I think he left before I started. It all came about through the power of social media and the digital age we live in, I guess. I did a cover of one of their songs, somebody I knew through Instragram sent it to Robin and he asked if I’d sing on his new record. I was floored, it was great.”
Handstamp: Definitely mutually beneficial for you both. I know that he sourced quite a few contributions through social media for that record, during lockdown.
Uwade: “Yeah, I found that out later. ‘Can I Believe You’ was a bit of an online choral project.”
Handstamp: A pandemic choir of sorts.
Uwade: “Did you sing for it?”
Handstamp: Uh, maybe I did actually, I wouldn’t rule it out. I was pretty bored. Either way, I did not get any acknowledgement that I was included, so we can safely assume I am not on the record. You got to play some shows off the back of it too, was that a rewarding experience?
Uwade: “Definitely. I only put out my first single in 2019 and then that recording happened a couple of months later. I was really just getting started. I had one tour with The Tallest Man on Earth, then all of a sudden it was a big bus tour, which was very rewarding.’
“I know the band is different to how they were 10-15 years ago. Everybody was very chill. Everybody would make sure your sleep cycle was regular, you were getting enough exercise and staying hydrated. It wasn’t as crazy as it could have been and everybody was supportive.’
“It’s one of those things that you have to experience to understand. Sleeping on a bus and waking up in a different city every day is beautiful but disorienting. You play the same songs every night but the crowds are different. There’ s just a push and pull of stress, release, chaos and peace. It’s crazy.”
Handstamp: Now that you have those experiences, are you still able to enjoy shows from the audience in the same way?
Uwade: “I think I am, but in a slightly different way. I now have more of an understanding of what makes a beautiful show happen. Before, it felt like magic but now I see the work that went into it, from load in, to rehearsals, to setting up lighting. I have a more holistic appreciation of the project, rather than just whether I like the song the artist is playing or not.”
Handstamp: I have had numerous variations of that type of answer. It’s interesting where everybody’s mind goes. Your album is now out in the world, how have you dealt with people sharing their experience with it, so far?
Uwade: “It’s been kind of surreal. It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do. Although I got a glimpse into life as a musician through touring with Fleet Foxes, I had no clue about the process of releasing a record. In my head it was just about writing, recording and then when finished, the songs can come out a month later, right?’
“But what happens is they’re recorded, re-recorded, mixed, mixed again, mastered, mastered again, then you wait five months to start the roll-out, then after another three months the record is out. Everything took longer than I expected, but I guess it makes sense now.’
“It’s really cool that people are listening and appreciating the songs. At the same time, part of me doesn’t identify with the record and when people tell me they love the songs, it feels like they’re talking to a different person. It’s like somebody else made the record and I’m on to a different journey. It’s strange.”
Handstamp: That makes sense. So the slow-moving album cycle can remove the artist from the record that was made in the first place?
Uwade: “I think so. I was a little afraid that if I didn’t put them out as soon as possible, I would lose connection to the songs totally and I wouldn’t like them, but that absolutely hasn’t happened. I’m just not in the same place, so I do feel a bit separated.”
Handstamp: It also adds another element to the constant content churn involved in promoting music. Not only does the delay create a disconnect between the artist and their former self, but also influences the ever-increasing need for online presence.
Uwade: “I’ve been thinking about that a lot recently. We shouldn’t go into that digression about social media, but you’re right.”
Handstamp: Yeah, honestly I don’t want to go down that gloomy avenue either. It doesn’t feel real. In a way it all punctuates the importance of getting out there and seeing artists you like on stage. What about when you play the songs live, have you received the reaction you’d hoped for?
Uwade: “That reaction is more intense and powerful for me. You’re right, somehow my brain doesn’t feel like anything that happens online is real. It thrives off attention but at the same time feels like monopoly money. It’s great when somebody tells me that a song made an impact on them, but the face-to-face is missing.’
“I’ve had some really encouraging and important moments talking to people at live shows. That’s what really gets me excited to keep going.”
Handstamp: Well, I hope that inspiration continues, heading into the next record. Can you pinpoint the best show you’ve ever seen?
Uwade: “Great question, probably not just one. I saw Metronomy in Oxford, in a tiny club. They were so incredible. I listen to their music, which is so tight and precise, but it translated well. They were amazing.’
“Recently, I saw Tim Bernandes at a backyard event in L.A. I experienced a mix of inspiration and never wanting to pick up an instrument again, because I will never match that.’
“Chance The Rapper. On the ‘Coloring Book’ tour. Another show I went to with my mom, I was in the pit with her and my friend. Pyrotechnics, the whole shebang. I loved seeing how dynamic he could be, as it was just him on stage, but it was still so engaging.”
Handstamp: I guess it was during peak Chance-mania, before the wife album that nobody liked?
Uwade: “Exactly!”
Handstamp: Did you study in Oxford?
Uwade: “I did.”
Handstamp: A true academic.
Uwade: “[laughs] I did my masters there. I love the town so much that I moved back three times, for three months at a time. People asked why I kept going back, but they just don’t understand. I love it.”
Handstamp: It can be beautiful over here.
Uwade: “Once you get used to the 3pm sunset, it’s great.”
Handstamp: All about balance though, as that’s when the pubs become more inviting. Now you’re studying at Stanford, right?
Uwade: “I’m still there, very much so. I just finished the first of six years.”
Handstamp: That’s wild. How have you balanced the life of an academic and touring musician?
Uwade: “I haven’t. I just do what has to be done, when it has to be done. It’s a constant compromise. Somehow, I’ve gotten through one year but decisions need to be made. I had an idea before starting the PHD that I could do both, as I’m very stubborn, but I’ve since learned that it’s then not possible to do either at full capacity. So, I have to work out what to do with my life in the next year or two. I’ll get back to you on that.”
Uwade released her debut studio album ‘Florilegium’ in April 2025. Subscribe to Handstamp Substack for future interviews, follow @itshandstamp on social media and just bloody listen to Chief Springs on your chosen platform, will you? Illustrations by the excellent Alice Bowsher.