[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: KONYIKEH

She blew many away performing alongside Dave during his astonishing rendition of ‘In The Fire’ at the 2022 BRITS. Konyikeh is a singer-songwriter making soulful music with striking lyrics, get to know her better via this VIPER interview...

What five words define your sound? 

Strong, unique, rich, vibrant and (sometimes) dark.

Tell me something unique about your creative process.

I like to start ‘backwards’ if that makes sense, or from the bottom up. Most people would start with the melody however I hear the bassline first and then structure the song around that. 

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first? 

I would say ‘Sorrow’. 

What inspired you to make that song? 

I was walking home from school trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew deep down I wanted to be an artist but I had no idea what I would sing about, at that point in my life I had only encountered sorrow, hence the name of the song. 

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

I’d say I’m pretty vulnerable in my songwriting for the most part. There’s a song on my debut EP ‘Litany’ called ‘Joy and Pride’. It’s about a time in my life where I was going through a lot and relationships I held close to me broke down. It was a cathartic experience for me writing that song. 

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage? 

So far, I haven’t had too much experience performing live on stage. I’d say a highlight would be performing at the BRITS with Dave. 

What is your favourite song to perform? 

I would imagine ‘Girls Like Us’, just because it’s quite emotionally raw.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music? 

There’s not one specific album but two albums I’m always drawn back to are ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ and ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’. 

What’s the meaning behind your name? 

My name means ‘God’s Gift’. 

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead? 

Before I embarked on music seriously, I was doing a lot of artist photography so I would probably be a photographer. 

What’s success to you? 

It’s hard to put into words. Success to me is just as many people enjoying my music as possible. I think when I do my first headline show that’s when this will start to all feel real 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction? 

I haven’t really had a moment that’s made me change direction. Music has always been a part of my life, however it was only really in the summer of 2022 – I was going through a lot – when I knew I wanted to pursue music seriously. 

Where can people keep in touch with you? 

People can keep in touch with me on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok. All handles are: @konyikeh

Photo by Romany Francesca