Tokio Myers is Kilburn’s very own virtuoso

‘You enjoyed the show?’ Tokio Myers warmly asks as he wipes a sweat backstage following a set that’s barely believable. Playing at the O2 Institute Birmingham as part of his Our Generation tour, Myers puts on a performance that leaves the crowd applauding and in awe. The 2017 Britain’s Got Talent Winner performs quite like a DJ – he switches the atmosphere throughout the show by fusing different musical genres and varied tempos, the music lacking any great lyrical substance. Rather than using decks however, he jumps from instrument to instrument with hardly a moment’s rest, invigorating his audience with only his musical prowess.

Crouching over a piano with a drumstick held by the teeth and aided by a series of mesmerising visual backdrops, he plays a number of records from his album – drum and bass-influenced ‘To Be Loved’ to the cinematic ‘Lotus Flower’. But the greatest roar comes during Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bloodstream’, which mashed up with Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’ is a crowd favourite. Although Myers abstains from talking, he pauses in between songs to fist-pump in appreciation, and later returns for an encore of ‘Bloodstream’, this time an extended version, to even louder cheers as the crowd claps to every beat. Whether it was the images of police brutality or the ever-changing strobe lights, the concert was a wholesome experience and Myers has clearly taken production to another level since his stint on BGT.

‘I wanted to bring that grit to BGT basically and mess things up a little bit’

After the gig, I had the opportunity to sit down with the man behind the music (piano, drums, loop station – you name it) and find out more about his staggering journey. When asked why he chose to compete on national television, Myers is more than acutely aware of the preconceived notions that come along with being touted by such a competition. “I went on the show and I knew it wasn’t entirely me. But that’s why – to show something different. I’m from Kilburn and I’ve always tried to maintain that realness throughout, in whatever I do. I grew up in a small one-bedroom box until the age of 9, just practicing away and seeing people going through stuff – it is hard out there I think those things have just kept me doing what I do in terms of the music, the visuals, and the grit, like the brutality and police and destruction and stuff. I think that’s always going to be a part of what I do. I wanted to bring that grit to BGT basically and mess things up a little bit.”

Now no longer bound by the limitations of live television, Myers has more creative freedom over his performance visuals. He acknowledged some of his performances were “slightly diluted” on BGT although his sound still maintained the same essence. In particular, he spoke about his audition track, ‘Bloodstream’. “Obviously it has changed a bit. I’ve been in the studio and I’ve reworked it and I’ve made it sound a lot bigger.”

While the process of BGT allowed Myers to quickly become a household name, the process itself did have its drawbacks, and he describes disagreements with tabloids and the media. “I have interviews all the time and I feel like I’m going to war…I’m not about that. I’m not even about fame. I don’t care about it all. I just want to be able to do what I do – what I love – for a living. Connect with people. That’s all I want. I don’t get involved in that whole celebrity gossip vibe; I just wake up every day and want to make tunes and that’s it.”

‘I’ve had messages from kids saying they’ve seen my music. One day there’ll be all these kids playing and I’ll feel like I’ve started something’

Myers’ determined and optimistic character shines through when talking about making a change in the industry. “I kind of get a kick out of it. Someone’s got to change things and it might as well be me.” Going against the grain isn’t new; he fondly reminisces about choosing to stand out from the crowd even in his younger days. “I’ve been like that from day one. When I was at the Royal College of Music, I would rock up in a massive afro and my kicks and people would stare at me. I never made many friends there. No one would chat to me, it’s like going to Oxford. You have to have money to go to a place like that and I worked really hard to get a scholarship.”

“I enjoyed being the underdog. I still played Mozart and Beethoven but my way and proved that I wasn’t some waste of space. I thought to inspire other kids who might not come from a rich background to pick up a piano or violin…it’s not only for the elite. I’ve had many messages from kids saying they’ve seen my music and now have picked up the piano. And that inspires me because one day I’m going to be old and there’ll be all these kids playing music and I’ll feel like I’ve started something. I look forward to the next generation coming through and taking it to a whole other level.”

Myers proudly remembers his Kilburn roots, and having grown up in that environment he is no stranger to the issues that such communities are facing

Talk of future generations reminded me of an endearing YouTube video where a young child was dancing carefree to Myers’ enchanting melodies on a piano in Westfield Shopping Centre. On reminding Myers of the video, he took a moment to appreciate the importance of those early career moments. “I loved each stage. I used to get up and every day got me excited…it was just about meeting people. The number of kids, families, cool people I was speaking to, going to lunch with…throughout the years I met thousands and thousands of people and I made a lot of friends. One of them is my girlfriend of four years now and I met her in a shopping mall. I didn’t expect that to happen, but I met my soul mate; I’m about to get married and what not. And this is my first tour – I’ve never done anything like this before in my life. I’m still learning, I’m still figuring things out but I’m having the time of my life.”

The conversation took a more sombre turn as the topic shifts to the recent stabbings in London. Myers proudly remembers his Kilburn roots, and having grown up in that environment he is no stranger to the issues that such communities are facing. For a brief moment his smile fades. “I think people need to talk. People need to realise that we need to come together rather than attacking each other. As a community, as a collective, as people who are just trying to get by in life. I’ve realised that the whole thing is just a cycle…kids from broken homes become older and they do the same thing.”

‘Show them that there’s more to life than Kilburn High Road. Show them that there’s a world out there that’s not just NW6’

“I feel like someone needs to come in and help the community. Whether it is an inspirational person to talk, help families, or do some sort of spiritual coaching. Just opening people’s minds and showing them that there’s more to life than Kilburn High Road. Show them that there’s a world out there that’s not just NW6.” Clearly an issue close to home, Myers points out how he does attempt to bring to the table thought-provoking messages, especially for “audiences who might take stuff for granted”.

The subject segued nicely into another truly fascinating topic. How, considering his background, did he take up classical music as a child? “There’s no real story behind it – I just thought of playing piano and played and played and stuck to it. I don’t know if it is a luck of the draw thing but there was never someone that I saw or a mission, I just love playing piano and I loved classical music at the time. It is only now when I look back I think it was a little bit different for a kid growing up in North-West London.”

While not the fairytale I was hoping for, Myers’ tenacity for improvement and his passion for music shows when the subject arises. His influences vary: classical in the main, there are strong elements of EDM and hip-hop present in his sound also. And when asked about his influences, one unexpected name stood out. “I listen to a lot of Travis Scott. I’m dying to go to one of his live shows. I like the energy and of course my shows are nothing like his because I play the piano so I can’t go hard like that. But the energy! I get inspired by people like that. That’s why I move. I also like Slaves – again it’s about the energy. It’s carnage. Chaos!”

a man whose musicality is restricted by no boundaries, he’s set his own rules through the years and in doing so is only raising the benchmark

“Apart from that, obviously I like Kanye and J. Cole and all that kind of stuff, but equally I listen to jazz and funk and Motown. You heard in my set; there’s a real mash-up of different influences and I like to jump in between these different things and put it together. But the focus is always on the piano.”

We rounded off a brief conversation by debating the separation of art and artist. Myers offers his two cents: “It’s different for different people. Some walk onto that stage and they become something, then you have people like FKA Twigs or Lady Gaga, where their art [is constant].’

“I’m an only child so I like to observe a lot. I like to travel, I like to meet people, I like to go to clubs and nice places. I might take a little element of that and put it into something artistic. I love art and I love lighting. All the stage lighting, I designed it myself. Every little thing you see is me – I’m about the art not just the piano.”

As far as my response to his initial question is concerned – yes. In fact, it would be a gross understatement to say that I enjoyed the show. In a sonically saturated music industry Tokio Myers offers refreshing originality; a man whose musicality is restricted by no boundaries, he’s set his own rules through the years and in doing so is only raising the benchmark. With his feet firmly planted on Kilburn High Road as his career continues to soar to new heights, there are many notes yet to be played in this inspiring journey.