Video by un:hurd music via YouTube
"I Know the Names of My Fans Now" — Breaking Artist EKENE | find your frequency
EKENE is a breaking independent artist from Lagos, raised on gospel and choir, now turning his most honest writing into a growing fanbase. He joins Alex to talk about his debut EP Little Us, why community means knowing your fans by name rather than chasing streams, why sincerity does the marketing for you, and how he protects his creative vision from the noise. An honest conversation with an artist right at the start.
CHAPTERS
02:26 The trip: turning up the heat on early traction
03:51 Little Us, the vulnerable debut
05:12 Origin: gospel, church choir, YouTube covers
07:55 Can anyone sing? What actually makes an artist
09:03 "I don’t think I can sing, I learned how to"
10:20 The Glitch Africa performance that lit the fire
12:29 Finding his sound: from rap groups to song
14:25 Meeting his managers, the sound developing
15:06 "I’m just starting" and the development years
16:32 Where the next 12 months takes the project
17:44 Building a community, knowing your fans
19:19 Writing as a therapy session
22:09 The vulnerable songs he hasn’t released
24:34 The strategy: honesty and human connection
27:00 Living up to the Apple Music write-up
28:00 Blocking out the noise: stubbornness
31:00 What’s next, finding the sound
31:40 The closing question: milestones and success
34:00 Where to find EKENE
ABOUT f:nd your frequency
The podcast about building an audience from zero. Artists. Founders. Investors. One shared obsession. Hosted by Alex Brees, founder of un:hurd music.
un:hurd music helps independent artists market their music with data, not guesswork. [link]
Try un:hurd music: https://go.unhurd.co.uk/youtubemaster1
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