Talking Novelties with Abdul Saidi

By Current Affairs Editor Adrian Quinn

Calling me from New York, I managed to talk over the phone to Cork musician Abdul Saidi about his most recent music experiences, from performing with Dermot Kennedy to what’s next in his career as it goes from strength to strength.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the music you’re involved in?

My name is Abdul Saidi. I'm a multi-instrumentalist and music director. I grew up in Ennis, and I suppose musically, I grew up in the church. I started playing from the age of four or five. I started on drums, and I just kept playing. I got a lot of experience from a really young age. Then I picked up the piano from around eleven, and I taught myself both instruments, and luckily, I had people around me who were good at them also, so I was able to watch them and just practice myself at home.

The music I'm involved in now, I kind of work with a lot of original artists at the moment, and I do a lot of gospel–so directing choirs or gospel bands or ensembles.

With the artists I work with, they're mostly Neo Soul R&B, maybe a little bit of jazz here and there. They're all kind of from the same tree. 

Recently, you’ve been making a name for yourself in the Irish music scene, being heavily involved in Chamomile Club, playing alongside the likes of Aby Coulibaly and Monjola. Can you tell us about that? How has it influenced your music?

The Irish music scene is really popping at the moment. Chamomile Club [has] been successful for a long time, but they're really taking off now. There are also artists such as Shiv, Calum Agnew, Salamay–there are so many different artists that are blowing up at the moment. I've been lucky to have worked with a few of them. Recently, Melina Malone is another [musician] as well that I've been working with recently. I think it’s great to be involved, because I was just somebody who was a fan. To be able to work with people I used to listen to is just such an amazing feeling. It's given me a lot more confidence in my craft and what I'm able to do. It's given me an ear for songwriting when I've got the opportunity to be in the studio with some of these artists, like MOIO, Monjola, Abby and Femi as well. So that's been a really enjoyable experience. As a keys player it's a different feeling to being an artist, because I'm not an original artist myself. The Irish music scene was not like this, like five years ago–it was so different. Now all these guys are starting to take off, and I'm happy and grateful to be a part of it, for sure.

On top of that, you’ve been performing in places like London, Paris and New York with artists such as Dermot Kennedy and Moio. What have these new experiences been like for you?

The traveling has been great. I'm literally just finishing up in New York now as well. The first time I travelled for music, I went to Berlin, a year ago. It’s such a blessing to be able to travel with music. They've been very intense experiences, because these gigs are intimate. It's not like going to Paris to play a show in front of 100,000 people. It's going to play a show in a room of like 50 people who are so locked into what's happening. It's really special. Traveling around with MOIO has just been insane, because of the kind of gigs and the kind of music he does. I much prefer playing to a smaller setting of people who are sitting down and really taking in what you're playing. These experiences have been amazing, just getting to see these cities as well.

So Dermot Kennedy - the way that happened was crazy because I was doing the show for MOIO in London. I got to London and on the day when I met MOIO, it was just like yeah, Dermot’s pulling up. He had sent me "Power Over Me" literally like two days before and he said you should learn this. He didn't really give me any context. Like obviously he's like a superstar, but he was so chill about everything. It was so nice to talk to him and play with him. One of the most enjoyable experiences today for sure. I would have never expected this to happen even like six months ago. There seems to be a lot more on the cards, too. 

You play a range of different instruments - piano, drums, singing, composing - have you picked up anything new recently? (DJ, Sax?)

So recently, DJing was probably a big thing that I started recently, and that was like in the last, like eight months. I wanted to know how to DJ because it just seemed fun. But it's been great, and I’ve been doing a few gigs around the city the past year.

I've also started learning the saxophone recently. I'm just about to do, like, my grade two exams. I think, with learning something new when you get to [it], I'd say anyone over 18 learning a new skill is so humbling, because you're used to being good at things. Then doing something you're not so good at is a really humbling experience, because it's like you have to kind of throw yourself into the deep end to really get good at it. But I think it's really important to keep learning new skills. I think that's like the best way to grow.

I've also been doing a lot of composing recently–a lot of composing for strings, which I had never done before, and for brass as well. So that's also something I've gotten into recently, and I've found it enjoyable. 

What’s next for you in your career? 

The most likely destination is London–that seems like the logical next step for me. I want my base to be in London, just to get to meet more people, a new environment, and change the scenery.

Personally, I'm going to be doing a personal project in the next few months, under my own name, which is something I've never done before. It's going to be a collaborative project, and we're going to get lots of my friends –whether it’s to sing, co-write, produce or rap.

It's going to be really fun, because my artistry isn't going to be me as the singer or the rapper. I'm going to be the guy behind the music–the keys. An example would be Robert Glasper. He's an idol of mine.

I’m excited to experiment with it. It's something I've always wanted to do. Just never felt like it's been the right time. It feels like the right time now, and I'm excited to get music out there.