NME’s latest star of The Cover Venna has created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The south London saxophonist and producer is on this week’s (August 25) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Venna’s profile here, written by Fred Garratt-Stanley and featuring photography by Marisa Bazan.
Venna has curated an exclusive playlist to accompany his appearance on The Cover, titled ‘Peace Of Mind’. The selections include tracks by Kaytranada, D’Angelo, CARI, Joni Mitchell, and his own song ‘My Way’, among others. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Over his career so far, Venna has performed with jazz drummer Yussef Dayes and worked with the likes of Knucks, Raye and Burna Boy. But he’s also an artist in his own right – one who’s developed an impressive reputation for transcending labels like jazz, soul, or R&B, and is now carving a definitive solo path with his debut album ‘Malik’. The record brings together the “different sides” of the musician. “It’s interesting to bring all of those worlds into one and see what comes with it,” he explained.
In The Cover, Venna also discussed winning a Grammy with Burna Boy for his contributions to his ‘Twice As Tall’ album. “When I was about 16, I was just trying to get in any room possible to try and make shit happen,” he said. “I was like: ‘Once I’m in the room, I can do what I really wanna do’. It was a good five years ago that we won the Grammy, but even in that moment, I still felt like I needed more.
“That time feels far from where I’m at now; those days, I didn’t have no beard! It was all part of a bigger picture, that’s how I’ve always seen it.”
Read Venna’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.