The opportunity to interview Cezza Sean popped up at the perfect time, when my soul was needing some soulful, mindful and spiritual music and conversation nourishment from an artist who just gets it.
Although Cezza is still life journeying and has more to get, as we all do, his ability to turn his personal life experiences, thoughts and feelings into songs that you can then “just get” is exceptional. He brings an excitement and intrigue to music creation I haven’t experienced for a long while. An experience he certainly is! Book a ticket on the Cezza Sean train and come with, on an adventure!
Cezza Sean. A very cool name. Is that the name your mother gave you or is it a stage name?
A stage name. My actual name is Ciaran. I don’t know where Cezza came from exactly. I think I named myself it at some point on Snap Chat and then Sean is my middle name, so I just married the two together.
Have you always been interested in making music?
Since the age of about fourteen. That’s when I first started learning how to play guitar. This was my entry point into music and my first instrument, before vocals. Then at seventeen, I first started singing. This was long before I became a rapper and a producer, which was around 2020. Singing had always been my thing, up until then. I was always a guitarist or a lead singer of bands.
So you have been in bands before?
Absolutely.
I was reading something about you wanting to form a band. Are you actually looking to form one?
Yeah!
I play a mean triangle…
[Laughs] Do ya?
…and I’m learning the tambourine, so c’mon!
[Laughs] All right!
What type of band are you thinking of creating?
Mainly based around soul music. We’re talking like Neo Soul, a bit of reggae. A little bit of Hip-Hop, but there’s less Hip-Hop now than there was before. This is the beginning of a transition phase for me where I’m going back to my roots as a singer in bands, but it’s not that I’m leaving behind rapping altogether. This will be a strong part of it, but it’s maybe in the passenger seat, whereas before it was in the driver’s seat.
That’s going to be an interesting evolution of your music, because you can do all of those things really well. It’s nice you’re not going to think, everybody knows me for my rapping, I’ll just stay there. You’re just going to go where you feel.
Yeah, I have a strong desire for that. To just sing again. This would be the primary form of expression for me.
That’s very cool. Do you have any favourite artists or music genres? You have quite an eclectic taste in genres in your music.
My favourite artists are some of the most flamboyant and kind of the most expressive performers. People like Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and Dennis Brown.
Good taste! Do you have a favourite genre, if you had to pick one?
Reggae!
Fist punch! Touch me star! I was brought up on reggae. Do you know Steel Pulse?
Yeah, I’ve got their first album on LP. Handsworth Revolution.
Nice. Babylon The Bandit is my favourite.
That’s a good one.
To say you wear your heart on your sleeve is an understatement. How did you become so refreshingly, emotionally open and transparent?
I’ve always been quite an honest person. I’ve always been more of a feminine person as well, in respect of how I dress or there’s just an essence in my character that’s quite strong. In that respect, I’ve never wanted to hide what I feel. So, to me it’s just a disservice to myself and other people if I’m to lie to people about how I feel. You know what I’m saying?
Yep, for sure.
I just want to tell the truth in my songs and I suppose that maybe comes back to the very beginning of my journey of being an artist. I was really, really inspired by punk rock in my teens. I like early 70’s and I was particularly influenced by Johnny Rotten, who is known for being very, very honest about everything – whether it’s appropriate or not. He’s just to the point and I always got this sense of, his heart is in the right place and even if he’s not right about something, then that’s just how he feels. I took that onboard and I adopted it, because I was very impressionable as a teenager, as of course we are.
Yeah, it’s you just being you. I really appreciate that in your music, because it’s so nice to listen to somebody singing what they truly feel.
Yeah, thank you.
Your music sounds so well produced. I love the layers of thoughts, feelings, beats and musical sounds you put into your music as well. When I listen to it, I feel like I’m getting a full experience. What type of process do you go through to create your music?
What’s my process like? Hmm…? What I’ve come to realise now is that it’s like receiving downloads. Some people would call it divine inspiration. It’s literally like receiving ideas and I often hear things in my head. I’ll hear melodies and sometimes words will come up for me. It’s also whatever it is at that time and I do my best to keep it consistent, because you can’t always just wait until you are inspired. It’s also about having it as a routine practice of writing songs and creating. That’s when inspiration comes to you more as well. Actively practising it. Definitely one thing I’ve noticed is the fact that I hear things internally. The more I step into that and express that, the more the ideas then flow into it. This is how it usually comes about nowadays.
I love the photo/images you use to identify each song. They look like you have an eye for visual art alongside your music art. Do you do any kind of visual artwork?
I have myself a visual pinboard, which is like my universe, essentially. Everything in my life, my external world – like we’re talking about my clothes, modelling poses, types of people. Whether it be cars, buildings, architecture or even just the cups I might use. Everything that I can think of and that I like the look of. Interior design as well. I think, all right. I get some kind of visual idea of that and put it on the pinboard and I want it to be consistent and thematic with my brand. Of course it’s always going to change at certain points and over time it’s going to shift slightly, as it evolves more. I do think a lot about colour schemes and spiritual themes all of the time.
Three of your songs particularly stand out to me like they’re a trilogy. ‘I Choose Myself’, ‘Letter to My Ex’ and ‘Release You’. Were these songs written around the same time, like a three-song story or musical triptych?
It’s interesting that you actually noticed that. Yes it was, it definitely was. ‘Letter to My Ex’ was the beginning of this, from my EP ‘21’. I started off the story at the end of my relationship, which was where the EP was birthed from. It was this song that birthed the whole project. The song was written a day after that relationship ended and everything just poured out of me, in about four days. Everything in that song really is true and absolutely from the heart and soul.
Yes, I can hear it and feel it. Did all three songs come out over the four days?
No, just ‘Letter to My Ex’ took four days. ‘I Choose Myself’ was actually written a little while later and the same with ‘Release You’. I realised I think I may have subconsciously over-stood that this is what I was doing, creating the trilogy – but it wasn’t until I had finished them and they became attached to the beats that they became full songs, that I realised…aaaah. I’ve got an actual story here that fits chronologically with the process of healing through a breakup.
‘Letter to My Ex’ is the ultimate break up song. I feel like it’s going to be a classic, for people who really want to hear a real and truly honest account of a breakup in a song. Listening to it, I feel like I’m going on that breakup journey with you. How did you feel whilst writing such an incredibly honest and intimate song?
Heartbroken.
How did you get through it?
Through writing. Writing is a form of therapy. It’s a form of reflection as well. Now, that person in particular I have so much love and respect for her as I think I mentioned in the song or you may have gotten that impression from the song.
Completely. Absolutely.
I still feel that way, even to this day. I wanted to do her a good service, as in look – I know largely the reason why we broke up was because of the things that I did or the way that I acted…
That is big of you to admit that.
…and this comes into the honesty thing again. I’m not here to fall out with someone who I still have a good connection with. Now to this day, I don’t have contact with her anymore. If I have that love and respect and I know fine well what actually caused it, I’m a very reflective and insightful person. I just have to be honest about what actually happened and that’s what helps me to heal through these kinds of situations.
That’s a good example to give to people because I think the pain that is caused during breakups is due to people not being honest with themselves. You’ve done a great job with the construction of your lyrics from your honest thoughts and feelings and pulled them together to create such a wonderfully resonating and emotionally coherent song. Out of all of those heartfelt lyrics, my favourite line is right at the very end. “…and if we never get back together, good luck, I love you forever “
This one line shows people that your relationship, for you, was genuinely about love, and genuine love never dies. It started in love and ended in love.
That’s true.
I’m loving your collaboration with Daniela in your song ‘Release You’. It’s such a perfect match. Are you looking to do more collaborations with other artists in the future?
In the future yes. I’d also like to give a shout out to the other collaborators who weren’t mentioned on the song. Hayley and Olivia. They were on the backing vocals as well as Daniela.
The backing vocals were so good as well.
Hayley and Daniela now have a duo act, a neo-soul act known as Dhalia . So, we’ll see what the future holds for us. I’d very much, when the time is right, to do more collaborations with them.
You have to do another concert. KC, a local female, energy hype and fun rapper was performing at your EP launch you held last September in Kirkstall, right?
Yeah, so much love between those people, for real. They’re very supportive of my work. They really back it and they’re really good friends as well.
I can see you know how to pick the right people. You gravitate towards the right people and the right people gravitate towards you. How do you go about selecting potential collaborators from the artists and people you come across?
I look for their work ethic. Feeling their work is definitely one thing. This is a huge part of it, it’s central. This is what attracts people to me and me to them. Have they got the message? Do they over-stand the general vibe, the values? Are our values aligned? Then it’s cool, because this is important – but also are they willing to put in the work? I have high standards personally and I want to work with people who want to put in the work too. ‘Release You’ was the first time I collaborated with someone and actually got it properly finished and it was fun as well. It took a while to do, because we were all busy – but they still all wanted to do it and that’s the main part.
So you have worked with some unsuitable people before?
Yeah, a few. I’m also very selective with people in general. I’ve always found it hard to be like, yeah I definitely want to go with you, because of the reasons I’ve outlined there, especially the values. I think values more than anything, in that respect. It’s like, yeah you get it. We’re on the same wavelength right now. There’s also talent as well. I’m not going to sound stuck up or anything, but I listen to some people who are at our level of artistry and I think, ummmm. You’ve got some things you need to work on and I’m not moved by your work because of that. The technicalities of their work.
That’s good, because some people just jump into a collaboration for the sake of it, but you keep it real on every level and that’s why your work is of such great quality. Your debut EP 21 is a fantastic musical launch. As a lover of music, I appreciate the effort.
That’s good, thank you.
I think most people agree, mothers have wisdom…
Yes!
…and I love and must give respect that you included a part of a phone call conversation with your mother, that you turned into an interlude on your EP 21, who was giving you some good advice in regards to loneliness. You recorded her advice, but did you actually take her advice?
Yeah I did. I did. This is why the next song was ‘I Choose Myself’, because the song is not only about choosing myself first, but in harmony with a community that cares and aligns with my values. I realised at some point that I had naturally made those kind of connections with the right kinds of people and that was where I was like, aaaah. You know, mum was right. You can’t do this thing by yourself. You can’t do life by yourself. You can do a lot of things by yourself, sure – but not the whole thing. You got to share it with people.
No man is an island. We’re not built to be by ourselves. We need time and space alone to reflect for sure, but we still need to go out there, not be discouraged and still communicate with people.
We do.
Fe – I love how you made a song out of seeing the number 21 all over the gaff. Is that number still stalking you ?
[Laughs] It’s calmed down a bit, but I still see it.
I’ve actually got a few interesting facts about the number, if you want to hear?
Sure, yes.
“This number can be a gentle reminder to make peace with our faith and to remember that angels watch over us at all times. The number 21 can also be a sign to trust in God’s plan and to have faith that it will lead you to new beginnings that will bring love and harmony into your everyday life.”
Okay.
“According to the Bible there were 21 acts of rebellion committed by the Israelites to break free from Egyptian control.”
So, this means it will take 21 attempts to make a breakthrough.
Wow, yeah.
“21 grams is the physical weight of the soul, according to the physician Duncan MacDougal. He calculated this by measuring the body weight of 6 patients before and after their deaths.”Very interesting…
There is a reason for the number 21 showing up in your life.
I might have to release 21 tracks before I get famous!
You’ve got six songs on your EP. You have fifteen more songs to release to hit twenty one, but let’s talk about your present EP songs. Which ones are on there?
‘I Choose Myself’, ‘Letter to My Ex’, ‘Release You’, ‘Re-Program’, ‘21’ and ‘Mother’s Interlude’.
You’ve put together a good mix of musical ingredients. Each song has its own flavour and they’re all delish to listen to. Let’s talk about your latest release, your new song ‘Shadow’.
Absolutely. ‘Shadow’ I wrote this song last year when I was in the midst of a fruit fast. It was fourteen days and I knew that some things were going to come up for me emotionally. I intended to work through that, because for me that is what a fast is for. It’s not just about cleansing the body, it’s about cleansing the mind and soul too. ‘Shadow’ is about facing the shadow aspect of my soul. The inner demons, if you like. The lower aspects of self. As they come up, it’s my job in this life to work through that, with presence. To breath through it, to show compassion to it and allow it to leave and pass. As I do that, the intention was to show that I’m now stepping into a new version of myself. A new chapter of my life, a new character if you like and of my creation. ‘Shadow’ chronologically, I realised works well with the departure from ‘21’, because there’s now a new visual element to that, there’s new colour schemes. There’s going to be a new soundscape that begins to enter as well. Different kinds of styles which get more of a focus. So, ‘Shadow’ was the beginning of that. It was capturing the moments for which I was in the midst of inner-work and moving through with conscious awareness.
That sounds very exciting. It’s like watching TV – without watching TV. Each song is like a full journey attached to another journey. Each new song creates an excitement as to what it will be all about and where it is going.
Right.
I mentioned your EP launch party, that was back in September last year and from one of You Tube shorts on your You Tube Channel sounded like my kind of night out. Where was I even?! How did your launch go for you
It went amazingly. I had a small but significant number of people attend and who really cared and really backed the music. We also provided food and I wanted to provide food because I love food! Personally, I’m a big, big foodie and I love Caribbean food in particular, like Jamaican Rasta man food. Ital is vital, y’know! I’m also, in this part of my life, embracing West African food as well. I have a few West African friends, one of them being from Ghana who bought one of his dishes to the launch party. I kid you not, that was actually the best dish. Everyone’s top dish was this dish.
It’s great you got to share the launch with good people. This launch was your special moment to launch your EP, so how did you feel within that?
I felt so happy. I felt so full of joy that people actually came and really enjoyed my work and were really there for me to celebrate it with me. I can tell when people are genuine of course, right? To have that space to be able to provide an experience for people. The experience of Cezza Sean does not just contain music. It’s a whole atmosphere. It’s a very warm visual environment. It’s peaceful and it’s also flamboyant. It’s playful, but it’s also meditative and that was precisely what I delivered on that night. Obviously the food still comes into it, too, because there is an embracing of different cultures here, which is a big part of my growth, which is about learning about that. The food was just amazing. [Laughs]. If you don’t have the food then the people are being…
Neglected in some way?
Exactly! They’re not getting what they need.
This is exactly what I mean. You’re a whole experience. I listen to your music and it’s an intellectual, spiritual and emotional journey. If I came to your concert, it’s these things, plus good vibes people and great food and more! You give on every level. Tell people how they can get hold of your debut EP 21. I’m hoping it’s on CD? I’m mid-old skool. I don’t have a turntable anymore, which means I can’t be completely old skool, sadly.
In the future it will be in physical format, but right now to keep costs at a low it’s in digital form. You can find me on all streaming services, including You Tube.
Have you got any gigs coming up soonish?
There is, yes. I have a gig May 2nd. It’s in Huddersfield. It’s at a Hip-Hop event called BYOB, which stands for bring your own beats/bars. Anything that is Hip-Hop related that begins with ‘B’. I’m not sure what the actual, official venue would be yet, but it may be Northern Quarter as it was for the last event.
People can check your socials to keep updated?
Yes.
I really like how a mango made a special guest appearance in your video for ‘I Choose Myself’. Just for fun to give some props to mangoes, tell me five things that you love and think are great about mangoes.
Are you really going to make a man decide that right now? [Laughs]
What type of mango though? Well there’s the first one. There are so many varieties of mangoes. I like the Julie ones from Jamaica. The energy they provide. They make me feel so high. Naturally high, just buzzing with life. That’s two things. The sweetest. Especially the honey mangoes. The level of sweetness, I sometimes think how is this healthy? The aroma.
Yep, love the smell of mangoes. That’s four. Last one.
They’re really good for sexual health.
Are they? Steady on. I don’t know about that.
They’re especially good for the libido.
I’ve never heard of that. I’m just trying to have one of the five a day, not start something!…
Cezza – [Laughs]
…and on that note. Any closing words?
I’d like to send a collective message to the people. Come together. We are one.
