Interview With Rising Star Vallé

“This album is kind of like an audible cinematic movie of a period of my life”

Singer-songwriter Vallé drops a teaser of his soon to come debut EP ‘Care For Me’ with ‘Star’. We witness his effortless fusion of R&B and Rap with lyrics that are honest and transparent. 

From this track alone Vallé displays versatility in his melodies as he tells a new story of his journey in love. He does not shy away from his vulnerability so throughout this project expect to hear intense, raw emotions. 

Vallé is otherwise known as Enjalas Jenkinson and is the artist from Christchurch, New Zealand you should be taking notice of. ‘Star’ follows a trio of singles, ‘Pluto’, ‘Calling You’ and ‘No Love’, which he has released this year to rave reviews. Find out more about Vallé in this exclusive interview.

Tell me about your forthcoming debut mixtape ‘Care For Me’
This album is kind of like an audible cinematic movie of a period of my life where I felt lonely, overworked, stressed, isolated, depressed and I was writing fragile yet strong emotive music that was naturally spilling out of my heart. 

Are there any lyrics or tracks from your mixtape that particularly mean something to you and why?
The album is called ‘Care for me’ because I feel like if there was one song on the record that best summarizes the season/period in my life which the album depicts it would be that song. It can be considered the ‘trunk and the others are the branches’ – hope that makes some sort of sense.

The song opens by Vallé acknowledging some slight change in my behaviors and attitudes. It speaks of the need for somebody to truly care for me, the last lines “ who gon truly pray for me, take off all that cake and eat, I know what they say to me, they all claim they a Habib, I know what they say to me, but I do not play with it, they all like to claim Habib” – these lines are significant in terms of summarizing the albums underlying theme, it’s me asking the question of who’s going to remove themselves from all the pretentiousness and makes a commitment to being a person who truly cares.

How would you describe your sound to new listeners?
Dang, that’s a hard one… If Brent Fayaz, RUSS, and 6LACK had a baby he would be the 1st cousin of the offspring of my sound haha.

What’s your first musical memory?
Listening to Van Morrison with my Dad and observing how it opened my Dad up and reached deep down into his soul.

Are there any artists who particularly influenced you growing up?
Van Morrison, Eminem, Chris Brown and Bob Marley were the largest musical consumption of mine throughout my early childhood… strange mix I know. 

If you weren’t in music what else would you be doing?
Some lane of business I would assume… 

What challenges do you face in the music industry today?
I struggle with the battle of pretending to like people so they will give you opportunities, I struggle to show up and industry-related events and “get along” with everyone… I’ve walked into these rooms and you can smell the falseness in the air, that and I’m naturally introverted which people take for arrogance… 

How much time do you spend on social media per day?
Around release time I spend too much time, to be honest, but when music isn’t coming out I’m locked into real-world too much to waste time on the socials.

Your favourite up and coming artist is…?
My favourite up and coming artist would have to be Brent Fayaz 

What is your greatest fear? 
That I might waste time again in an area that looked convincing or a relationship that appeared worthwhile… 

What would your superpower be?
To be able to help anyone with anything at any given time… the ability to remove an obstacle (metaphorical & literal) for anyone at any time…

What are the 3 things you cannot live without?
To be real honest, water air and food. I’m from a place where most people have nothing and I’ve always been able to go without and not feel displaced or less because of it. 

What’s next for VALLÉ?
I’m writing some amazing new music that has a lot of personal weight in the context of my heritage that I’m aiming to be part of my next musical project… I need to get my ass onto some good live shows too.

‘Care For Me’ is set for release on December 20th.