NME ELVIS FILM SPECIAL EDITION

LEFT PAGE: SUIT: HELEN ANTHONY, SHIRT: AMI
RIGHT: SUIT JACKET: HELEN ANTHONY, VEST: DOLCE & GABBANA, SHIRT: THE KOOPLES, LEATHER TROUSERS: NANUSHKA, SHOES: DR. MARTENS
MASTER
PEACE
Punk-rap rock star who
wrote his own song called
‘Heartbreak Hotel’
South London singer-rapper Master
Peace marked himself out as one to
watch with 2020’s ‘Love Bites’ EP, a
dazzling debut that drew cleverly from
early noughties indie. More recently, he
teamed up with The Streets for the
emotional banger ‘Wrong Answers
Only’. Here, he discusses his Britpopinspired
music and appreciation for
Elvis’s “out there” style.
How would you describe your Elvis
look today?
“It’s very out there and creative. It
definitely gives a bit of personality and I
like that about it; it’s something I’d wear
as Master Peace. You know, Elvis is very
much a sex symbol. I’ve seen videos of
him wearing looks like this back in the
day, but without the T-shirt, and I feel
like people would have been so excited
to see that. They would have looked at
him and thought: ‘Oh my God, I wanna
be like you.’
Why do you think Elvis is still talked
about today?
“Because he has so much charisma. I’m
not sure we have anyone like that in the
current generation of music [stars], but
maybe that’s because times were
different back then. Like, I’ve seen
videos of him walking into a room and
people are just fainting. And I ain’t seen
that happen to anyone else, do you
know what I mean?”
Why do you think he had that effect
on people?
“Again, I think it was because he was
very out there. A lot of people are
scared of what people think: they don’t
want to be ‘too much’ or show who they
really are. But when you see Elvis
dancing, you know he’s not like that at
all. Not many people have that
confidence and that finesse. It’s all very
well looking at something, but do you
believe it? With Elvis, you believe it and
you think: ‘Yeah, he’s the guy.’”
Which current artist would you like
to see collaborating with Elvis?
“I’d say Harry Styles because he’s kind
of got that Elvis vibe about him anyway.
He’s very fluid and picky: he wears what
he wants but it suits him. And I know I’m
cheating here, but I’d also say The
Weeknd because he’s just a superstar.”
Is there an Elvis song you’d like
to cover?
“‘Heartbreak Hotel’. I love the fact it’s
very slow and intimate. And I love the
alliteration of the title and also that
juxtaposition. A hotel is somewhere I
think of as very relaxing – like, you go
there to chill at the spa. But heartbreak
is obviously not like that at all, so it’s a
very interesting title. I actually wrote my
own song called ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ a
few years back.”
What are your plans for this year?
“Well, it’s funny because people know
who Master Peace is now, but they
haven’t seen all of me. I’ve got an
EP coming and then an album. I’m
really hunkering down on who I am
as an artist.”
What’s the overall vibe of the EP?
“Britpop. It’s got a very early 2000s
Gorillaz kind of vibe, but with elements
of Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party.
No one’s really doing that sound
anymore and I want to bring it back
because it means a lot to me. I’ve always
prided myself on singing in my own
accent when a lot of other artists sing in
an American accent. When you hear the
EP, you’re gonna be like: ‘Yeah, he’s a
straight up indie-Britpop kind of artist.’”
How will you know when the EP
is finished?
“You know, sometimes I feel like you
can never beat the first take [of a vocal].
It’s good to hear the little breaths and
fuck-ups rather than doing 100 takes
and trying to make it perfect. Like, I love
it when you can hear a door slamming
or someone swearing in the
background. There’s a song on the EP
that’s almost like gibberish: even I can’t
make out what I’m saying in places. But
it’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever
made because it’s just so free.”
And how far along with the album
are you?
“I’d say about 20 per cent. I’ve got one
song I’m really confident about. We’ve
made a few other songs but I feel like
they’re not really hitting the way the first
one hits. So right now it’s about taking
that first song and using it as a
signpost for where I want to go with
the rest of the album. I’ve gotta say,
I’m pretty excited about it.”
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