BBC DISC JOCKEY SHOWCASES NEW SONG A RADIO FIRST FOR RISING PAISLEY RAPPER
Foxbar singer Washington on the road to music stardom
An up-and-coming Paisley rapper has been singled out as ‘one to watch’ after his latest single featured on BBC Radio 1 Xtra.
Washington Chikomba’s track ‘ Yungin’ was featured on the radio station’s UK Touchdown Tour.
The show, running throughout April, is a chance for homegrown rappers to showcase their talents.
Every night from 7pm, grime producer DJ Target plays artists from different UK cities to celebrate fledging talent.
The song has created a buzz on the new music scene, with radio presenter Shereen Cutty liking the sound of Washington’s Scottish accent in the track.
She described him as having “catchy hooks, sick blows and overall a dope vibe”.
For Washington, his radio debut was a world away from making beats in his bedroom.
He said: “I was like, wow, is this really happening? It’s all happening so fast and I’m trying to learn to take it as it comes.
“Although, when I do hear myself, I try and focus on releasing something better. I’m trying not to get too stuck in the moment.
“A radio play is only relevant for a certain amount of time, so I need to work on building up momentum to keep that going.”
Although he’s at the beginning of his career, Washington, from Foxbar, and his team have managed to produce some pretty impressive music videos to go along with his tunes.
He said: “Making music videos takes a lot of time. For Yungnin, we got a treatment done by Robbie of Vintanna Visuals going over the ideas for the video and where it would look cool for the song.
“It took us a week to shoot and then another week to edit, but it was all worth it in the end.”
When he was 11- years- old, Washington moved to Paisley from Zimbabwe, where he lived with his grandparents – and he admits it took him a while to adapt to the Scottish way of life. He said: “School was a challenge at first because everyone had already formed their own groups, but I started adapting to the culture and found myself settling in.”
The 20-year-old revealed his first brush with fame hasn’t changed him in any way.
He explained: “I wouldn’t say I’ve changed, but it has made me more mature.
“Before I would make stupid mistakes, but now I think before I do something. Other than that, I’m still the same and hang about with the same people.”
Hear Washington’s new music at www. youtube. com/ watch?v=LXE8qN_O_oc
It’s all happening so fast and I’m trying to learn to take it as it comes