A Chat With London’s Emerging Rapper Eric IV

Hailing from North London, emerging artist Eric IV has been building a name for himself for quite a while. At only 19, his name rapidly began to spread around the city turning a lot of heads. Artist’s such as Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32 and more have reached out to show their appreciation for the upcoming star’s melodies and skippy flow. Known for his versatility,  melodies and distinct sound, Eric IV started his music career at 16. Having grown from strength to strength with a variety of tracks behind him including 2017 banger ‘Like You” and 2018’s melodic joint “Hit and Run”, Eric recently released his latest feel-good track “True Colours” which has already racked up just under 300,000 views.

We caught up with Eric IV and asked him a few questions… 

For people who aren’t aware of your music, describe your sound in three words?

Melodic, versatile and mellow.

Taking it to the very start of your career, were there any particular influences that made you want to pursue a career in music or did you come from a musical background?

Yes, well firstly I’m a big fan of R&B, Hip Hop and my Afro cultural music. These sounds and genres definitely influenced me to start my music career, starting off with learning how to play the piano to then producing to now being an artist. I grew up in a household that loved music, in my younger days I would hear a lot of Micheal Jackson – in my early teens I would listen to artist like Chris brown. Today, I like to listen to artists like Drake and Tory Lanez. These are some of many artist that have influenced me so far in my music career.

I had a lot of people around me doing music at the time, which influenced me heavy because I got to see it in my eyes how the creative process gets done. So yeah, I was fascinated by that stuff way before I started writing my own records. 

You’ve been in the scene a hot minute, how much have you grown as an artist since starting out?

As an artist I’ve grown a lot and I still have a lot more to do and master in the future. But I’ll say during the years I’ve got to know my sound a lot more and pick out what I’m strong at and what I’m not. I can definitely say from where I am now to where I’ve started has been a huge jump.

Do you feel like you’ve mastered your sound now or are you still playing around with it?

I feel like I’m starting to know what I work well with now compared to before when I was trying to figure it out. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it yet … I’m still early in my career. 

Let’s talk about your latest release “True Colours” its done views! It’s an all-round feel good track, what was your intention with this release? I believe you had  released this before?

Thank you proper appreciate it! When I first made this song I never approached it as making a record, I literally approached it as a freestyle and just said what was on my mind.  You can even hear that the verses are quite long but I kept it melodical and catchy throughout so it didn’t feel like it was going on for too long. Originally, I put it on my YouTube channel thinking ‘yeah this is a quick freestyle I’m going to give the peoples before the year ends’ not thinking it would make any noise. So when I saw the reaction to it I was shocked because that was the only video I’ve never really paid to upload or shoot but it did really well so I was proper surprised. 

When I think of you as an artist the first thing that comes to mind is your use of melodies! Is this an element of your artistry that comes just as easy for you? Not everyone can pull off the melodic side of music but you do it so well!

I think the melody side of my artistry is just a natural thing I do when I sing, like changing key. I also believe it comes from me teaching myself how to play piano because of the way I apply it when controlling my vocal range. But yeah, I’d say I find that easy and I’m comfortable doing that ever time I’m writing. 

What do you feel sets you apart from other UK artists?

What sets me apart from other musicians, I’d say my lyrical ability but being melodic when delivering at the same time. Another thing I’ll say is the fact I play instruments and can also produce – that adds to my artistry and I feel it sets me apart.

Looking into the future, what’s the overall aim or goal with music for you?

My overall aim in music for me is to sustain a long career with a loyal fan base and tour the world, giving the best shows people have ever been too and will never forget!

What else can we expect to see from you this 2020? Any features or projects? 

Yes this year I’ll release more singles and hopefully top it off with an EP! Can’t wait for everyone to hear it, I’m really excited for the future!


Keep up to date with Eric IV via his Instagram here.