Kele Okereke
Encyclopedia
Kelechukwu "Kele" Rowland Okereke (born 13 October 1981) is a British
musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock
band Bloc Party
.
to Roman-Catholic Igbo
Nigeria
n parents. His mother was a midwife, and his father a molecular biologist. He grew up in London with his sister. As a child, he went to school at Ilford County High School
(where he was known as Rowly), but switched to Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green
for sixth form
at age 16. He lived in Bethnal Green
, and in 1998 he became friends with a student of nearby Bancroft's School
, Russell Lissack
, who would become Bloc Party's guitarist. A year later, while studying at King's College London
, Okereke met Lissack again at Reading Festival, where the band was officially formed under the title of 'The Angel Range'. In 2001, Okereke moved out of his parents' home. He went on to meet Gordon Moakes
and Matt Tong who became the band's permanent bass guitarist and drummer, respectively. In 2003, the band changed its name to Bloc Party after briefly being called Union.
The band released their second album A Weekend in the City
on 5 February 2007 in the UK and 6 February in the US. The album debuted at #12 in the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies sold, and reached the #2 spot in the Official UK Chart.
It became available via the UK's iTunes Store
a day ahead of schedule, on 4 February. The first single, "The Prayer
", was released on 29 January, having been made available on Myspace on November 22, 2006. It reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart, still the group's highest placing. The next single, "I Still Remember
," was the album's first in the US. The album was produced by Jacknife Lee
.
In the build up to the release of the album, Zane Lowe
aired a live set from the BBC studios at Maida Vale
featuring a mix of old songs and new ones on his evening radio show on BBC Radio 1
on 30 January 2007. The band also scheduled their first gig with the second album at Reading Hexagon to coincide with the UK release date. On 1 February 2007, A Weekend in the City was made available to listen to for free through the band's official Myspace
website.
The third album released by the band Intimacy
, was initially only made available for purchase on their website as a download
on 21 August 2008. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with Wichita Recordings
as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18.
The band went on hiatus as of 31 October 2009.
Okereke moved to Berlin
to seize the city's music oriented spirit.
Okereke makes a guest appearance on Tiësto
's song "It's Not the Things You Say" on his album Kaleidoscope
, released October 6, 2009.
, produced by XXXChange
, on 21 June through Wichita / Polydor in the UK and Europe and Glassnote Records
for the rest of the world. Okereke explained the album title, saying "as a boxer, you have to rely on nobody else but yourself to achieve what it is you want to achieve. Even though you take hits, you have to keep focus on your priorities and keep going. I thought that was an inspiring image." The first single from the album, "Tenderoni
", was released on 14 June 2010.
On September 13, 2011, NME
and Wichita Recordings
announced that Kele would be releasing a follow up to The Boxer; an EP
titled The Hunter
.
Kele also released the single "Everything You Wanted" and it also had remixes from prominent South Africa
Producers DJ Qness and DJ Mujava
, who brought in a fusion of pop along with their traditional South African Kwaito
music, putting together a very exciting remix altogether.
, Kate Bush
, Bjork
, Kraftwerk
, David Bowie
, Dizzee Rascal
, The Smiths
, Sonic Youth
.
in July 2005 was largely to do with his dislike of being interviewed. In it he implied that the media placed deliberate emphasis on conflicts between bands and did not want to be drawn into such publicity, saying that "public feuding between bands is completely pointless." Okereke has also said, "people think that I hate being approached but that's not true" in NME on 15 September 2005.
In March 2010 Okereke came out
as gay
in a Butt magazine
article, and he then gave an interview and appeared on the front cover of the June 2010 issue of Attitude magazine
. Previously he had been reluctant to discuss his sexuality, though he had compared himself to famous bisexual
s Brian Molko
and David Bowie
, as well as Morrissey
. He also discussed the homoerotic story behind the Bloc Party song "I Still Remember" and the semi-autobiographical nature of it. In June 2010 Okereke was named as the Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist by music website LP33 in its annual survey.
In 2010, Okereke launched a personal photoblog at iamkele.com. On 7 June, whilst being interviewed by Steve Lamacq
, Okereke said he would be moving to Manhattan
at the end of the year. As of July 2010, Okereke was still living in Shoreditch in East London.
, for instance could be seen as a song addressed to George W. Bush
and the war in Iraq
. It has the lyrics: "North to south, empty, running on, bravado... He's gonna save the world... Just like his Dad... (the same mistakes), Some things will never be different... Are you hoping for a miracle? (It's not enough)" In response to this issue, Okereke said in an interview, "'Helicopter' isn't about Bush; it's a song about waking up and realizing certain things. I hope what people got from that song wasn't a critique of American life. I got really worried when I started reading our message boards; there was an American who had read the lyrics of "Helicopter" and had come to the conclusion that we were advocating that the European way is the ideal. But that wasn't it at all. Europeans have their own set of problems.″
Nonetheless, for the second album A Weekend in the City
, he chose more personal and political subjects for songs. A family friend, Christopher Alaneme
, had been murdered in a racist
attack, while David Morley, a London bartender
, was beaten to death in a possibly homophobic
"happy slapping
". Okereke has claimed that these events, combined with the 7 July London bombings "galvanised [his] mindset", prompting him to make the lyrics "dark, bigger and quite abrasive".
Okereke also responded critically to comments made by Liam
and Noel Gallagher
of Oasis in early 2007. Liam called Bloc Party "A band off of University Challenge
", while Noel dismissed them as "indie shit". In retaliation, Okereke stated, "I think Oasis are the most overrated and pernicious band of all time. They had a totally negative and dangerous impact upon the state of British music. They have made stupidity hip. They claim to be inspired by The Beatles
but, and this saddens me, they have failed to grasp that The Beatles were about constant change and evolution. Oasis are repetitive Luddites." Ironically, when Oasis cancelled their headlining set at the Rock-en-Seine festival near Paris in August 2009 (the concert where the Gallagher brothers clashed backstage, which resulted in Oasis splitting up), it was Okereke who announced to the crowd that Oasis had cancelled their slot and dedicated their track "Mercury" to the Oasis fans in the crowd, referring to the Gallagher brothers as "those inbred twins."
Guitars:
Effects pedals:
Used To Manipulate Voice
Amplifiers:
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
.
Early life
Okereke was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Roman-Catholic Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n parents. His mother was a midwife, and his father a molecular biologist. He grew up in London with his sister. As a child, he went to school at Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a selective boys' secondary grammar school and a specialist science college in the Barkingside area of the London Borough of Redbridge.ICHS is a four-form entry school, each form comprising up to 30 pupils...
(where he was known as Rowly), but switched to Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green
Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green
Trinity Catholic High School is a co-educational, Catholic comprehensive school located in Woodford Green, Greater London, England. It is split between two sites, with years 7-9 on the Lower Site, Sydney Road, and years 10-13 on Upper Site, Mornington Road. There are approximately 1750 pupils, with...
for sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
at age 16. He lived in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, and in 1998 he became friends with a student of nearby Bancroft's School
Bancroft's School
Bancroft's School is a co-educational independent school in Woodford Green, London. The school has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18...
, Russell Lissack
Russell Lissack
Russell Dean Lissack is an English musician best known as the lead guitarist of London based indie rock band, Bloc Party. Lissack is also in the electronica band Pin Me Down; a duo of himself and Milena Mepris...
, who would become Bloc Party's guitarist. A year later, while studying at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, Okereke met Lissack again at Reading Festival, where the band was officially formed under the title of 'The Angel Range'. In 2001, Okereke moved out of his parents' home. He went on to meet Gordon Moakes
Gordon Moakes
Gordon Peter Moakes is an English multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist for English indie rock band Bloc Party.-Bloc Party:...
and Matt Tong who became the band's permanent bass guitarist and drummer, respectively. In 2003, the band changed its name to Bloc Party after briefly being called Union.
Bloc Party
In 2005, Bloc Party released their first studio album, titled Silent Alarm. The album reached number three in the UK charts, and propelled the band to fame. Despite this, Okereke continued to study English literature at university. Until the release of Silent Alarm, he had kept his musical activities secret from his parents.The band released their second album A Weekend in the City
A Weekend In The City
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The record was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006...
on 5 February 2007 in the UK and 6 February in the US. The album debuted at #12 in the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies sold, and reached the #2 spot in the Official UK Chart.
It became available via the UK's iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
a day ahead of schedule, on 4 February. The first single, "The Prayer
The Prayer (Bloc Party song)
"The Prayer" is the first single from Bloc Party's second album A Weekend in the City, except in the U.S. where it is the second single as "I Still Remember" was the first song to be released in North America. It was released by Wichita Recordings on 29 January 2007 and is the band's highest...
", was released on 29 January, having been made available on Myspace on November 22, 2006. It reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart, still the group's highest placing. The next single, "I Still Remember
I Still Remember (song)
"I Still Remember" is a song by Bloc Party from their second studio album A Weekend in the City. The song is the first U.S. single and is the second single in the Britain from the album. The single was released in Britain in two 7" formats as well as a CD version. The B-sides are "Atonement", "Cain...
," was the album's first in the US. The album was produced by Jacknife Lee
Jacknife Lee
Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including The Cars, U2, R.E.M., Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, AFI, The Hives, Weezer, Vega4 and Editors.-Biography:...
.
In the build up to the release of the album, Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
aired a live set from the BBC studios at Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
featuring a mix of old songs and new ones on his evening radio show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 30 January 2007. The band also scheduled their first gig with the second album at Reading Hexagon to coincide with the UK release date. On 1 February 2007, A Weekend in the City was made available to listen to for free through the band's official Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
website.
The third album released by the band Intimacy
Intimacy (Bloc Party album)
Intimacy is the third studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee. Inspired by the release options available in the Internet age, the band members made the...
, was initially only made available for purchase on their website as a download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on 21 August 2008. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with Wichita Recordings
Wichita Recordings
Wichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees are Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Her Space Holiday, Los Campesinos! and Peter Bjorn and John...
as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18.
The band went on hiatus as of 31 October 2009.
Okereke moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to seize the city's music oriented spirit.
Okereke makes a guest appearance on Tiësto
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
's song "It's Not the Things You Say" on his album Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope (Tiësto album)
Kaleidoscope is the fourth studio album by Dutch trance artist Tiësto, released on 6 October 2009 on Musical Freedom, Tiësto's new label in association with PIAS Recordings...
, released October 6, 2009.
Solo career
Okereke released his first solo album, titled The BoxerThe Boxer (Kele album)
The Boxer is the debut solo album by Kele Okereke, the lead singer of British indie rock band Bloc Party. Okereke released the album under the professional name of Kele on 21 June 2010. As promotion, he uploaded the songs "Rise" and "Walk Tall" to his personal website on 13 May...
, produced by XXXChange
Xxxchange
Alex Brady Epton, better known as XXXChange, is a Brooklyn-based musician, record producer, remixer and DJ. He is mostly known for his work with the musical group Spank Rock, whose debut album YoYoYoYoYo he produced.-2006:*Spank Rock - "YoYoYoYoYo"...
, on 21 June through Wichita / Polydor in the UK and Europe and Glassnote Records
Glassnote Records
Glassnote Records is an independent record label launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. The label primarily has a lineup of indie rock and alternative rock artists...
for the rest of the world. Okereke explained the album title, saying "as a boxer, you have to rely on nobody else but yourself to achieve what it is you want to achieve. Even though you take hits, you have to keep focus on your priorities and keep going. I thought that was an inspiring image." The first single from the album, "Tenderoni
Tenderoni (song)
"Tenderoni" is the first single by Kele Okereke from his debut album, The Boxer. It was released as a download from iTunes on 13 June 2010 in the UK and 11 June in Australia, and was released in a CD format on 14 June 2010. The song has similarities with "Wearing My Rolex" by Wiley...
", was released on 14 June 2010.
On September 13, 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Wichita Recordings
Wichita Recordings
Wichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees are Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Her Space Holiday, Los Campesinos! and Peter Bjorn and John...
announced that Kele would be releasing a follow up to The Boxer; an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled The Hunter
The Hunter (Kele EP)
The Hunter is the first EP by Kele Okereke , lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Bloc Party...
.
Kele also released the single "Everything You Wanted" and it also had remixes from prominent South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Producers DJ Qness and DJ Mujava
DJ Mujava
Elvis Maswanganyi, better known as DJ Mujava, is a South African DJ.-Early life and background:He was raised in the Pretorian town of Attridgeville, where local taxi drivers distributed CDs of his music to their fares.-Career:...
, who brought in a fusion of pop along with their traditional South African Kwaito
Kwaito
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples,...
music, putting together a very exciting remix altogether.
Influences
Talking HeadsTalking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
.
Personal life
Okereke is extremely shy. He has expressed disdain for interviews, asking one interviewer from Skyscraper magazine, "Why is it important to know what I had for breakfast? Or who I went to bed with? Or what sneakers I am wearing? If it's relevant to understanding my music, then so be it. But if it's purely to satisfy the media's obsession with celebrity, then no thanks. I don't want to play that game." The focus of one interview with NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
in July 2005 was largely to do with his dislike of being interviewed. In it he implied that the media placed deliberate emphasis on conflicts between bands and did not want to be drawn into such publicity, saying that "public feuding between bands is completely pointless." Okereke has also said, "people think that I hate being approached but that's not true" in NME on 15 September 2005.
In March 2010 Okereke came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
in a Butt magazine
Butt (magazine)
BUTT is a quarterly magazine for gay men, founded in 2001 and edited by Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom. , it has an estimated worldwide circulation of 24,000....
article, and he then gave an interview and appeared on the front cover of the June 2010 issue of Attitude magazine
Attitude (magazine)
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994....
. Previously he had been reluctant to discuss his sexuality, though he had compared himself to famous bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
s Brian Molko
Brian Molko
Brian Molko is a songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his high-pitched vocals, androgynous appearance, and unique, Sonic Youth-influenced guitar style and tuning.-Early life:Born to an American father of French-Italian heritage and a Scottish...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, as well as Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
. He also discussed the homoerotic story behind the Bloc Party song "I Still Remember" and the semi-autobiographical nature of it. In June 2010 Okereke was named as the Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist by music website LP33 in its annual survey.
In 2010, Okereke launched a personal photoblog at iamkele.com. On 7 June, whilst being interviewed by Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
, Okereke said he would be moving to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at the end of the year. As of July 2010, Okereke was still living in Shoreditch in East London.
Style
As a songwriter, Okereke's approach is somewhat unconventional. His lyrics on Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm are more private. HelicopterHelicopter (song)
"Helicopter" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party that was originally released in the UK in 2004 on the Little Thoughts EP, and two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm it the US. The song was received with much acclaim, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart on its...
, for instance could be seen as a song addressed to George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and the war in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. It has the lyrics: "North to south, empty, running on, bravado... He's gonna save the world... Just like his Dad... (the same mistakes), Some things will never be different... Are you hoping for a miracle? (It's not enough)" In response to this issue, Okereke said in an interview, "'Helicopter' isn't about Bush; it's a song about waking up and realizing certain things. I hope what people got from that song wasn't a critique of American life. I got really worried when I started reading our message boards; there was an American who had read the lyrics of "Helicopter" and had come to the conclusion that we were advocating that the European way is the ideal. But that wasn't it at all. Europeans have their own set of problems.″
Nonetheless, for the second album A Weekend in the City
A Weekend In The City
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The record was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006...
, he chose more personal and political subjects for songs. A family friend, Christopher Alaneme
Christopher Alaneme
Christopher Alaneme is a British murder victim. He was eighteen years old when he was murdered on April 21, 2006 in Sheerness, Kent, England. The convicted killer was Peter Connolly, a painter and decorator of Carisbrooke Gardens, Peckham.- Biography :...
, had been murdered in a racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
attack, while David Morley, a London bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
, was beaten to death in a possibly homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
"happy slapping
Happy slapping
Happy slapping was a fad in the UK, in which someone assaulted an unwitting victim while others recorded the assault...
". Okereke has claimed that these events, combined with the 7 July London bombings "galvanised [his] mindset", prompting him to make the lyrics "dark, bigger and quite abrasive".
Okereke also responded critically to comments made by Liam
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
and Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
of Oasis in early 2007. Liam called Bloc Party "A band off of University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
", while Noel dismissed them as "indie shit". In retaliation, Okereke stated, "I think Oasis are the most overrated and pernicious band of all time. They had a totally negative and dangerous impact upon the state of British music. They have made stupidity hip. They claim to be inspired by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
but, and this saddens me, they have failed to grasp that The Beatles were about constant change and evolution. Oasis are repetitive Luddites." Ironically, when Oasis cancelled their headlining set at the Rock-en-Seine festival near Paris in August 2009 (the concert where the Gallagher brothers clashed backstage, which resulted in Oasis splitting up), it was Okereke who announced to the crowd that Oasis had cancelled their slot and dedicated their track "Mercury" to the Oasis fans in the crowd, referring to the Gallagher brothers as "those inbred twins."
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
UK Dance UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT |
BEL (FLA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
BEL (WAL) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
FRA |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
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| 2010 | The Boxer The Boxer (Kele album) The Boxer is the debut solo album by Kele Okereke, the lead singer of British indie rock band Bloc Party. Okereke released the album under the professional name of Kele on 21 June 2010. As promotion, he uploaded the songs "Rise" and "Walk Tall" to his personal website on 13 May...
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20 | 2 | 35 | 71 | 41 | 89 | 174 | 98 | 42 |
EPs
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
UK Dance UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT | BEL (FLA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
BEL (WAL) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
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| 2011 | The Hunter The Hunter (Kele EP) The Hunter is the first EP by Kele Okereke , lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Bloc Party...
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Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK Dance UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT | BEL (FLA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
BEL (WAL) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
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| 2010 | "Tenderoni Tenderoni (song) "Tenderoni" is the first single by Kele Okereke from his debut album, The Boxer. It was released as a download from iTunes on 13 June 2010 in the UK and 11 June in Australia, and was released in a CD format on 14 June 2010. The song has similarities with "Wearing My Rolex" by Wiley... " |
31 | 6 | 63 | 58 | 4 | 14 | The Boxer The Boxer (Kele album) The Boxer is the debut solo album by Kele Okereke, the lead singer of British indie rock band Bloc Party. Okereke released the album under the professional name of Kele on 21 June 2010. As promotion, he uploaded the songs "Rise" and "Walk Tall" to his personal website on 13 May... |
| "Everything You Wanted Everything You Wanted "Everything You Wanted" is a song by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Bloc Party. It was released as the second single from his solo album The Boxer.-Music Video:... " |
93 | 17 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "On the Lam On the Lam "On the Lam" is a song by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Bloc Party, released as the third single from his debut solo album The Boxer. The music video was released on October 8, 2010, with the digital EP being released on October 25.... " |
– | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2011 | "What Did I Do? What Did I Do? "What Did I Do?" is a song by Kele Okereke, released as the first single from his EP The Hunter. The song's music video was released on September 13, 2011, with the song being released as a digital single in Japan 10 days later. The song features vocals from singer Lucy Taylor... " |
– | – | 83 | – | – | – | The Hunter The Hunter (Kele EP) The Hunter is the first EP by Kele Okereke , lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Bloc Party... |
Featured singles
- "Believe" with The Chemical BrothersThe Chemical BrothersThe Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
(2005) - "It's Not The Things You SayKaleidoscope (Tiësto album)Kaleidoscope is the fourth studio album by Dutch trance artist Tiësto, released on 6 October 2009 on Musical Freedom, Tiësto's new label in association with PIAS Recordings...
" with TiestoTiëstoTijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
(2009) - "Ready 2 GoReady 2 Go"Ready 2 Go" is a song performed by French electronic music DJ and producer Martin Solveig from his fifth studio album, Smash. It features vocals from British singer Kele Okereke. The dubstep influenced song was released as the album's third single on March 28, 2011. It has so far peaked to number...
" with Martin SolveigMartin SolveigMartin Picandet, better known under his stage name Martin Solveig is a French electronic music DJ and producer from Paris. He also hosts a weekly radio show called "C'est La Vie" on stations worldwide including FG DJ Radio in his homeland...
(2011) - "Step Up" with Hercules & Love Affair
Musical equipment used
The following is a list of equipment used by Okereke.Guitars:
- Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
– Three Tone SunburstSunburstSunburst is a type of finish for musical instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses. At the center of a sunburst-finished surface is an area of lighter color that darkens gradually towards the edges before hitting a dark rim... - Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
— Butterscotch Blonde - Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
- Cherry Red (Seen at Bristol in October 2009) - Gretsch Tennessee RoseGretschThe Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
– Cherry Red - Fender PerformerFender PerformerThe Fender Performer was an electric guitar designed for rock and metal guitarists in the mid 1980s. The Performer was also available as an electric bass.-Origins:The Performer was first introduced in 1985, and was assembled in Japan...
— SunburstSunburstSunburst is a type of finish for musical instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses. At the center of a sunburst-finished surface is an area of lighter color that darkens gradually towards the edges before hitting a dark rim...
(Used in the videos for "Helicopter" and "Little ThoughtsLittle ThoughtsLittle Thoughts may refer to:*Little Thoughts EP, Bloc Party EP*Little Thoughts/Tulips, Bloc Party CD single...
") - Fender Telecaster ThinlineFender Telecaster ThinlineThe Fender Telecaster Thinline is an electric guitar made by the Fender company. It is a Telecaster with body cavities. Designed by German luthier Roger Rossmeisl in 1968, it was introduced in 1969 and updated with a pair of Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups, Bullet truss-rod and 3-bolt neck...
— NaturalNaturalNatural is an adjective that refers to Nature.Natural may refer too:In science and mathematics:* Natural transformation, category theory in mathematics* Natural foods...
(Used in the early days of the band circa 2003) - Rickenbacker 620Rickenbacker 620The Rickenbacker 620 is a solid-body guitar manufactured by the Rickenbacker Company. It is part of the 600 series of guitars which all share the distinctive "cresting wave" styled body. The Rickenbacker 620 features triangular fret markers, a thick rosewood fret board, a maple body with neck-thru...
- presumed to be in Black (Seen in the original video for "BanquetBanquet (Bloc Party EP)Bloc Party is an EP compilation of Bloc Party's first two UK-only singles: "She's Hearing Voices" and "Banquet/Staying Fat". Released on 24 May 2004, it was Bloc Party's first V2 Records EP...
")
Effects pedals:
- Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
- BOSS LS-2 Line Selector (x2)
- BOSS DF-2 SUPER Feedbacker Distortion
- BOSS ODB-3 Bass OverDrive
- BOSS OC-3 SUPER Octave
- BOSS SYB-3 Bass Synthesiser
- Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeller
- Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeller
- BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
- BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay
- Arion SAD-1 Analogue Delay
- BOSS RC-20XL Loop Station
Used To Manipulate Voice
- Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeller
- BOSS PS-5 SUPER Shifter
Amplifiers:
- Fender Hot Rod DeluxeFender Hot Rod DeluxeThe Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1995 as part of the "Hot Rod" line of guitar amplifiers and has been in continuous production since. This model, along with the Hot Rod Deville, were originally...
- Fender Hot Rod DeVilleFender Hot Rod DeVilleThe Fender Hot Rod DeVille is a combo tube guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by Fender. It was introduced in 1996 as part of Fender's Hot Rod line of amplifiers, and since then has been in continuous production...
- Seen used live as a backup amplifier - THD Hot Plate Power Attenuator