Bakar, a 26-year-old London native, has freshly emerged onto the music scene. Since releasing his initial EP “Badkid” in 2018, Bakar has brought forth an ultramodern, seemingly diverse sound that combines styles from various genres of music into unique creations. The majority of fans label Bakar’s music as rap; however, in many ways he defies that category and goes beyond just a single genre. His combination of musical categories and lack of belonging to a single genre is something the London singer takes pride in. He recently revealed in an article, “I could be on every single playlist on Spotify and feel at home there.”
Growing up in Camden Town, Bakar always admired the hip-hop scene; however, in his early teens, he discovered the world of indie music and fell in love with the genre. This led to the realization that music was a conglomeration of styles, and his appreciation for indie music has notably contributed to his sound. Inspired by bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bombay Bicycle Club, and King Krule, he was deemed as “indie’s revivalist” by Ashleigh Kane of Crack Magazine.
Bakar began releasing his music anonymously on Soundcloud in 2015 and released his first high-powered single “Big Dreams” in 2017. It only took a short time until he started gaining recognition and praise for his eccentric sound. After releasing his full-length project BadKid in early 2018, he eventually began performing live making an appearance at Live at Leeds the spring of 2018, where New Musical Express described him as an “electrifying performer.” That same spring, he played at The Great Escape, The Camden Assembly, and The Dome in London, receiving positive praise for his performances.
Bakar’s rise to fame ensued after he released his extended play Will You Be My Yellow? The lead single “Hell N Back” is a love poem for a girl he would do anything for. The song currently has over twenty-eight million streams on Spotify and perfectly exemplifies his appreciation for multiple styles and sounds. Intertwining indie beats and his natural hip hop sound has landed him as No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Billboard Chart as of this Summer.
The rise of his musical career has allowed him to venture into various industries and become a multifaceted artist. Conquering the realm of fashion, Bakar has recently modeled for one of Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton runway shows, joining artists such as Kid Cudi, Steve Lacy, and A$AP Nast. He was also a part of Prada’s “A Gift to Give” campaign in November 2019, a few months after Abloh’s show.
Since his musical start, Bakar has quickly pioneered himself into a commercially successful and chart-topping artist within the indie and hip hop music scenes. Each of the artist’s moves is more significant than the last, effortlessly selling out shows and making his name onto the charts. It’s almost guaranteed we have yet to see the height of his fame.
Check Bakar out on Instagram and Spotify.
Want to read about more up-and-coming artists? Check out Chatting with Ryan Woods.
