Cultural Celebration with Graffiti Art Project
Time had taken its toll on our courtyard here at The Midi Music Company (MMC). So, along with the help of members from our Cre8tiv® Choir, who ran The Vitality Big Half marathon and raised £185 in donations, we renovated the outside area. Thanks Anita and Nadine! The graffiti art project was designed with the help of Darae Palmer, director of YOYO (You’re Only Young Once Ltd). He supplied a fantastic graffiti artist, whose designs have lifted the jaded courtyard and given it a new lease of life. The artwork was unveiled in July, during the annual Summer Showcase where students perform and share all they have learned.
In this, the first of three blog posts, we’ll unveil the artists who have inspired the portraits.
Shingai Shinowa
Legendary lead singer and bassist of The Noisettes, Shingai Shinowa has deep roots at MMC, starting with music lessons as a young girl. Her first name, Shingai, means “be strong” in the Shona language and it serves her well.
Shingai’s portrait is featured from the cover of the Noisettes ‘Wild Young Hearts’ album. Released in 2009 by Mercury Records, she found acclaim with guitarist Dan Smith when their single “Don’t Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)” reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in Spring 2009. Noisettes have toured Europe and the United States extensively, with the likes of Bloc Party, Babyshambles, Tom Vek, the Mystery Jets, Muse and Lady Gaga.
Don’t miss Shingai’s debut solo show at the Albany on 13th September 2018, launching her new EP ‘AncientFutures’.
Fantastic graffiti artist brings the courtyard portraits to life
What can you tell us about MMC? “It nurtured my curiosity for the world and for music”, says Shingai.
Oggie
Singer and songwriter Oggie is as much a part of MMC today, as he was back in his school days at school in Deptford. A dedicated advocate of the MMC, he has been an invaluable member here for many years. Oggie is best known as solo artist and one third of the leading UK Garage (UKG) vocalist group UK3, alongside Jay Harvey and Ultra (Perfect Girl ft. Tinie Tempah, Falling ft. Mutya Buena). As a solo artist, Oggie released his debut album ‘Undeniable Chemistry’ in 2015, after touring Japan, Korea, Scandinavia, Germany, UK and the London West End stage as a lead in the Michael Jackson musical ‘Thriller Live’.
Oggie’s career took off with the UKG remake of the classic anthem ‘Follow Me’, followed by his songs ‘YOU’ and ‘All I Wanna Do’ feat. Ed Case, that cemented his place as underground UKG artist. ‘YOU’ was remixed by Agent X and appeared on Ministry Of Sounds Garage Classics 2 album, and All I Wanna Do (DJ SKT Remix) reached number 4 on the 1Xtra Garage Chart, staying in the Top 10 for 8 weeks. In 2012 Oggie released the single ‘Wishin’, followed by club smash hits, ‘Love Like Never Before’ and ‘We Are The Music’.
This month, Oggie wowed the crowds as he hosted and performed (his energy knows no bounds!) at the MMC Takeover at Camberwell Fair, Saturday 1st September. Check out Oggie’s latest track ‘Love Is Our Delusion‘, out now on iTunes.
Catch his special CICAS podcast interview at the end of this month! Listen on SoundCloud.
