The most interesting moment at Love Music Your Way could be the regional debut of Bipolar Sunshine, the stage name of British singer-songwriter Adio Marchant. While best known as the featured voice on DJ Snake's hit Middle, Marchant's own music is more interesting. He challenges critics' expectations with an introspective take on indie, hip-hop, electronica and soul. We talked to Marchant about doing his first performance of the year in Dubai and the story behind his stage name.
Dubai is your first show of the year – are you ready to start working?
Yeah, we’re definitely going to try to pull out the stops and take it to the next level. We’ve been creating so much new music recently that we’ll probably try to get one or two new ones out so we can get a feel for it. It’s just going to be a full-on party.
You are featured on headline act Rudimental's new record – any chance of performing the song Distance together on stage?
Probably not – it depends on how they’re set. We’ve not been in touch, so I don’t know if they do that sort of stuff. No doubt I’ll be watching to see what they’re up to.
You were lead singer of the band Kid British for half a decade. Do you miss anything from that?
I don’t really miss anything – everything I did then, I do now, from having great after-parties to making great music. Being in a band was great – but being in a one-man-band is just as good.
Can you tell us about the Grey collective you cofounded?
It’s me and Jazz Purple, Gaika and August&Us – we all decided that instead of letting people call our music indie, hip-hop, R&B or whatever, we just say it’s called Grey – that’s the style that we do, a mixture between the black and white. A lot of people have been afraid to touch between indie and hip-hop. It’s a new thing.
There is a lot of introspection in your work – are you a happy person?
There’s more joy in the sorrow of the lyrics. That’s the type of person I am. It’s just me baring my soul, saying what I feel I need to say about my feelings to move forward, instead of hiding things until they become a problem.
Is that where your stage name comes from?
Bipolar is that pendulum of the high and the low, and the sunshine is offering people light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to be able to talk about the most dark moments, but the happiest moments at the same time, without feeling they have to be on two separate pieces of work.
• Love Music Your Way is on Friday, April 29, 4pm-1am. Tickets, from Dh399, are available at www.lovemusicyourway.com
� rgarratt@thenational.ae