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  • 5 months ago
Speaking to NME backstage at the launch of the Mercury Prize 2025, Pa Salieu told us about enjoying peace on his acclaimed album ‘Afrikan Alien’, life after prison, and being more of an artist than a rapper

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Transcript
00:00Marcelo, congratulations on being shortlisted for the Mercury Prize 2025. How do you feel?
00:04I feel ecstatic.
00:07So, African aliens connected with a lot of people. What can you tell us about the place where the album came from?
00:12It came from a disturbed place in my life.
00:17We still got up because what's written is written.
00:21That's another thing of an alien. What's written is written.
00:26What happens, you cannot let this world take the love from you.
00:31Life after prison, how does that sense of freedom impact you as an artist?
00:36Freedom is responsibility.
00:41I'm more grateful for life. When you fly out of a country, that's something else I realised.
00:48You come back and see the beauty of your home even more.
00:53How does it feel to be the only rap album on the shortlist this year?
00:56Rapper? I'm not a rapper though. I'm an artist.
00:59My voice is an instrument. I don't just rap.
01:02My genre is freedom of sound.
01:07If you're a gambling man, who's he money on to win?
01:09I'm not a gambling man. I can't do that.
01:15Amazing.
01:16You want me to carry on?
01:17Whoever wins. Everyone deserves to win anyway.
01:20Amazing. Thank you very much. Congratulations man.
01:23Thank you so much.
01:25Congratulations man.
01:27You
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