Shadez The Misfit - Misfit Maximus

His performances at I Luv Live propelled him to the centre stage of the Channel 4 EVO Music Rooms where he was described as ‘one of the best unsigned acts’. Since then, he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Drake, Cee Lo Green, Kelly Rowland, and B.O.B, so his dreams of featuring with Andre 3000 or The Noisettes may soon become reality. Shadez The Misfit is a musician from South London who has just released his début mixtape Misfit Maximus.

I thought I’d catch up with Shadez himself to find out more about where it all started, who his influences are and what he has planned for the future.

'Everyone has music in them. Only the gifted have the ability to share it with the rest of the world. I always saw music as a way of venting my thoughts and feelings and story telling or creating scenarios with melody’, he explained when asked what music meant to him and how he initially got involved. ‘I found it hard to keep a diary so I saw music as a way to illustrating my journey but also adding emotion with beats. It was purely me knowing that I can bring something different to the table so I decided to pursue it' in which hie means his career in music

He decided to take his music professionally in comparison to just being a hobby because of the ‘response from the crowds and people in general, he explained ‘I started out doing open mics events, performing at I Luv Live. I wanted to see how the crowd would respond. From there people started asking me for more material so that for me confirmed it all'.

He would say that one of his greatest achievements was wining Channel 4's EVO music rooms where he was described as 'one of the best unsigned acts'.  He explains 'this was a huge milestone which really impacted my career. It gave me a chance to perform alongside Plan B and the fun loving Criminals, music has taken me to a lot of places. I've been able to meet and be in the same room as people I consider to be great. I feel the best place is yet to come. I am still growing as an artist but  I’ve been fortunate to meet Jamiroquai, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Kelly Rowland, B.O.B and Tyler the creator.’

'I'm grateful to have worked with a lot of talented artists in music. Most recently I've worked with Ski Beatz who has produced for many US stars such as Jay Z , Curren$y and Jim Jones. I've also worked with Toddla T on the Redbull Mixtape.'

So would you say you've made a lot of sacrifices and if so there are any regrets? 'Yeah I have. I've made many sacrifices in life and in pursuing my music career. I feel my biggest sacrifice is sleep. It can be hard balancing music with your studies and living your life on a low battery. What's worse I'm a workaholic so I don't know when to stop or rest. I don't really have regrets or don’t see it as regrets, I call it learning life's lessons really. I strongly feel that if I didn’t go through those lessons, then I wouldn't be where I am now, knowing I have the opportunity to become something bigger than myself.'

He would say that is main inspiration is 'God', he explains 'I feel I owe my all to God after coming from a place where people doubt you and don't believe in you, to doors now being opened and being seen as a new influence in UK music scene. I feel that my prayers are being answered one by one'. He feels that another inspiration is 'life itself' although he has faced struggles, hurdles and negative experiences; they've each contributed to him as an artist giving him something to write and say. Also, he can't forget the' support from friends and family who always have his best interest at heart and inspire him to be better, especially his Mum!

Some words of advice he would give to up and coming musicians would be 'to understand yourself, there's no rush. In such a competitive market, knowing what you stand for and your niches are key for people to understand you as a character and as an artist. Always aim to do what has not been done, there's no point living your career being compared to others. Most importantly be yourself, don't try to be something your not, there's no need to live a lie   People like sincerity and knowing that the music is coming from you.

In the future he would love to work with Andre 3000, The Noisettes, J*davey, Muhsinah and Everything Everything. He says 'their sound and what they bring to music is very unique and I would love to see what we could make in the studio. This year has been great so far and there's still a lot more to come from the misfit in 2011. Expect more music and more visuals. I'm just trying to represent something which is not heard in the UK, good experimental music. 

You can now download Misfit Maximus via his Official Site, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.