Konyikeh Captivates on New Single 'Teenage Dreams'

Following the release of her mesmerizing debut single "Sorrow" in April, Cameroonian-Jamaican British musician Konyikeh returns today with her equally captivating second single, the deeply soulful "Teenage Dreams" out now independently via Jorja Smith's FAMM label/The Orchard.

Radiating a quiet power often sought after, Konyikeh harnesses her musical prowess for what is another outstanding offering.

On "Teenage Dreams" Konyikeh combines visceral and honest writing with her beautifully emotive voice to delve deeper, exploring familial relationships and her experience of adolescence as a Black woman. Produced by British producer, Charlie J Perry, the song details the school experiences Konyikeh endured in comparison to those of her thin, white girl peers:

“I’m sure they had other stuff going on in their lives, but to me it felt like their biggest issue was ‘which boy am I gonna get with at this party?’” – and so, via slick instrumentation, the song compares the big dreams they had of fast cars versus Konyikeh’s reality of dreaming of being able to reach out to her parents. “It’s quite a personal track for me as it explores themes of abandonment and rejection and comparing myself to my peers at the time. Illustrating a difference of circumstance.” she says. 

The accompanying visual - directed by Korrie Powell - displays themes of personal childhood stories, and the roots of Konyikeh’s inventiveness behind the track also echo throughout the sonorous setting and scenes.

About Konyikeh

Born in London and raised in Essex, Konyikeh makes soulful music with striking lyrics and, it can’t be stressed enough, that voice. You might recognize her distinctive vocals from her evocative moment on-stage at the BRIT Awards in 2022, performing alongside Dave, as the opening soloist, during his astonishing rendition of "In The Fire" – but now, the 23-year-old is getting ready to continue to step into her own light, quick to point out: “It’s been a long time coming; it’s been a journey to get here.” 

While her family were not musicians themselves, Konyikeh grew up with music always being played in the house. She recalls her parents taking her to see classical music at the BBC Proms, and hearing musical theatre, Jennifer Hudson’s "Pocketbook", her mom's Destiny’s Child CDs, opera; “It was all to really expand my palate.” she explains.

Of Cameroonian and Jamaican heritage, Konyikeh started to play the violin aged seven, latterly alongside classical singing and piano. She remembers long car journeys with her mom going to Woodbridge, where the violin shop was, listening to the Kenyan Boys Choir on CD. “It was beautiful,” she recalls, “It exposed me to traditional African music, harmonies and stuff like that.” 

Konyikeh became a music scholar at a prestigious school in West London, then on Saturdays she would go to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where, for ten years, she would play violin, piano, perform in the orchestra and chamber choir, alongside learning music theory.

In these spaces, she was told to play with emotion, and to draw out her most intense feelings when performing: it’s something which Konyikeh seems to have channeled into her own work one decade later. Still, she felt uneasy within her identity, she explains: “Going to a very white girls’ school, it was only later I really connected with my heritage.” 

The feeling of displacement that Konyikeh was dealing with during much of her time growing up is palpable in her songwriting; there was how she felt at school and it was exacerbated in turn by the classical music world where she was very cognizant of the racial and financial barriers to entry and “felt like an alien”.

This was all alongside a difficult period in her home life. Although she moved for sixth form and was finally among at least some Black peers, her notions of self, worth, love and beauty had already been shaped: now, she says, she is still in the process of unlearning it all, building and rebuilding her confidence. 

Konyikeh is part of Jorja Smith's FAMM management company and label, which independently releases music from award-winning recording artists Jorja Smith, Maverick Sabre, ENNY, and Mychelle. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Ivor Alice

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