As earth crawled out of bed and into the haze of a new year, 21 year-old rapper Swarmz was on his job. Namely, he uploaded a snippet to Instagram featuring a song that would come to define summer 2018. An undeniably catchy heater, “Lyca” swiftly captured the spirit of the warmer months, blasting across dances, BBQs and Snapchat stories from London to Luton; the UK to Europe.
The 22 million views it received on YouTube was no small feat for a debut track either. If you hadn’t already heard it, “Lyca” became the tune you had to tell a friend, to tell a friend, to tell another friend, resulting in near omnipresent dominance. But, as we all know, a viral hit doesn’t equal a career. It’s important to grasp the spotlight rather than bask in it – to take the moment as a win, to celebrate a little; and then to move forward and translate all that clout into the next steps.
Moving onwards is something Swarmz knows well. Growing up in Eltham, south east London, he quickly became snapped up by Charlton Athletic FC. Next came stints with South End, Bristol Rovers, and – in 2017/2018, shortly before “Lyca” popped off – a mention as one of the Top 100 players in the UK. So, with the rise of his debut single, a decision had to be made: was it football, or was it music?
Ultimately, he chose his route based on passion. “At first, when there was no football to play we’d go studio and mess around in the booth. But when “Lyca” came things started to get serious. Sometimes I’d have a show on a Saturday, then a football match after. Quickly, stuff started clashing on the same day and it either had be choosing a career as a rapper or a footballer.”
Born to Caribbean parents – his dad from Jamaica, his mum from Barbados – his formative years were spent listening to dancehall artists like Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man and Popcaan. You’ll find a similar Caribbean tinged atmosphere in Swarmz’s music –”the song that brings the party up and brings everyone together” – yet mixed with bits of afro-swing and the kind of UK inflection that can only come from growing up in London.
Think of Swarmz music as making a dish that brings all the best ingredients together. “The African side, the Jamaican side – they’re both good separately. So to put them together it’s excellent and something different.” It’s this approach that lead to the remix of his already huge 2019 Tion Wayne collaboration “Bally”: a track that confirmed his status as more than a one-hit wonder and a solidified force upon the UK scene.
Here, he collaborated with Geko, Jaykae, Kwengface and 23 Unofficial – again, adding different flavours into the same pot, as well as mixing up artists from different areas of the UK (see Jaykae, from Birmingham). “Each person on that track has a different genre,” he explains, of the internet of bringing such a diverse group of artists together. “Grime, afro-swing, whatever – everyone had something different.”
Then there’s his feature on the remix to Russ splash’s “Keisha and Becky”, which is arguably the biggest UK hit this year – the “Lyca” of 2019. Here he appeared alongside the likes of Aitch, Jay1, and, once again, Tion Wayne. Through these collaborations, it’s as if Swarmz is positioning himself as a focal point within the scene. As he tells it though, it’s also about pushing himself; about moving forward. “Keisha and Becky” is a drill track and, well, Swarmz doesn’t do drill. “It was cool to show my versatility across genres,” he says, “as well as the fact we’re all friends.”
And so, onto the next one: “Mojo Jojo”. As infectious as an airborne disease, anyone who hears it will automatically feel an impulse to move, such is the warm spirit bumping through the song. Like “Lyca” and “Bally” before it, “Mojo Jojo” demonstrates Swarmz natural ability to ride a hook directly through your ear canal, implanting it in your brain. Just one listen to the bar “Lord if you mess with me then move pronto / knock on your door, go oh no” and it’ll be marinating in your mind.
“It’s a gas one. It’s a gas kind of song. It’s relatable,” Swarmz explains, of the lyrical content and energy behind the tune. But there’s also a cute vibe too. See the name, “Mojo Jojo”? That’s a character from a cartoon. And not just any cartoon, but The Powerpuff Girls – appealing to both his young fans and those who grew up in the Cartoon Network show. So that’s a mobile company ticked off with “Lyca”, an item of clothing with “Bally” and now a TV show. What’s next? Someone once said that nothing in life is certain, and that may be true, but as this three-track run proves, there’s no denying Swarmz sticking power.
