After two EPs and an illuminating start to his career, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Venna releases his debut album, MALIK. For Venna, it’s been a whirlwind of a journey to arrive at this point. He’s spent the better part of three years on the road touring, while coming back to London intermittently. In the spaces he finds himself in as a musician, he’s often the youngest in the room. This period gave him the confidence to embark on this next stage of his career. Venna says “The album MALIK was named by my mother 26 years before the album was made – on the day I was born. A strong name that means King or leader in Arabic. A name that I’ve lived with all my life. A name that my nearest and dearest have called me & a name that I’ve learnt to become.” Featuring vocals from Jorja Smith, Cari, Leon Thomas, Smino, MIKE, and himself, MALIK is where listeners can get lost and find themselves again. The album also features a long list of musicians including Rocco Palladino, Elijah Fox, AoD, J Warner, Marco Bernardis and longtime collaborator, Yussef Dayes. MALIK embodies the melting pot of sounds that reflects Venna’s environment. Venna doesn’t want to be rooted in jazz alone; his previous work for the likes of Burna Boy, Beyoncé, Kali Uchis, Wizkid, Knucks, J Hus and many more indicates that his saxophone and sound has been a pivotal part for a lot of great artists music. It’s easy to categorise any music with horns and a rhythm section as jazz, but Venna has long tried to avoid the finite limitations of his music being labelled as a genre. There are elements of jazz on MALIK but also bossa nova, R&B, soul and rap. “I allow myself to be a vessel of music. A stream of consciousness flows through me when I’m creating – almost like a life force is present with me. I believe God is there with me always when I’m making music & through my everyday walk of life. Allowing myself to be open to whatever the day brings has given me the freedom to express myself in any and every way through the music with no limitations. Whether it’s playing sax, producing, singing or co-ordinating the musicians in the room – I am capable of anything when in the studio.” It’s a beautiful rarity when an artist sees themselves as a vessel of the music, and though MALIK is a manifestation of his experiences and how he sees the world and years of craft, Venna wants MALIK to be an invitation. An invitation to let go, be present and submit to the sonic journey of MALIK.