Review Fix chats with Tosin Bankole, who discusses their origin in music, creative process and more.
Review Fix: How did the project start?
Tosin Bankole: ToshÃn started back in 2016. All of the band met at University in BIMM Dublin, coming together for a performance exam. Afterwards I took the opportunity to ask if the band wanted to start a serious project. 5 years and a few new members later here we are!
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Bankole: Our create process can vary from song to song. Sometimes it’s just me coming up with melodies or ideas and bringing them to the full band to jam it out. Other times Louis (keys/sax) and I meet up and work out ideas together. The majority of the songs are about my life and past so I play a big part in the lyric writing process, but we’re lucky to be a band where inspiration and creativity can come from anyone.
Review Fix: What’s your standout song? How was it written?
Bankole: Our stand out song would have to be ‘Oh Lord’. This is a song I actually wrote in my room in about 20 minutes from remembering a bad memory from my childhood. I then took it to the band and after two rehearsals it was pretty much as it appears on our EP. It’s one of those songs we find ourselves getting totally engulfed by on stage, and our audience seem to share in that intense energy.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2021?
Bankole: This year, we’re really focusing on writing as much good music as we can. Before COVID stopped us, we were playing multiple gigs a month, and most of our time was spent trying to make every show really special, so it’s been nice to be able to write and develop as songwriters without constantly refining and rehearsing live sets. That said, I think we’d all sell an organ for a gig at this stage!
Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?
Bankole: We want our music to affect others in the most positive way. We want to make statements and inspire people and other artists to be the best they can be in any situation and path of their lives. We also love bringing our fans on a journey and love telling stories about our past, present and future life. Especially with our live shows, we put a lot of importance in our own enjoyment of the show, and that energy inevitably results in the audience having a good time
Review Fix: What’s next?
Bankole: With everything up in the air cause of COVID, I’m not sure anyone in the industry can properly predict what’s next! We’re taking the lack of gigs and festivals as an opportunity to write as much and as well as we can, and hopefully we’ll be in a position in the near-ish future to look at another long-form project please God!
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