IN CONVERSATION WITH MR PIGEONS

Mr Pigeons is a performer and poet that draws mantra-like hooks with eccentric nonlinear flows. The Zimbabwean MC’s style is influenced greatly by the late buddhist rapper Maxi Jazz and MF DOOM. His music is spiritual, introspective and ancestral. Today we sit with the Rotterdam based artist to talk about his latest collaboration, “Pieces of You” with Mutual Attraction (producer and dj) - a song about love, connection and its cyclical nature.

Your greatest inspirations or influences?

I love to philosophise, let’s just say I'm a massive day dreamer. Visualising all sorts of alternate realities in my mind. Writing poetry and rap lyrics to me have been the best way to transpose these worlds into my reality. My creative process is my spiritual practice. I occasionally see my lyrics as prayers, or one could say ‘praise poetry’. Oratal history is embedded into my Shona heritage. The music and sounds I use tend to be a backdrop to my prayers. My chorus structure in my music can be repetitive, almost as if I’m chanting. The more I repeat something the more feeling that’s created, the more colours are added to the soundscape. It does in turn sound like a mantra-like.

Tell us about the collaboration with Mutual Attraction for this song Pieces of You.

I’ve been listening to Mutual attractions’ music for a minute now, when Lost Tapes came out back in 2015 I was immediately put on to his music. Rather poetic that years later we’ve managed to connect and collaborate on ‘Pieces of you’. I was inspired to write about my long distance relationship, the motions of coming together and separating, a coming and going, the cyclical nature of it. And the value of time, when the stars align, you learn to cherish the moments you share together.

What does wellbeing mean to you?

Well being to me is being yourself, it’s about understanding who you are and expressing it to the earth. Well being is learning to accept yourself. People are like plants, there’s an innate need for growth. Knowing that I’m growing from within gives me the well being I need in life. 

Tell us about upcoming projects.

I’m currently working on my new album 555. I've got a few songs down and I love the direction it’s going. I’m gonna finish recording when I'm back in Zimbabwe in a few weeks. I’m also about to release a new workwear collection for @parsleystudios. Check that out if you have a minute!

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrpigeons_

Spotify: shorturl.at/lqwM2

Video directed by Charlotte de Bekker