Rising Star MNEK Heads Masterclass

10 February, 2015

One of 2014’s most talked-about singer-songwriters and producers, MNEK, dropped into BIMM London to speak about his experiences, and the room was packed with students, eager to learn from an artist at the top of his game.

MNEK, named by MTV as “Pop’s new wunderkind,” has had a remarkable career at a tender age, and the list artists he’s produced music for reads like a Who’s Who of current cutting-edge pop royalty.

Naughty Boy, Gorgon City, Sub Focus, Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, and Rudimental have all benefitted from his talent, and with a track record like that, it’s no surprise that he was nominated for a ‘Best Dance Recording’ Grammy in 2014 for his work on Duke Dumont’s ‘Need U (100%)’.

Becky Jones, BIMM London’s Head of Songwriting, interviewed him as he told us his fascinating story — including how he created his first track aged 9 with a free CD of loops that came with a breakfast cereal!

MNEK’s work ethos is a great example of the type of hard work that we impress on all our students. He’s a self-starter, and eager to get going, saying:

“I hate waiting for people, which is why I taught myself to do everything, so I could be self-sufficient.”

He’s also willing to learn from everyone and everything, and gave us this great piece of advice:

“Every gig you go to you’ll take something different away from. I go to gigs to admire and learn”.

MNEK, who has sung backing vocals for Madonna, even has a songwriting connection to an ex-BIMM student — he co-wrote “Last All Night (Koala)” by Oliver Heldens, which features the brilliant vocals of ex BIMM-London student K Stewart. 

He had some vitally important ideas about working with other artists, too:

“When collaborating it’s great to write with people you trust and know – that’s what creates something interesting.”

MNEK was a wonderful and generous guest. He stayed to talk and take photos with every single student waiting to see to him afterwards, and BIMM London is still buzzing from the injection of enthusiasm and inspiration that MNEK brought!

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