has revealed that he wrote his upcoming album on a secluded island, describing the process as a ‘surreal experience’.
The British rapper recently announced that his highly anticipated third studio album, This Is What I Mean, will be released next month.
Speaking to on BBC Radio 2, the 29-year-old revealed his creative process, saying that he visited Osea Island, a ‘secluded island in Essex that you can only get to when the tide is at a certain time.’
‘Once you’re on the island, you were basically stuck there and we made a big chunk of the album there. We knew what we were doing and we knew what we were making.’
Talking about the album, which is out November 25, Stormzy went on to reveal what he and his team got up to on the island when they weren’t recording.
‘I keep saying I can’t describe it, it can only be felt. It was a very surreal, spiritual experience. Everyone who was there, we prayed together, we would play football together, we would laugh, we would talk.’
He continued: ‘And these were some of the best musicians in the world, and they’re some of the best producers in the world and some of the best artists in the world.’
Osea Island lies on the River Blackwater and is roughly 15 miles east of Chelmsford and 25 miles north of Southend-on-Sea by road.
The new album comes three years after Heavy Is The Head, and follows the release of the hit single Mel Made Me Do It last month – with an accompanying 10-minute, cameo-packed music video featuring Louis Theroux, Usain Bolt, and Jose Mourinho.
Theroux, 52, made his cameo after spending time with Stormzy as part of an upcoming BBC Two documentary series, Louis Theroux Interviews.
Speaking about the experience of working with Theroux, Stormzy said: “I love Louis, and I’ve been a massive, massive fan of him from years ago. I’ve watched every Louis documentary.’
He added: ‘He was with me for maybe three or four days, and he would just come and tag along, like let’s go to the studio, or he’d come to the show and just ask a few questions.’
‘He really disarms you, and then he gets to the nitty gritty, and when I watched it back I was like, I’ve never actually seen my life from this perspective.’
