Kwabs

Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong (born 24 April 1990),[1] better known by his stage name Kwabs, is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known for his international hit "Walk".

Kwabs
Kwabs on stage in 2015
Background information
Birth nameKwabena Sarkodee Adjepong
Born (1990-04-24) 24 April 1990
London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2011–present
LabelsAtlantic
Associated actsSohn
Websitekwabsmusic.com

Early life

Born in London,[2] Kwabs was raised in Bermondsey, London Borough of Southwark to Ghanaian parents.[3] At The Charter School, his music teacher Xanthe Sarr and manager of the Southwark Youth Orchestra, introduced Kwabs to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Accepted in the programme, he became the lead singer of the orchestra for four years. He also studied jazz at the Royal Academy of Music.

Career

2011–12: Beginnings

In 2011, Kwabs was in the BBC television show Goldie's Band: By Royal Appointment of drum-and-bass musician Goldie, a UK nationwide platform to search for young talented musicians, and one of twelve artists chosen to create some musical pieces for a special performance at Buckingham Palace. This culminated in Kwabs appearing in a 2011 presentation,[3] performing a rendition of "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child".

In 2012, he released cover versions of "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae and "The Wilhelm Scream" by James Blake. The Kwabs version went viral on YouTube. He signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records collaborating with a number of artists for his debut EP Wrong or Right with critical acclaim.[4]

2014–present: Love + War
Kwabs performing in 2015

The subsequent EPs Pray for Love and Walk EP have a more pop-oriented sound, with Walk EP containing the hit single "Walk", Kwabs' best known release, launched on 5 October 2014 on Atlantic Records.[5] It was a minor hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number 71, but became hugely popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was also number one on the iTunes Music charts.

In April 2015, Kwabs released the single "Perfect Ruin", and on 11 September 2015, he released his debut studio album Love & War.

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Peak positions
UK
[6]		 AUT
[7]		 BEL (Fl)
[8]		 GER
[9]		 HUN
[10]		 NL
[11]		 SWI
[12]
Love + War
  • Released: 11 September 2015
  • Label: Atlantic Records UK
  • Format: Digital download, CD
 26443926242312

Extended plays
Title Details Notes
Wrong or Right
  • Released: 4 February 2014
  • Label: Atlantic Records UK
  • Format: Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Wrong or Right"3:36
2."Last Stand"3:28
3."Spirit Fade"5:06
4."Wrong or Right (Ben Pearce Remix)"6:07
Pray for Love
  • Released: 19 May 2014
  • Label: Atlantic Records UK
  • Format: Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Pray for Love"3:16
2."Into You"3:26
3."Something Right"2:52
4."Brother"4:27
Walk
  • Released: 3 October 2014
  • Label: Atlantic Records UK
  • Format: Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Walk"3:34
2."Saved"3:56
3."Walk (Jaded Remix)" (featuring Jaded)5:30
4."Walk (Royce Wood Junior Remix)" (featuring Royce Wood Junior)3:44

Singles
Year Title Peak positions Certifications Album
UK
[6]		 AUT
[7]		 BEL (Fl)
[8]		 BEL (Wa)
[13]		 GER
[9]		 NL
[11]		 NOR
[14]		 SWI
[12]
2014 "Wrong or Right" ——67[A]————— Love + War
"Walk" 71353[A]59[A]198124
2015 "My Own" ——84[A]—————
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Non-charting
  • 2014: "Pray for Love"
  • 2015: "Perfect Ruin"
  • 2015: "Look Over Your Shoulder"
Year Title Peak positions Album
UK
[6]		 AUS
[18]		 FRA
[19]
2015 "Willing and Able"
(Disclosure featuring Kwabs)		 7078116 Caracal

Music videos
Year Title
2014 "Wrong or Right"
"Pray for Love"
"Walk"
"Saved"
2015 "Perfect Ruin"
"Fight for Love"
"My Own"
"Cheating on Me"

References

Notes

A ^ Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts. For Ultratip peaks, added 50 positions to arrive at an equivalent Ultratop position.

Sources
  1. "Kwabs - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. Lester, Paul (4 February 2014). "Kwabs (No 1,692)". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  3. Lucy Brisbane (12 September 2014). "Interview with Southwark singer Kwabs: 'I always knew I deserved better'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. Spex.de: Kwabs: Soul, reloaded Archived 11 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  5. Charlotte Krol (29 September 2014). "Kwabs – New Music This London talent has a voice that could shake the earth". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  6. "Kwabs UK Charts". Official Charts Company.
  7. Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Kwabs". Austrian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  8. Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Kwabs". Belgium (Flanders) Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  9. Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Kwabs". German Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  10. "Kwabs". Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013.
  11. Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Kwabs". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  12. Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Kwabs". Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  13. Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Kwabs". Belgium (Wallonia) Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  14. Hung, Steffen. "Discography Kwabs". Norwegian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
  15. "Gold & Platin". Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  16. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  17. "Awards 2015". Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  18. "Delta Goodrem's 'Wings' Spends Second Week on Top of Australian Chart". Noise11.com.
  19. Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Kwabs". French Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
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