Tony Njoku

“A gift for combining an array of musical perspectives into a unified whole” - The Guardian

“An artist in constant exploration, he detonates the dividing line between genre,
masculinity, and race” - CLASH

“It’s hard to think of anyone who is fusing the same elements in the same way as Njoku” - The Quietus

“Continuing to turn high art into sonic form." - Mixmag

London based songwriter, producer and composer Tony Njoku has announced a new EP, Encore, set for release on 15 November via PRAH Recordings. The EP is made up of alternative versions of previously released tracks, with the songs newly arranged for a string quartet. Encore also features a cover of one of Njoku’s personal musical idols, ANOHNI’s much loved ballad ‘Hope There’s Someone’ - Stream here.

Tony Njoku has been an artist in perpetual evolution since first releasing music. Always refusing to operate within his comfort zones, constantly developing his practice and pushing to see change and representation in traditionally exclusive musical spaces. Upcoming EP Encore is the curtain call on what Njoku would call his ‘Bloom EPs’, with Encore completing a series of 4 releases which have seen Njoku metamorphose as an artist across the body of work.

The Bloom EPs, all released via PRAH Recordings, see Tony harness maturity, mindfulness and newly finessed musical ability to express core emotions of love, grief and joy, as well as themes of family, heritage and conflict. The Bloom corpus includes instrumental piano compositions, deft electronic ambience, minimalist orchestral moments and now string quartet arrangements.

The announcement of Encore comes following public demand for a collection of new string, piano and vocal arrangements of previously released songs, which Njoku reworked for a BBC Radio 6 live session, which coincided with the release of previous EP Last Bloom. Released today is Njoku’s cover of ‘Hope There’s Someone’ by ANOHNI, an artist who has inspired Njoku since childhood, with their defiance, self-expression and achingly beautiful songwriting searing into Njoku’s creative psyche since winning the 2005 Mercury Music Prize.

Speaking about the cover, Njoku says:

“I’ve loved and lived with ‘Hope There’s Someone’ since I was a teen—it was the first song I learned on piano, and its deep emotional resonance has stayed with me ever since. Anohni has been a huge source of inspiration for me, both personally and artistically. Her music, and this song in particular, helped shape my understanding of how art can express longing, fear, and hope in such a visceral way.

Covering this song felt like returning to a part of myself that’s always been influenced by her artistry. I approached it with great reverence, but also with a desire to bring my own voice and experience into it. For me, this cover is not just a tribute but a reflection of how Anohni’s work continues to shape my creative path. It’s an emotional journey that speaks to universal themes of vulnerability, mortality, and the search for connection”

Njoku’s work before the Bloom EPs include several critically acclaimed releases incorporating vocals, synths, drums and a more maximalist production ethos. His previous work drew influence from a sprawling map of touchstones that takes in everything from Aphex Twin and early Warp Records, to trap-inspired hip-hop, spooled out hyperpop and R&B.

It was 2022 EP Sketches & Noodles of Bloom, his debut for PRAH, where he first embraced the idea of stripping works back to a solo piano. Continuing to push into the world of classical and compositional music with following EPs Our New Bloom and Last Bloom, Njoku has taken ownership of the classical tag, pushing the genre forward with his talent for experimental production and personal storytelling. Bringing the Bloom EPs to an end with Encore is a full circle moment for Njoku, with the arrangements of old songs designed to be reflective and meditative, using moments within the music to take stock of what has been learned and how these lessons can be taken forward.

As Njoku looks to take his new creative practice into the future, there’s a fire stoked within him for more collaboration, chiefly with artists of colour and especially within the neo / post classical world. By reappropriating traditional western instruments and arrangements to tell stories of heritage and culture, Njoku wants to, in his own words, “Decolonise the genre”.