Muroki on how an Instagram DM changed his life

Image: Rawhai Wetere

My first encounter with Muroki Mbote Wa Githinji was outside a beachside brewery in early April. I was anticipating a quietish night with some mates, a few beers and some vibey tunes. What I got instead was an insight into the exponential trajectory of what could well be New Zealand’s next big thing.

We didn’t even make it into the venue. The line was a pulsating mob of kids, each trying desperately to squeeze closer to the door. As we watched on, one fearless breather broke free from the carnage, stumbled towards the fence, and jumped over. Security must’ve been preoccupied, as there was nobody there to stop him. Soon there were dozens attempting the same feat. A few more beers and we might’ve joined them, but, feeling markedly sober, we turned and headed home. 

Listen to his debut EP ‘Dawn’ that dropped last month, and you’ll understand why people are leaping over fences to see Muroki live in the flesh. The funky guitars, punchy bass-lines and mellow drums are masterfully stitched together to provide a backdrop to the highlight of this project: the vocals. Smooth, soulful and undeniably sexy - Muroki’s voice is a complete heart-melter. 

Speaking over Zoom from a small studio in Raglan, Muroki talks about signing to BENEE’s label, playing to a sold-out Spark Arena, and what comes next for this exciting young musician. 

How are ya? 

Good, fuck you just came in hot on the monitors there. 

Haha classic. Where are you? 

It’s a new little room that some friends of mine have put together in the middle of town. It used to be filled with t-shirts and things from Raglan Roast. Then they soundproofed and it’s now a little studio. Today’s the first day I’ve used it. 

How good is it to have a spot away from home where you can come to jam? 

Yeah, it’s good to get out of the bedroom. 

When this interview goes to print, it will have been two weeks since the ‘Dawn’ EP dropped. Congratulations man it’s dope as fuck. How does it feel to have it out in the world? 

It feels really good. I’ve been working on it for nearly a year. I’ve been waiting to release it for a long time, and now that’ it’s out I’m like yus - finally I can share it. 

The EP feels really compact. There’s no fluff or filler, just six tight tunes one after another. 

We wrote a lot of songs, ya know. There were a bunch of songs to choose from. We wrote the load, and then I picked out my favourites. 

Sound like you could’ve done a full album if you’d wanted. How many songs did you write all up? 

I don’t even know ae. It was a lot. I could’ve done an album, but I wanted to make it perfect. An album would’ve been a lot more work and time. But who knows, maybe I’ll do that next. 

You worked with Josh Fountain and Djeisan Suskov on the project, two of New Zealand’s premiere producers. What was it like working with them? 

Those guys are wizards, man. I learnt so much throughout the whole process about writing and producing. I was super stoked to be doing it with them. I was producing on Garageband for quite a while, and then about a year ago when I started working with them, I finally got Logic. Josh is running Logic, so it was pretty amazing to see the standard you could get to. 

What was the song-writing process like? 

For the first few tunes, we were still just getting each other’s vibe, especially with ‘Wavy’ and ‘Light Me Up’. We would talk a lot and then from there, create a song. But later on in the process, I started writing down these stories in a book. Then we’d write tunes based off of those stories. Songs like ‘The Red in You’, ‘Open Up’ and ‘Everything Else’ we wrote like that. 

‘Open Up’ is a super personal song. 

Yeah man, it’s kinda deep (laughs). 

How does it feel to have something like that out there for people to pick apart? 

You do feel quite vulnerable, but I feel like it’s those kind of stories that make the best songs. People resonate more with real emotion. 

You said ‘Wavy’ was written about an acid trip you shared with a woman at a music festival. 

Yeeaaah I said that and then I was like ahhh fuck should have I said that? But yeah that is what it’s about haha. 

Has she heard the song? 

Yeah, she would’ve heard it but I don’t know if she would’ve picked up on it, I haven’t told her yet haha. It’s just one of those ‘pretty fuckin cooked at a festival having a good time’ songs.

Coming from the relaxed beach town of Raglan, the laid-back summery vibe of ‘Dawn’ definitely sounds like it was influenced by your environment. 

Yeah, it definitely was. Obviously playing music here, with people from here is going to influence what I do, but it’s a hard question. It’s not the only influence. 

What’s the music scene like in Raglan? 

There’s a lot of music. You’ll hear a lot of roots and reggae, bands like Cornertsone Roots, Messiah and Lost Tribe. That’s where that Raglan vibe pushes through in my music. 

You recorded the EP in Auckland though, right? 

Yeah, most of it was done up there, but it’s nice to come back. Raglan is a great place to get inspired. 

You went on a sold-out tour with BENEE, featured on one of her songs, and then became the first artist signed to her label, Olive records. How did all that come about? 

She DMd me on Instagram, and she really digged one of my tunes - ‘For Better or Worse’. I only had one song out back then. Then she did this thing with Elton John, where she played my song on his podcast. From there, I sent her an EP that I made and she was like, “wait don’t release it - my people want to talk to you.” After that everything sort of flowed. She took me on the tour, we’ve got the same manager, and now I’m on her label. 

BENEE is one of the biggest artists in the world right now. How does it feel to have the support of someone like that? 

Yeah, it’s pretty insane eye. It was a big eye-opener just seeing that amount of people going to her shows. Pretty crazy man. Two nights at Spark Arena, both sold out was just like “whaaat?!’ So nice, a wicked experience though I really want to do it again. 

Next up you’re co-headlining a tour with Christchurch band, The Butlers. Who’s idea was that? 

I’ve met the Butlers a couple of times, chilled with the singer, Walt, quite a lot just at festivals you know when ya bump into each-other. They’re a bunch of legends, so it just seemed right. I’m really excited. We’ve got five dates so we’re going to be hitting Tauranga, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and Rags. 

Tell me about your ambitions for the next project. Will it be an album, or another EP? Are you going to nail down this summery surfer buzz, or take things in a new direction? 

I’m not sure ae. Right now, I’m just track stacking again. I’m literally writing a song right now actually. I’m just jumping straight back into it. As soon as I get enough songs together, I’ll probably decide whether to do another EP or an album. It’ll probably be an EP, but with a lot more of my own production. I did quite a bit on the one we did with Josh and Djeisan, but for this one I might do a lot more. I’ve been really digging samples at the moment. Kind of on that hip hop buzz. I also want to capture that live sound a bit better. 

Rhys Rich features on the new EP, tell me a bit about that, and whether you want to do more features in the future. 

I just think he’s got a really dope sound pretty much. I’ve been following him for a while and he’s done a couple of shows with me now. He’s a legend. He’s got a really universal voice. He doesn’t sound super kiwi or American. He’s really original. I was looking for rappers, and he just seemed to fit well. 

Dream collab? 

I’d love to do a song with Frank Ocean. Or Damien Marley. Frank Ocean’s producer actually mixed Light me Up, and did a little bit of production on it so I’m almost there (laughs). 

That’s epic man. Frank Ocean could’ve heard your song. 

That would be fucking sick. 

What’s your favourite part about touring? 

At the moment, definitely when we’re playing and people sing back the lyrics. I’ve never really experienced that, and it’s still something I can’t quite get used to. I also like it when my keyboard player Joe starts yelping. When Joe’s yelping, you know things are sounding tight. He’s a fucking genius, man, so listening to him get into it pumps me up. 

What about when people bring out the flashlights on their phone? Have you had that yet? 

Bro. I have. Fuck man, at Spark Arena. It was the most insane shit I have ever seen or experienced in my life. That was the pinnacle of that tour for me. I didn’t even tell them to. I played ‘Open Up’ and then literally the whole arena, the lights came up. 

Favourite NZ music venue? 

I love playing the Yot Club at home. That’s a great venue. All my mates are there. It’s my hometown. The vibes are there. It’s just like a big party. Also, the Dunedin Town Hall. It was just stunning. I felt like I was in an old castle or something with the massive organ at the back. 

Are you ready for some quick fire? 

I’m ready. 

Dogs or cats? Cats 

Tea or coffee? Coffee 

Pepsi or coke? Coke 

Beach or city? Beach 

Night or day? Day 

Surfing or skating? Can’t answer (laughs). 

Surfing or music? Oh fuck, those are the three things I cannot pick from. No comment. 

Studio or stage? Stage. 

Scribe or Savage? Savage. 

What’s the most ferocious animal you could beat in a fight? Probably a leopard. Wait do you mean a real fight? Oh, shit nah I would get fucked up. Nah fuck it I could take down a leopard. 

Current phone wallpaper? The standard apple one. What you get when you buy it. 

Favourite smell Vanilla Candles. 

Country you’d most like to tour: The US. 

What are you going to do after this interview? I’m going to carry on making this tune. 

Can’t wait to hear it. Thanks so much bro. Chur, all good!