Cardiff UK Artist Mirari Unveils His Debut EP “The Last Cowboy”
Cardiff artist Mirari has released his debut EP entitled “The Last Cowboy”. This highly anticipated debut sets the stage as a complete introduction to the eclectic artist. The two singles (‘Class of Deja’ & ‘FIRST CLASS’) released ahead of this EP offered a glimpse of things to come and have received a wealth of support from BBC Radio 1Xtra, Kiss Fresh and ChoiceFM. ‘Class of Deja’ was also added to Spotify’s own Grime Shutdown Playlist.
Mirari’s sound is both unpredictable and undeniable. ‘Class of Deja’ is a hard-hitting classic grime record taking inspiration from the likes of Kano, Skepta & Chip. Meanwhile, ‘FIRST CLASS’ is a melodic blend of Afrobeats (paying homage to his Nigerian heritage) and Baile Funk. The success of both records despite their differences indicates Mirari’s prowess and flair as a musician. This is something his fans in Cardiff are well aware of as he continues to build a cult-like following in the region with a string of exceptional live performances through 2023 (Tiny Rebel Fest, Focus Wales & New Skool Rules).
“Who is ‘The Last Cowboy’?” This is the question on the lips of those watching and engaging with Mirari’s artistic journey. Mirari describes himself as the “sum of several extremes”. Emigrating from Lagos aged 7, his family swapped the poverty of Nigeria for that of urban London. Through his youth he moved from borough to borough (Elephant & Castle, Dalston, Barking & Dagenham) and he found that experience challenging as he struggled with a sense of belonging. His art has been a channel through which he has found himself and his tribe. “Growing up I quickly realised that I was neither one thing nor one person. Each time we moved, including uprooting from Lagos, the people and culture of my new surroundings poured into me. It affected me more than my siblings due to my nature. I am wildly curious and adaptable. This meant I immersed myself into each community, throwing my spirit into the friends I made along the way. As such, the deep connections I was able to form stayed with me as I moved and I became a mix of those places, those people and each culture. In my younger years, this was very confusing as I couldn’t understand who I was and where I belonged. Internally, I was being pulled in several directions with each direction pulling me with a strong force.”
Now settled in Cardiff, he has spent the last few years honing his style and developing his artistry. “Cardiff has been great for me. It was the first place I chose of my own accord, not because my family moved. At the time of me deciding to leave home, I knew I wanted a place where I could have the space and freedom to accept every part of who I was. Cardiff has been that for me, I have been able to embrace myself and better manage the opposing mix of personalities and tastes within me. This period of internal reflection is what has led to ‘The Last Cowboy’.”
Mirari is a holistic artist. He is in the detail, from helping shape the beats on the project to analysing the mix and helping master most songs. Even the artwork was born out of a sketch he drew. He is dedicated, passionate and unrelenting. His character carries into the title and draws inspiration from James P Owen’s book ‘Cowboy Ethics’. Owen details how Cowboys are heroic not just because of the dangers of their job, but because they stand for something.
Owen shares the following principles:
Live each day with courage
Take pride in your work
Always finish what you start
Do what has to be done
Be tough but fair
When you make a promise, keep it
Ride for the brand
Talk less and say more
Remember that some things aren’t for sale
Know where to draw the line
Digesting the book and its message, Mirari found himself within the principles. He felt those principles were important for any endeavour one undertakes - be it artistic, business or humanitarian. Mirari felt he was one of the few artists he knew personally that could attest to living by every single one of those ethics hence, ‘The Last Cowboy’.
The last few years for Mirari has been about earning his artistic stripes, putting the rounds in. His EP, ‘The Last Cowboy’ is about stating his case as THE premier artist coming out of South Wales. He describes the music “as an experience to live with. I build a world and invite you to live in it”. The music is an audio journey featuring everything you would expect from a Classic Western movie but with Mirari’s vocals driving the narrative accompanied by a backdrop of production that is both cinematic and theatrical. It explores themes such as honour, redemption and the struggle between good and evil characterised by urban London life. The music creates a setting that is sparse and multi-layered - similar to the contrast of the typical American frontier during the 1800s: vast landscapes, deserts, small towns and rugged terrains. It features hard-hitting beats, twangy guitars and epic scores that add to the atmosphere and tension.
‘Timeless’ kicks off the entire project by describing Mirari’s deposition. It is dreamy in nature and subtly slips the listener into his world. In it he details how the world around him saw him as he was adapting to life in East London - “bad to the bad people, good to the goodfellas, hood to the rich people, gang to the babylon (police)”.
If ‘Timeless’ lulls you to a false sense of security then ‘Rodeos’ jolts you to attention, making you distinctly aware of the perils of your surroundings. The song begins immediately, both in production and in vocals. The beat is eerie and tense. ‘Rodeos’ features Welsh artist Korrupted.
‘Class of Deja’ follows on from this. Again, he leans on his East London experiences being influenced by the likes of Kano, Tempa T and P Money growing up - creating a murky, multi-layered grimey, gripping track.
‘FIRST CLASS’ offers a respite from the tension. Here, Mirari links up with award-winning producer ALEXAYBEATS. The Afrobeats X Baile Funk production is smooth and intoxicating. Mirari leans on his Nigerian heritage, speaking in his native tongue Yoruba in the second verse of the track. The song is uplifting and celebratory, which is purposeful as he was keen on letting the listener know life growing up wasn’t all doom and gloom. Despite the poverty, he was very happy, had great friends and made the most out of life. This track also signals a shift in topic - we start to find out about Mirari’s passions when it comes to romance.
‘Como’ continues the topic of romance. The music is sparse, returning you to the sparseness of life in a desert. This is done on purpose to contrast the striking nature of the woman he comes across - “I was late night, cruising. She struck me like wow”. In a boring, plain landscape, he is able to appreciate her presence all the more. He also details what he finds attractive in a partner - someone that is hardworking, elusive & focused.
‘Hot Topic’ is even more sparse. The guitars and piano are beautifully balanced to create sexual tension yet elegance. The song is seductive, following on from his encounter in ‘Como’.
‘Trojan’ is a return to the urgent. Living in urban London, he had to watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing. He details the difficulty in always feeling slightly unsafe in your environment - “I slept with one eye open. Looked out for the Trojan”.
‘Wonder Why’ features Welsh artist Sienna Crowson. It completes the romantic element of the EP, giving us the female perspective on what it’s like to be with someone like Mirari.
‘Rose Gold Spurs’ is aptly named. The drum pattern in the song is akin to the sound of a galloping horse, however when it comes to Mirari, even the little things indicate his flamboyance - namely the spurs being rose gold.
‘cowboy maths’ is the EP’s one and only interlude. He begins by asking the listener “Are we capable of choosing who we are?”.
In his own words “this track offers the easiest digestion of who I am and what the music is. In it I explain the ingredients that make me a confusing yet intriguing artist. How I am being pulled by my passions and how they culminate in the individual before you.”
He ends the interlude by saying “Don’t try and understand this, I just want you to feel me. I’m a ghetto poet, a playwright from the slums. I know it doesn’t add up, but still I’m the sum”.
The final track ‘Tony Stark’ is a nod towards the next chapter on the artist's journey. The beat is influenced by the time he has been spending in Cardiff where grungy rock bands are at the forefront of the culture. This track has a head-banging nature. Not one to miss an opportunity to make clear exactly who he is, Mirari ends the track and subsequently the entire EP with the words “Don’t even need the applause. I do this shit for the love”. So dedicated in his pursuit to master his artistry, he’d happily continue for the rest of his life without the promise of adulation, fame or money. He’d continue making his art with the same purity and integrity if it never paid him, simply because he loves doing it.