Master Peace I Cancelled

"the singer leading the way for a new generation of indie stars"

“If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will,” offers Master Peace. From the glitching swagger of 2019’s debut single ‘Night Time’ to the party-starting indie riot of debut album ‘How To Make A Master Peace’, you can hear that self-confidence across his genre-hopping, energetic back catalogue.

Master Peace, real name Peace Okezie, has already racked up bold collaborations with the likes of Santigold, Georgia and The Streets, played a string of electric headline shows across the country, while his Top 30 charting debut album earned him the Rising Star trophy at the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards. “It feels like other people are believing in what I’m doing now,” Peace says. “This is only the beginning though.”

Like Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ and Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’, Peace’s debut is an urgent mix of harsh reality, wide-eyed optimism, and the confidence of youth, designed to bring people together. Listening to the likes of ‘I Might Be Fake’, ‘Get Naughty’ and ‘Los Narcos’, it feels like anything is possible while tracks like ‘Shangaladang’ are a reminder of what it’s like to grow up in the UK as a young black man. “It needed that dirt and that joy. I was dealing with a lot of difficult stuff in my personal life while my career was popping off,” says Peace, who once again turned to music for hope.

Master Peace’s music might tackle complex, sprawling issues like masculinity, mental health and race, but it’s designed to offer community and freedom. “I just want to bring people together,” says Peace. “With everything going on in the world, I need young people to know they are important.”

After years of building Master Peace into something worth believing in, 2024 looks set to be his breakout year. Not that he’s planning on taking the easy route. “Sometimes, you need to go against the grain to make an impact,” he explains. “Nothing worth having is easy, but I knew what I was getting into when I first started making music,” Peace continues. The plan for the future is the same as what’s brought him this far. “I just need to keep making music that’s undeniable.”