Malik English is Celebrating the Black Diaspora on New EP ‘For Di Gyal Dem’

“Having music was the one thing that felt interesting,” says Malik English. 

Growing up between Canada, Brooklyn, and Trinidad, music became an essential part of Malik English’s world. Now, after reconnecting with his African and Caribbean roots, he’s using the influence of dancehall, afrobeats, amapiano, and R&B to create music that makes people “feel good, dance, and celebrate the Black diaspora” with his new EP ‘For Di Gyal Dem’.

Like many musicians who grew up surrounded by music, English recognized early on that it was something he wanted to pursue. He joined his elementary and middle school bands, playing both guitar and saxophone. For him, there was something freeing about learning an instrument. “I thought, if I’m playing sheet music, there’s no wrong answer. It felt more fun and something that was more open-ended,” English reflects. 

English earned his Bachelor’s degree in music from New York University and since then, English continued developing a sound that pulls from across the diaspora and beyond with the influence of artists like Buju Banton and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Looking ahead, he’d love to collaborate with Tyla, Party Next Door, Sexxy Redd and Metro Boomin.

Outside of creating his own music, English works with Bar 4 Bar Tv, a live music platform highlighting underground artists. With a team of around seven people, the platform has grown from intimate studio sessions to appearances at Rolling Loud and other locations throughout New York City. “It’s just that live music feeling and bringing out different ways to film music, especially with a lot of stuff we do, where it’s Afrobeats and R&B,” English says. “The idea is to be like a Tiny Desk for the underground.”

Working behind the scenes has also changed the way English approaches his own music, “Playing live music also gave me a different outlook on everything, where I could kind of deconstruct songs and figure out how to reconstruct them as if I was the one doing them.”

When he’s not at Bar 4 Bar TV, he’s in the studio creating records of his own. His recent singles “Ariya” and “Solo,” both inspired by amapiano, arrived this year with the energy of a New York summer night, the kind of songs that were made for dancing whether you’re on a rooftop or at Damballa.

Released in June, “Ariya” immediately establishes that intention. The title itself comes from Yoruba, meaning party or joy. “That’s why Ariya is like, I just want to party, I just want to have a good time.” English explains. When producing “Ariya,” the chorus was the first thing he wrote. “Whenever I have writer's block, one of my ways around it is to just set a limitation or to give myself a challenge while making the song. So, I’ve never had a song where I spoke Yoruba before. So, I was like, let me try that right now.” 

Eventually, the imagery conjured by Ariya would develop the song’s concept. Before releasing “Ariya,” he also released “Solo,” another amapiano-inspired track. “Solo” was one of the first songs he wrote where he sat down and said, “Okay, I’m going to write what I want to hear in the car or at a fete,” giving him a roadmap for the track.

If you’ve been following Malik English for a while or you are new to his music, the visuals for his videos are always impeccably produced and a true testament to the vibe he is curating. 

“For “Ariya,” I knew I wanted to make something that felt like a section at the club. So, I was like, let’s do that. But I didn’t want to literally go to a club space. So, I found an elevator space. And the elevator itself wasn’t cool but it was a lot of my video team figuring out angles and shots we could get to make it look cool.”

This creative process for “Ariya” not only speaks to English’s artistry but also to how he wants people to feel when they listen to his music or watch his videos. Even when discussing what inspires his music, he explained that he focuses on storylines. “I can take and craft a story from anything. Storylines are stuff you experience. You experience love and heartbreak. So, just coming up with these more regular emotions and making music as human as possible. And where it’s like, I can relate to this or this feeling means something to me right now.”

As English reflected on his musical journey, he spoke about starting off with rap-focused music, but after he released “Lonely Riddim,” he wanted to start focusing on music that represented and connected to his culture more.

“I wanted to represent a culture that just felt very disconnected. With family being pretty spread out around the world… and living in Crown Heights and seeing the West Indian side getting smaller and smaller. I think that’s a big factor and I just wanted to really dive into that sound and be like, yo, we’re still here, please don’t forget.”

As people get to know Malik English and his music and sound, he wants people to feel like having fun and like they need to get up and move. “It should always feel like a rooftop and Don Julio.” 

Be sure to check out Malik English’s music on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and follow him on Instagram for the latest updates on his music and performances!