In Conversation With Alex Iwobi At Silverstone

Born in Lagos but raised in Newham, Alexander Iwobi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Fulham and the Nigeria national team, and has notably played for other English sides Arsenal and Everton over the last nine years.

Having moved to England at a young age, Iwobi joined Arsenal’s academy when he was just eight, a club where he would go on to earn his first-team debut in 2015 after consistently performing within the youth side fixtures. Having broken into the first team for the North London side, over several seasons Iwobi made 149 appearances, scoring fifteen goals and attaining global recognition for his dribbling, quick footwork, and ability to make incisive passes.

However, a new challenge awaited him four years later, securing a move to fellow Premier League side Everton for an initial £28 million fee in 2o19. 123 appearances for the Merseyside club over a four year period led to yet another transfer opening up for Iwobi, opting to head back down South to London to sign a deal with Fulham, who had fast been a club on the rise since their restablishment as a Premier League side since the 22/23 season.

Internationally, Alex is a regular starter for the Nigerian national team, the country he opted to represent after revealing back in 2018 that his uncle, footballing icon Jay Jay Okocha influenced his decision. Since 2015, he has made 80 caps for his national team, which include major tournaments including the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, where most recently the side narrowly were defeated 2-1 by an 81st minute Sebastian Haller winner for the Ivory Coast.

Now, a regular first-team starter at Fulham having signed a five year contract with the London side at the end of summer 2023, Iwobi’s talent doesn’t stop at football. Releasing his debut single “Don’t Shoot” featuring Ajax striker Chuba Akpom and Don EE at the start of June under the alias ’17’, the shirt number he has held at both Arsenal and Everton alongside the Nigerian national team, he has created undeniable noise in the industry, standing out as one to keep a firm eye on in the UK rap space. Determined to prove his creative capabilitites and musical talent, the next months are promising to be an exciting time for ’17’, with not only the start of the new Premier League season around the corner but also an outlet of musical expression avaliable to him now.

Having been invited down to Silverstone just over a week ago to experience the new hospitality and musical offerings on offer at the British Grand Prix alongside other celebrities and creators, shortly after watching the practice session from Escapade, I caught up with Alex to discuss all things music, football and Formula 1.

First of all, before we enter the music talk, can you tell me a little bit about your childhood and your background?

I was born in Nigeria but I moved to England after eight months. I grew up in Newham, then moved to Essex, then moved to North London, then Manchester for four years and now I’m back in London.

What did a typical day in the life of ‘Alex Iwobi’ consist of throughout your youth?

I couldn’t give you a typical day as everyday was different. I’d go to school and then come home, and I was playing football for Arsenal at the time so I’d have training in the evening. If not, I’d be outside with my friends in the park playing football. I was training two-three times a week and then our matches would be on a Saturday or Sunday. 

What music was played around the household when you were younger and were there any standout albums or projects that had a major influence on your life?

When I was younger, the Wizkid, Superkid album, cause obviously I come from Nigerian background, but when I was with my friends it used to be Giggs and Chipmunk. 

What made you want to start making music – why music and why now?

To be fair, I been making music from early. Even when I was in secondary, I’ve got a track with one of my boys – I don’t know where it is, and I hope no one finds it – but since secondary school. It was only recently when my boy said “let’s push it out there you know, this sounds alright” – and so I thought I’d showcase that I’m not just a footballer. 

Having arrived on the scene with your debut tracks “Don’t Shoot” and “Sunrise In Paris”, it’s safe to say you’ve caused a fair bit of noise in the scene as well as the quality of the track itself; what do you make of the reaction to your first tracks and was it received how you imagined it would be?

Especially “Don’t Shoot”, when we first made that me and my boys were all so excited for that one cause of course we worked with Don EE and Chuba Akpom. All my boys were really vibing with it and we had a feeling everyone else would – the reaction we’ve been getting – It’s gone past what we thought. Even now, the reaction I’m getting whilst meeting people I don’t know and they are reciting my lyrics back to me – like this is different. 

Obviously, you drafted in Scoli and DON EE for Don’t Shoot. Does your relationship with Chuba go way back to the Arsenal days? Did you link up to record it with him playing at Ajax?

It was difficult. I recorded it with Don EE in the studio in London last year and we were thinking who to get on the track when we thought, why not Chuba, Chuba’s cold. 

To get him involved he had to find a studio in Amsterdam which he did four months later. He sent over the stems and did his thing; it was just a case of releasing it at the right time. Ajax were going through a tough spell at the time and we wanted people to still know that we were focused on the football of course.

Would you say that social media has a large impact on your musical aspirations?

Of course. If your team isn’t doing well at the time, you don’t want anyone to think you aren’t focused. It’s all about timing.

You’ve now released your first tracks into the world, what does the next months have in store for you other than the new season? 

In terms of music, I’ve got a lot of music just laying there to be fair. I’m trying to get more collaborations, but I’ve left it to my team as they know what is best to release and when. I’ve got loads of stuff there, but it’s all about timing.

You’ve teased being in the studio with Amadou Onana – can we expect a tune from you both?

Hopefully, we release the song that everyone’s heard the teaser of – but I have two songs with him already. Hopefully, we can work again cause he is so talented – he can sing! I don’t know how he can sing the way he does. It’s going to be difficult now though cause he’s up North and I’m down South but we’re going to try and work together again.

With that being said, have you got any dream collaborations and if so who would you like to work with?

I’ve always wanted to work with Chip and Giggs, I’d like to work with a lot of American artists. I haven’t necessarily got a dream but whoever wants to work with me, it’s just an honour.

It would be impossible to interview without talking about football, although I’ll try and keep it music-related. That being said, what sort of music do you listen to in the changing rooms before games?

In my changing room, there are a lot of Brazillian players so they like to listen to their Portuguese music. There are a few that listen to Lil Baby, but I usually just have my headphones on listening to… I like to listen to my own songs you know, it kind of motivates me.

Who’s connected to the bluetooth speaker in the Fulham and Nigeria changing rooms? 

In Fulham, it’s either one of the physios or it would have been Tosin Adarabioyo, but obviously, Tosin has now gone to Chelsea. I’m not sure who it’s going to be next season, you’ll have to stay tuned. In the Nigeria changing rooms, it’s Samuel Chukwueze who plays for AC Milan.

I know you said you listen to your own tracks sometimes for motivation, but do you have any other go-to motivation tracks pre-match?

All of my boys know that there’s this one track, ‘5500 Degrees’ – it’s got EST Gee, Lil Baby, 42 Dugg and Rylo Rodriguez in. That’s normally my go-to track, if not my song.

Who has the best and worst music taste at Fulham? 

Okay, okay… Tosin was usually on the music so he could accommodate everyone, he had the best. I’m going to add him to the list but Calvin Bassey man…

I like his music sometimes but other times he’s playing some heavy drills – I’m thinking… bro are you ready for football or ready to clamp a man down – I’m going to throw him under the bus here.

What was the whole experience of playing at AFCON like and representing your country internationally? 

Amazing man. To get to the AFCON Final was incredible, but obviously, I’m still sad that we didn’t win. Playing in the stadiums we were playing in, the environment and the atmosphere was crazy. It felt like a concert, it was honestly crazy.

Do you have any pre game rituals? Whether that be music related or not, it would be interesting to find out more if you do.

Not usually, you know. The only thing I do when I step onto a football pitch is pray, but apart from that, I’m not really that superstitious.

How relevant currently do you think music is with the football world – do you see them as intertwined with each other?

Yeah, of course. Growing up and even now, footballers rap, and rappers like to play football. That’s the way I’ve always seen it. Some rappers say they want to come and play ball, and some of them are decent. We both just want to enjoy the worlds that we live in… I enjoy the artist world and they enjoy the football world.

What is your opinion on the UK music scene, and do you prefer UK or US music?

It actually depends on my mood. I’ve just come back from America where all I’ve been listening to is American music and Central Cee. I’ve never felt excited to come back to the UK and listen to UK music. That being said, sometimes I have been in the UK and felt like I want to listen to some American music.

Tell me something a lot of people don’t know about you…

That I’m just a normal person. Everyone thinks I’m going to be boujee. OHH NOO! Everyone thinks I’m short. The amount of people who said today, “Ah, you’re actually kind of tall!” It always happens cause Wikipedia’s done man dirty. Everyone thinks I’m 5″ 10 and I’m actually 6″ 1, and I have shoes on so I’m 6″ 2! I don’t mind though cause people meet me and say ahhh you’re actually kind of tall. If they want to know about that, there we go.

Are there any big mistakes you’ve made in your life and if so what and how did this impact you?

I wouldn’t say any mistakes cause it’s made me where I am today. Other than saying stuff like if I had laced it or side-footed it I would’ve scored. But, I wouldn’t say there are any mistakes in my life, it’s made me who I am today and I’m proud of it.

Is this your first F1 and who are you supporting?

Yeah man, it’s my first F1. I’m supporting my boy Lewis Hamilton.

Obviously, you’re a footballer and you’re doing music as well, there’s a little bit of pressure between the two worlds. One of the thing’s they are trying to do at Silverstone is try and put both the racing world and the music world together. Do you think music and sport should come together?

Of course, of course. With F1 and music, it’s just you in the car and as an artist, it’s just you in the booth. In the same way Lewis Hamilton will have a team around him, Stormzy for example will also have his team around him. Staying focused for the whole race, I don’t know how they do it. And, now Stormzy has to stay focused for the whole show, making sure he’s doing the right lyrics and entertaining the crowd. It’s almost the same thing and I see how they are and should both be related.

I like to end all my interviews with quite a deep philosophical question that isn’t neccessarily easy to answer – so take your time. But, in as simple or detailed response as you like, what is the meaning of life to you?

Enjoy it, and be grateful for life. You only have one life to live – do the most, and experience as much as you can.

Photography Credit – @divrsemedia