MALIK Venna

• 1 Yoshi’ Intro 00:40
• 2 Numero Uno 04:12
• 3 Myself (feat. Jorja Smith) 02:58
• 4 Prophet 04:56
• 5 +Star101 01:58
• 6 Day x2 (feat. MIKE & Marco Bernardis) 03:19
• 7 São Paulo’ Interlude 01:10
• 8 Twisting (feat. Leon Thomas) 03:45
• 9 Zazu 02:11
• 10 Mr Popular (feat. Smino) 02:58
• 11 Raggo Rock 01:41
• 12 Veranda (feat. CARI) 03:43
• 13 Alchemy 01:53
• 14 Clarendon Fable 01:11
• 15 Indigo 04:54
• 16 My Way 03:33
• 17 Eternal Reflections (feat. Yussef Dayes) 04:53
• Total Runtime 49:55

Info for MALIK

After two EPs and an illuminating start to his career, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Venna releases his debut album, Malik. Not wanting to be rooted in jazz alone, Malik embodies the melting pot of sounds that reflects Venna’s environment. Bossa Nova influences can be heard across the album, as well as a deep love for Soul, R&B, and Rap. Venna’s broad range shines bright in his choice of collaborators, including vocalists Jorja Smith, Leon Thomas, MIKE, and Smino, as well as instrumentalists such as Yussef Dayes and Marco Bernardis.

It’s a beautiful rarity when an artist sees themselves as a vessel of the music, and though MALIK is a manifestation of his experiences and how he sees the world and years of craft, Venna wants MALIK to be an invitation. An invitation to let go, be present and submit to sensory experiences.

“Every experience, every memory, every conversation, anything new, any encounter has influenced how this album sounds. I might like a particular guitar tone from it, and then I bring it into my world. Everything has come and conjured into one place, and it's beautiful to also hear and see,” Venna says.

MALIK is where listeners can get lost and find themselves again. The album also features a long list of musicians including Rocco Palladino, Elijah Fox, AoD, J Warner, Marco Bernardis and longtime collaborator, Yussef Dayes.

Venna speaks on the reason behind the album title: “The album MALIK was named by my mother 26 years before the album was made. A strong name that means King or leader in Arabic. A name that I’ve lived with all my life. A name that my nearest and dearest have called me & a name that I learnt to become. Throughout the whole process of the album - I’ve had another name that I loved but I felt like I wasn’t living in my undeniable truth & what better way to live in one’s truth than naming their debut album the name that their mother named them. I present my debut album MALIK.”

Malik Venner a.k.a. Venna

Malik Venner a.k.a. Venna
It took a long time for Malik Venner a.k.a. Venna to finally release music under his own name. His musical career began at the age of six, when he first sat down at the piano. At twelve, he switched to the saxophone, and as a teenager, he discovered jazz and played in his first bands. Since then, he has worked for various artists, both as a musician and as a producer, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, 6lack, Knucks, and many, many others. Venna has long been a well-known man behind the scenes, responsible for the magical moments on many records and for many musicians from the UK, Europe, Africa, and the USA. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020 for his work on Burna Boy's "African Giant" album, where he collaborated with P2J on "Anybody." The trio finally won the Grammy Award a year later for Burna Boy's "Twice as Tall." His tracks are the kind that leave you wanting more, and this was never more evident than with his debut solo project, "Venology." The chance to finally release his own music, after putting his coveted stamp on the creations of others, came in the summer of 2021. Together with Marco Bernadis, he began tinkering with his tracks in the studio until his debut EP was finished. This super-cool mix of laid-back beats, diverse rhythms from very different musical traditions, and the fluid playing of the alto saxophone developed its own pull. It's no wonder, then, that Venna's music immediately appeared on numerous jazz playlists, even though most people were barely aware of this artist's prominence. "I came in like a thief in the night," rapped Knuck in the track "Standard," thus describing how the sought-after eminence grise Malik Venner became the fantastic solo artist Venna.

This album contains no booklet.