Get To Know : Brandon Nembhard

Being Jamaican-raised and London-based lends a unique attribute to the world of Brandon Nembhard’s music. The influence of music throughout the entirety of his life can be felt through the angsty, yet philosophical questions Brandon ponders about through his work. No thought is left unturned and no question is left unanswered. His work takes the listener through the journey of his life, his experiences and the things that have shaped him, sonically and physically.

His latest release, IF NOT NOW, WHEN?, is an exploration of thoughts, meshing together to create a deep layered piece that circles back to the title of the record. When is the best time to make your move? Where do you start? These questions are an amalgamation of unified ideas we all come across. Brandon tackles this head on, confronting himself and solidifying his place in the UK music scene.

Music is central to Jamaican culture and has been instrumental in influencing many sounds we here throughout the world. Being raised in such a music-centred country offered Brandon the ability to sprout his musical curiosity early on. Adding to this, he noted,

“You could see music in everything, you could hear music [until] three in the morning from my bedroom. Instruments are heavily praised but it’s just something you do, not necessarily something you pursue. It’s kind of like, if you make music and it goes well then cool, but its never encouraged. Your parents definitely aren’t like ‘you should be a musician’. It’s more therapeutic in a way. It’s in our blood.”

Following up on this, discussing the different social implications spanning from Jamaica to the UK, Brandon said, “Jamaica provides you with everything you need. Great food, great friends, weather and solitude is a thing out there too. You can just be by yourself, it provides that for you. Meanwhile, in the city (London), everything is social. The interaction with [the guy from] the local corner shop, he knows you. There’s a different sense of community here.”

For me, I took the title of the body of work as Brandon telling the people listening that there is never a better time than right now to focus on your ambitions. I passed the question back, letting him expand on his own reasoning behind the conscious title pick. Explaining his reasoning behind the title of the project, Brandon explained,

“Exactly that! There isn’t a better time. My whole thing is, there isn’t a perfect moment. There’s not, you being in the right place at the right time with the right people surrounding you or having the correct resources. It’s kind of just like, you do what you can with what’s currently in your possession. What’s in your immediate proximity and build from there and get started. It’s okay to start, even if it’s a slow start. If you feel like you need to wait in order for you to even do something, more time you’ll find yourself in the same position as years go by”.

Speaking to Brandon, he began to explore his latest single, “MIND YOUR MANNERS’, the second entry on the latest EP. “It’s like the second shout of the [project]. But, I’m looking forward to it being experienced as a whole. I think it’s one of the glues of the EP. So, I hope people see it that way.”

“People say don’t half-ass anything and I think there’s some truth to that”, Brandon responds after I asked him about a previous statement he made. He goes on to share his perspective on work ethic and the hustle of being a growing artist.

“I think it’s important to take the time. But you know, when you shouldn’t half ass something. But getting started isn’t half-assing [to me]. You don’t have anything. I think if your in a position where in which you should be doing things and the quality drops, that’s half-assing”.

The introduction to Brandon’s sound for me and many others was his last EP, Think or Swim. A 5 track EP, released in 2023, that gave an insight into this artist that was just bubbling under and breaking into their sound. I wanted to know what the difference was for Brandon when it came to this newest project. He explains, “Think or Swim is funny to me. It was more of a compilation EP of songs I really liked and put together. And although this EP is more cohesive, it’s not a full theme, it’s not a painting or a puzzle you have to put together. This is a step closer to what I want to do in the future. [This time], these songs correlate, they have a similar theme and the head-space I was in when I wrote them was shared.”

Brandon has become increasingly popular in a short space of time, capitalising off what it means to be an artist during the streaming era and using social media to his advantage, creating captivating short form content, and constantly pushing the boundaries when it comes to translating his thoughts through visuals.

Talking about the era we’re currently facing, Brandon went on to say, “I want to make things for the sake of making it, not because the trend right now is to essentially create something that conforms to the palatability of social media.

"A part of me is like yeah, my music is good, so I feel like I would have made something happen if social media wasn’t what it is, but then at the same time, social media is what taught me to make music.

"Knowledge being so accessible is what allowed me to do what I do and it’s also what has allowed me to get my stuff out there in a way that you couldn’t because you know music was a little more controlled before social media.”

Brandon refers to himself an introvert, something that struck me. Sonically, he sounds confident and visually, his presence is felt in a strong way. Delving further into it, Brandon mentioned, “Maybe this career path wouldn’t have been for me if social media not been what it is today”.

Wrapping up our conversation, I wanted to know more about the timeline of a project. When did it start and when does a project end? Is it when it has been submitted for release, or does the viewers reactions also act as a closure?

Speaking further on the creative process, Brandon says: “That’s a good question. Actually, it ends when its done for me. Once it’s released, once it’s in the chamber. For the longest time, the ending for me has been once I make the song.

"Once the song is done, that’s it and then obviously I move into the more [visual] space but I want to make it the same thing. I want to make this song, then make this video or series of video and that becomes a whole package essentially rather than just the music being done. To me, the music and marketing side of things, are two different concepts and maybe merging them can’t be too bad. But for now, it’s like, once it comes out, iit'scool and onto the next."

Even though, we haven’t gotten over IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?, it’s always important to look onwards and put the best foot out in front. Referring to what we can expect in the coming months from Brandon, a debut album is definitely on the cards.

Listen to IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN? below.