Ezra Collective on plans for Mercury Prize celebrations and winning over a new generation of jazz fans | Mercury Prize 2023 - video Dailymotion

NME

Ahead of their victory at the 2023 Mercury Prize for their album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’, Ezra Collective caught up with NME on the red carpet, and revealed their gratitude at fan support and unconventional plans to celebrate the win.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome, how are you?

00:01 Yeah, I'm good, thank you.

00:02 Feeling happy, very grateful to be here and yeah, grateful to be with all my friends,

00:07 you know what I'm saying.

00:08 I feel like we need to give a bit of a nod to this outfit choreography that we're seeing.

00:12 It's funny, you should admit, I mean, I feel like I'm about to faint but it's for the fashion

00:16 and that, you get me?

00:17 But yeah, we have to big up Connor, he's the person that helped us do this, you know what

00:22 I'm saying.

00:23 So yeah, everything's blessed man, we're happy to be here.

00:25 How are you feeling about tonight?

00:26 Is there a few nerves settling in, are we just excited, just grateful to be here?

00:32 There's no nerves really, if I'm being totally honest.

00:34 This is what it is, we go there, we have fun, we play, enjoy being with everyone and keep

00:39 it moving, do you know what I'm saying?

00:41 But like I keep saying, we're grateful to have this opportunity.

00:44 What's it like to be representing the jazz scene for 2023?

00:47 I feel like a lot of people are really finding a new love for jazz in you.

00:51 What's it like to have that?

00:52 I feel like it's just wonderful to be a part of something so big and so special.

00:57 We're just a small part of such a big picture, do you know what I mean?

01:01 And what is most special about it is a lot of us grew up together, do you know what I'm

01:04 saying?

01:05 So yeah man, it feels good, it feels nice just to even receive text messages from some

01:09 of my friends being like, "Good luck tonight."

01:11 Their moments are special, do you know what I'm saying?

01:13 So yeah, that's the vibe really.

01:15 Is the response different in any way to what you expected when you first put the album

01:19 out?

01:20 Oh, that's a good question.

01:21 To be fair man, it's been really exciting just to be hearing it played in so many different

01:26 avenues and places.

01:28 You know, Radio 6 is typically kind of like the jazz pocket of the radio, if you like.

01:33 But it's been nice to hear it played on different ones, One Extra One and etc, etc.

01:37 And yeah man, it's just been nice to see people enjoying it and dancing to it.

01:41 That's all you can ask for really.

01:43 I feel like you are one of the fan favorites here tonight.

01:45 I've heard so much chatter about you guys.

01:47 Everyone loves the album.

01:48 What's it like to resonate with such a wide audience?

01:52 That's really nice of you to measure because I looked at the betting odds in it, we were

01:56 like rock bottom when we looked at it, do you know what I mean?

01:59 So hearing people were like into our thing means a lot.

02:02 But honestly, from one person to one million people, if one person likes the vibes that

02:07 we're putting out, that's like job done, victory there.

02:10 Do you know what I'm saying?

02:11 So that's the vibe we kind of approach these things with.

02:14 When you first started writing the album, was there one thing that you wanted listeners

02:18 to take from it?

02:19 Or was it more just about expressing yourself and trying to put something out there?

02:22 Was there any message behind it?

02:23 I think we just wanted to be honest, do you know what I'm saying?

02:26 In every type of way.

02:27 We were in a lockdown.

02:28 Let's not lie and say everything's perfect.

02:30 Let's be real about it.

02:31 Do you hear what I'm saying?

02:32 But at the same time, the core message of the band being there is joy in your heart

02:37 somewhere.

02:38 You just have to find it.

02:39 And all of those kinds of things we're trying to convey in those songs.

02:43 What is the first thing you do if you won tonight?

02:45 I probably give the boys a good hug.

02:48 And then we'll take it from there.

02:50 We probably end up booking Ubers to someone's house.

02:53 I don't know, man.

02:54 I mean, I haven't thought it might even just be 24 hour McDonald's and see it out.

02:59 I mean, McFlurry's everywhere.

03:00 And then call it a day.

03:01 Do you know what I mean?

03:02 I don't know if you can really plan too tough.

03:04 Do you know what I'm saying?

03:05 I mean, there's nothing like a celebratory McFlurry, right?

03:08 McDonald's in Enfield Retail Park is like a club.

03:13 It's a whole vibe.

03:14 You could go there at 3am.

03:16 You can get there at 4am.

03:17 Let's go there.

03:18 That's what we're doing.

03:19 We're going to go there because there's a Krispy Kreme opposite that's 24 hours, legendary,

03:23 first one in the country, Enfield, you don't know.

03:25 So yeah, probably just head there and see what happens.

03:29 I feel like we've got some memories in that Krispy Kreme, right?

03:31 I feel like you know this pretty well.

03:34 That Krispy Kreme is the bedrock of North London.

03:37 It's the bedrock of this.

03:38 It's on the A10, right?

03:40 And it's at the retail park.

03:42 And it's opposite a McDonald's.

03:43 Some of the best link-ups of my life have been in there.

03:46 I've met footballers there.

03:47 I've met, you know what I mean, people from school.

03:49 It's like, "Oh wow, you've got kids now."

03:51 Do you know what I mean?

03:52 It all happens at that Krispy Kremes.

03:53 And they do this thing where they put the red neon light on and that means one free

03:57 donut.

03:58 Honestly, you've got, I don't know why it's not on the heritage list.

04:00 It's a like world attraction, honestly.

04:03 Yeah, I've been to the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty.

04:09 It's got nothing on this Krispy Kremes.

04:10 I'm telling you, man.

04:11 I'm telling you.

04:13 Make sure you go.

04:14 A10.

04:15 Are you alone with this or do the rest of the band agree?

04:17 I feel like you're taking the reins with this.

04:19 I'm not the one from Enfield, so I totally agree.

04:23 These men, they don't really agree.

04:24 He knows about the Krispy Kremes.

04:26 He went to the Krispy Kremes.

04:27 I'm on a level of pressure.

04:30 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

04:32 Going forward, what would you say your plans are for the next album?

04:35 Have you started thinking about that already?

04:37 Any ideas flying around?

04:40 I feel like where I'm meant to be was the documentation of the lockdown.

04:45 I feel like whatever we make next, if we're being totally honest, it has to be a documentation

04:49 of going all over the world, seeing people dance and watching people being happy.

04:53 That's what it needs to be about because that would be real.

04:56 It'd be a lie to write about being locked in our room again.

04:58 Do you hear what I'm saying?

04:59 So that's the vibe.

05:00 And then going forward, we've got a few tour dates in Australia, I believe.

05:05 What's it like seeing the response in other countries compared to the UK?

05:08 Do you find that you resonate with people on a different level?

05:10 Do you get a different audience depending on where you go?

05:13 I feel like the place is most dictated by how many times we've been there.

05:16 So that will be our second time in Australia.

05:20 So it's like even just being round two, it feels just a little bit elevated.

05:24 Whereas when we went to America this year, it was like round four or five.

05:27 You know what I'm saying?

05:28 So you just keep plowing and plowing and playing and playing and you just slowly see it grow.

05:32 That's why London shows end up being so special because we've been playing here since we were

05:36 16.

05:37 So that's the vibe, really.

05:38 We've just got to get everywhere to the London vibe.

05:40 Do you know what I'm saying?

05:41 Sweet.

05:42 Thank you so much.

05:43 Congratulations again.

05:44 Best of luck tonight.

05:45 Thanks for having us.

05:46 All right.

05:47 Thank you.

05:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Ezra Collective on plans for Mercury Prize celebrations and winning over a new generation of jazz fans | Mercury Prize 2023

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