Ghostpoet

Born in London in 1983 as Obaro Ejimiwe, Ghostpoet grew up in the south of the British capital in a family with Nigerian and Dominican roots, before spending time in Coventry and returning to London; he now lives in Berlin. Since the late 2000s Ghostpoet has developed a writing style at the intersection of spoken word, experimental hip-hop, trip-hop, electronica and a dark pop sometimes close to alt‑rock, characterized by a deep, often half‑spoken voice and nocturnal, tense atmospheres. After early appearances on projects linked to Micachu and Kwes, he self‑released the EP The Sound of Strangers in 2010 and went on to publish Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam (2011), Some Say I So I Say Light (2013), Shedding Skin (2015), Dark Days + Canapés (2017) and I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep (2020). Ghostpoet has also collaborated with Massive Attack, notably on Come Near Me (2016), and Shedding Skin features guests including Nadine Shah, Lucy Rose and Mélanie De Biasio. Equally at home on festival stages and in more electronic or cross‑disciplinary settings, two of his albums, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam and Shedding Skin, were shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Since 2021 Obaro Ejimiwe has also expanded his practice into installation, photography, video and sound art.