Stormzy digs into his JAY-Z friendship, the only place he's live outside of London and being cool with Adele

There’s no doubting the skill level Stormzy has as a musician. So it’s only right to give him his flowers on a regular basis and learn as much as you can about him the way Zane Lowe can on Apple Music 1.

The duo talk it up for nearly an hour and it’s packed with gems. From revealing the only two places he could live outside of London to being cool-cool with JAY-Z and Adele, it’s must-see and hear material. Peep some. highlights from the conversation.

Stormzy on His Friendship and Love for Jay-Z...

I think the way I look at Jigga is just like... I always say there's no one who has inspired me and my brothers more than him in terms of just how he behaves, how he conducts himself, his approach to art, his approach to business, his approach to life, his approach to family. There's no one who I look at more and I feel like, yeah, you inspire me … I think it's so important, and again, I'm a feeler in it. So if I feel something like, “yo, that was sick”, or, “yo, you are amazing”, I'm that person, I would see if I saw anyone, anyone who had the song that I resonated with or done something that I loved or was in a film I like, I'm saying, "Yo, can I get a picture? Yo, you are sick." And I'm giving them all their flowers. So with Jigga, if I see him, the way I see him, he understands how much he means to me and how much he means to us. 

Stormzy Tells Apple Music About Being a Musician Forever…

I don't think I've ever said this. There was a time when I used to think I can't be a musician forever, because what it takes for me to make an album is so emotionally, physically and mentally taxing this is unsustainable. Every time I go to make an album, I'm going to get in this hole of the pressure and overwhelming-ness and pressure. And I've never been a quitter, I've always said, "I'm going to do." And I looked at it and I said, "This ain't sustainable. Am I meant to do this for the rest of my life?" Imagine when I have my family and then, "Guys, got to make an album. Going to be flipping depressed” … I was like, "This is insane." So I always used to think, "I can't do this for the rest of my life." And then this time around, now that I understand God, I'm like, "Oh, it's fine." So all I do now is I go in studio, we pray, literally, "Father God, be in the room. Holy Spirit, just guide whatever." And I hope for the best and I trust God that it's going to be great. And if it's not, that's fine, because that's his plan. So, whether I leave there with the f***ing greatest song I ever made, if I leave there and I've done one lyric, if I leave there and I've done nothing, it's fine because I've given it to God and I'm doing it through him. I've taken the pressure off myself because I'm not meant to do it myself.

Photo courtesy Apple Music 1 and Zane Lowe.

Stormzy Tells Apple Music About Album Track “Bad Blood” and How His Previous Relationship Inspired The Song...

‘Bad Blood's one of my, that's one of the most precious to me in terms of… the reason why that song feels so sincere and it means a lot to me is because … do you know what I really wanted to say on that? And it's what one of my favourite lyrics on the whole album, is when I say, "Can’t you tell I love you girl, it's obvious." Because I've always said as rappers or musicians, sometimes our love views or our sorrys, we wrap them and we make them a bit stylistic. You know what I mean? It's like, "I love you, babe." … You got to see the mandem and you've really got to face the results of what you've done. So for me to say that felt liberating, man. I think you described it best, I just wanted to find peace. And even throughout the whole record, anytime I speak about my relationship, it's like I'm figuring out how I'm feeling. That's why there's different versions of it. As you said, it's all these different facets of love and ‘Bad Blood’ was the most peaceful, as in it felt like, "Ah, this is what it is." As in it's mad love and it will never be bad blood. Do you know what I mean? Because of what it was.

Stormzy Tells Apple Music About His Close Friendship with Adele, Inflo, Cleo Sol and their Holiday in Jamaica… 

Zane: You mentioned in that beautiful note, in that letter, that it was your friend and mine, Adele, who said to you, "You need to walk away and you need to take a break. You need some space. Protect your energy." 

Stormzy: Adele, I love her deeply. And we've always had amazing conversations. And that's a true friend of mine, that's not like a music friend. So whenever we kick it, we've had really beautiful and deep conversations. And at that time it was like we weren't going on holidays, we weren't kind of enjoying the fruits of our labour. Do you know what I mean? And more so, it's more like you just get caught in the rat race of just life. Just the business of life and the distractions of life. And I think she just reminded me that it's important to have time to yourself, and to have a space of peace and silence, and where you can hear yourself think … We went away to Jamaica. It was five of us. It was me, Adele, Cleo Sol, Inflo, and April. It changed my life. It was the most beautiful… I can't even explain, it was really, really beautiful, and really healing, and really peaceful. God was on that trip. God was with us.

Photo courtesy Apple Music 1 and Zane Lowe.

Stormzy Tells Apple Music About His Track “Please” and The Lyric About Meghan Markle...  

Stormzy: When I was in New York, I actually watched the Oprah [Winfrey] and Meghan interview and I must have made it maybe sometime after that time. Because it's so funny because even when I said it, I didn't know I wanted to say that. A lot of things on the album or even the whole album, I want to say this, I want to say that, it was just like, okay, as I said, let God in the room, invite him into the room and just feel and express that … A lot of the time, whenever I feel things, I feel it in the most sincere, genuine way. But then sometimes how people receive it, I forget that, oh, it means something for me to feel like this. Do you get what I mean? So for perfect example, the Meghan lyric, that is the most genuine, just “leave her alone”. It's not political, it's not rooted in that. It's just a genuine “leave her alone”. Just leave her alone. If you was at a bar or you was at a party and you saw someone and it's just like leave her alone.

 Zane: But also, you have some experience in that, right? Because at the end of the day, like I said, you've been put on a pedestal, bro, for most of your career. You have millions of fans around the world, but you also know what it is to feel like the trade is close.

Stormzy: It's intense. It's super-intense. And that's where... I wanted to say that. I didn't know I wanted to say that, but when I said it I was like, yeah, I want to say that … Just leave her alone, man. And there's been a few moments in my life, in my actual reality, where I've had to say, yo, leave him alone or leave her alone. And that was one of the moments, just on wax.