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[title]It’s been a big year for John Glacier, the 27-year-old rapper and producer from Hackney, and 2023 looks set to be even bigger. She went from being a cherished secret of London’s underground – in good company with the likes of Shygirl and Vegyn – to being hurled into the spotlight, appearing on magazine covers and being booked to play festivals across Europe.
Glacier started releasing her own beats and spoken-word demos on Soundcloud back in 2018, kickstarting a string of sporadic output before her debut 12-track album, ‘SHILOH: Lost for Words’, came into being just over a year ago. It’s a hazy daydream of slow liquid grooves and deconstructed ambient beats, leaving space for Glacier’s lyrics to speak. Exploring everything from her relationship with London to feeling trapped in her own thoughts, its themes and metaphors overlap in a series of swirling, sometimes raw, narratives.
With her chilled-out flow, it’s easy to see why Glacier regarded herself as a poet rather than a musician until recently. And with a new project in the works which she’s hoping to put out next year (‘most of it’s done, but I want to do more’), musically, it looks like she’s just getting started.
I put out my debut album in July last year. It came together really quickly: people would send me beats and I’d record over them in Vegyn’s studio, who produced the album.
Stuff has drastically changed in the space of a year. I’ve had more opportunities and access to more studios. Before, it was more or less impossible to record – I’d go to pirate studios or use my little home set-up and make Soundcloud stuff.
I should be feeling excited now, but instead, I just feel tired. I’ve not had much time to reflect: I keep going and feel like I need to be doing more.
I grew up in Hackney, on the Clapton side, and still live there now. Musically, the area has definitely changed. There used to be venues that had random acts on all the time, like the Alibi and Birthdays. It seems like the pandemic was used as some weird excuse to gentrify the area: most of the venues were shut down on the sly and the price of rent has forced businesses out.
I grew up in a Jamaican household with a load of siblings. I’ve always been close with my family: for most of my life, we all lived together. With my parents, I listened to a lot of dancehall, bashment and reggae. Britney Spears, DMX and D-Block Europe were also my musical heroes.
I’m a bit of a loner: I enjoy my company a lot and have always been independent. I can’t have other people pulling me in directions that I don’t think are for me. If you follow the crowd or don’t do what you want, you’re the one that’s missing out.
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a chronic condition that affects various bodily functions. It’s something you’re born with but I was misdiagnosed seven times before my diagnosis four or five years ago. It means I can’t do as much stuff as I want to: I mainly get cabs everywhere and I need help with my luggage, stuff like that.
I feel like a lot of festivals and music venues could be better at being genuinely accessible for people with disabilities. I shouldn’t need to give people a reason why I want to sit down in a music venue. It’s always like, ‘Oh, we have wheelchair access.’
I spend a lot of time by myself, so feel like that might be one of the reasons why I write as much as I do
All needs aren’t the same. Maybe they need to hire more people to help. Maybe they need to allow disabled people to use the same routes as VIP ticket holders. It’s not that hard. They just need to speak to the organisations advocating for people with disabilities and find a solution. It pisses me off.
I think my condition is really why I started writing in the first place. I spend a lot of time by myself, so feel like that might be one of the reasons why I write as much as I do. I wrote poetry while growing up and then made the transition to music five years ago.
I don’t exactly like performing – it’s more something I’ve adjusted to. Shows are just people staring at you, it’s awkward and quite exposing. I prefer being behind the scenes.
I’ve had really decent audiences that have helped get used to performing. One fan gave me an AI-generated video made from my lyrics. It had angels and Black women in it, and there’s an image of my face that morphs into others.
I recently posted that I wasn’t going to take any other bookings for the year. I haven’t had enough time for myself. Nothing is structured when you’re doing creative stuff and it’s easy to keep saying yes to jobs.
I don’t believe in over-exerting yourself. If you don’t take time to rest, you’re going to crash.
At one point, I thought I might just stay in the background. You don’t have to perform, you can always just make your stuff and keep yourself to yourself. But I’ve got used to it now, and I enjoy it. The proudest thing I’ve done this year was just performing and sticking to it.
John Glacier’s ‘SHILOH: Lost for Words’ is out now.