WORLD CHAMPION BEATBOXER SK SHLOMO TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW VIRTUAL CHILDRENāS SHOW, FUNDRAISING FOR THE NHS, FAME AND LOSS
Thanks toĀ Ox In A BoxĀ Magazine for this awesome interview withĀ SK Shlomo
...Record-breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo is launching a huge project to help kids, and raise money forĀ NHS Charities TogetherĀ ā teaming up withĀ The North Wall Arts Centre,Ā Pegasus Theatre,Ā Cornerstone Arts CentreĀ and over 80 other music venues and theatres to get families involved.
āKIDS ARE PROBABLY WILDER. THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO ROCK OUTā SK SHLOMO
The critically acclaimed world-champion beatboxer who has collaborated with
Björk, Ed Sheeran and Lily Allen, played at Glastonbury Festival (official) and broken world records with his jaw-dropping vocal gymnastics, is bringing you
Homeskool Beatbox Adventures with ShlomoĀ ā a weekly livestreamed interactive show for kids and their families.
Every Thursday at 2pm families around the world can learn new vocal skills from SK Shlomo, and last weekās first streaming garnered an audience of around 30,000.
So who is SK Shlomo? Beatboxing since he was a child, aged 18 he started touring and was almost immediately propelled onto some of the biggest stages in the world from Edinburgh Fringe to Glastonbury, playing with the likes of Rudimental, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker.
āITāS OK TO FEEL SAD WHEN YOU LOSE SOMEONE, TO TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU ARENāT OK, AND TO TAKE SOME TIME OUT TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF. BUT YES WE HAD SOME BAD NEWS THIS WEEK. WE LOST SOMEONE, SO IT IS A SAD TIME FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE.ā
After having children aged 27, he changed his act to encompass a younger audience and Shlomoās Beatbox Adventures For Kids was born which toured 160 shows last year, including a night at The Albert Hall, and was a massive success.
With a full 2020 summer tour planned, SK Shlomo has now turned his attention to live-streaming his act.
So are adults and children totally different audiences? āChildren are much more honest if they donāt like something which helps fine tune what you do, and they really know how to let their hair down so kids are probably wilder,ā he grins. āThey really know how to rock out.
āFOR EVERY INCH YOU PUT INTO YOUR SHOW, YOU HAVE TO PUT THE SAME AMOUNT INTO SELF CAREā
āBut the shows themselves arenāt that different. I take out the swearing but to be honest the virtual show is as much for parents as it is for their kids. Itās designed for families to do together, but the vibe is the same and I think thatās the secret to its success.ā
And to perform? āWell you still have to have all your wits about you and I experience the same feeling of elation and exhaustion afterwards, but instead of going back to my dressing room afterwards and finding my way home, I just go out into the garden and play with my kids, which is quite surreal.ā
And yet SK is still bemused about the showās rocketing success: āWell itās a bit like Joe Wicks isnāt it? Itās an historic moment. I think itās about riding the wave and being in the right place at the right time.ā
Not that this has always stood SK Shlomo in good stead. Heās been very open about his depression ā taking two years off to deal with it.ā
At the beginning I poured everything I had into my work and sacrificed everything else. It was a really unhealthy relationship and really affected my mental health,ā he says.
āBut now I know the signs and for every inch you put into your job or new show, you have to put the same amount into self care.ā
I have no regrets. Everything thatās happened has made me who I am and got me here. I just have to look after myself.
āHaving lost friends in the current pandemic, SK is currently extra vigilant. āItās OK to feel sad when you lose someone instead of blaming yourself in some way, to tell people that you arenāt OK and to take some time out to look after yourself,ā he says. āBut yes we had some bad news this week. We lost someone, so it is a sad time for lots of people.ā
āSo this is a show about believing in yourself,ā he adds. āFinding confidence in your own voice is extremely empowering. Thatās even more important when so many of us are feeling disconnected ā we donāt know how we can help the world. This project can bring people together, connect the world up and raise funds for the heroes on the frontline who we appreciate so much.ā
Instead he wants to teach families in quarantine how to become Superstar Beatboxers and has set up aĀ JustGiving campaignĀ to try to raise Ā£2500 for NHS Charities Together in the process.Each Thursday SK Shlomo will set families creative challenges to raise money by sharing performance videos of their new skills using the hashtagĀ #beatboxadventures.Ā
Over the course of the six weeks, the Homeskool Beatbox Adventures community will create an anthem of their own, with its own music video featuring hundreds of families worldwide singing, beatboxing and performing together to celebrate music and to support the frontline workers on whom we all rely so much during this difficult time.
As for beatboxing he says: āItās just the way I express myself and Iād really like to teach others. They donāt have to be the best in the world or always get it right, but this is about having some fun, learning something new and helping you to feel alive.
āI want my audience to make some noise and to really capture their imaginations.āSo what can people expect? āI do a bit of virtuoso beatboxing and then break it down and get my audience to have a go and join in. People love it and the feedback has been amazing so we will see what happens this week!ā
Other than that, when this is all over we will be back on the road to see everyone in Oxfordshire.āShlomo will also be joined by one of his talented friends each episode including Bastille, KT Tunstall, Bill Bailey, Basement Jaxx, Jason Mraz and BBC Radio 1ās Dr Radha.
To take part, live every Thursday at 2pm, visitĀ www.beatboxadventures.com
or via Facebook Live onĀ SK ShlomoĀ orĀ The North Wall Arts Centreās Facebook pagesĀ