Artist of the Month: Flowdan

It’s been well over 20 years since Flowdan first started making a name for himself, and right now, he’s enjoying his busiest and most successful period to date. Off the back of a couple of huge tracks — "Baddadan" with Chase & Status and the Grammy-award-winning "Rumble" with Fred again.. and Skrillex — his status has been elevated and he’s become what’s known in the business as an “in-demand artist”. Offers and opportunities have come flooding in and he’s enjoying the journey, dare I say going with the Flow. “It's a blessing. It's very easy to fall into a mindset of like, “This is how it's always going to be, and I'm the guy”,” he tells Beatportal, speaking from the back of a cab post-gym. “But I'm very aware that nothing lasts forever, and things change, things evolve. And right now, we're just in this time, in this state where it's me and it's all about whatever I can do, or whatever I've done. It won't always be that, and that doesn't really deter me in any way”.

What’s immediately apparent about Flowdan, real name Marc Veira, is that he is unashamedly authentic. By this I don’t mean some faux “keeping it real” persona, or a conscious attempt to embody the notion of authenticity. No, he comes across as comfortable being himself and speaking his truth. He’s not out to impress anyone. “When it's not me, I'm still going to be enjoying it, because I didn't come into the game to have all eyes on me. I just wanted the opportunity to express and be next to my mates that are also expressing,” he continues. “I didn't really think about attention or being the person that everybody wants on their track. That wasn't really something I aspired to. So, while it's happening, I'm enjoying it, but it's cool when it's not there. I will still be enjoying whatever path I'm on”. 

When Flowdan says this, I believe him. Not only because it’s clear he means it wholeheartedly, but also because I’ve seen him stay true to the game consistently for over two decades. Across that timeframe he’s never wavered, or strayed. To have that level of commitment, even when you, or the genre you’re associated with, aren’t flavour of the month, is a surefire sign that you’re not in it for the fame or adulation. Flowdan’s dedication to his craft, to the music he loves and, most importantly, to the creative community he’s connected to, has been steadfast from day one. He revels in the collective energy of MC cyphers, radio sets or multi-artist stage performances. You can go all the way back to Sidewinder tape packs from 2002 to hear him shelling down the place with his crewmates from Roll Deep. Or you can check recent sets with Manga and Riko Dan or Coco and Paul Stephan to hear him in full Flow. He enjoys the competitive element of grime, which connects right back to the roots of hip hop culture and its core tenets of battling and proving you’re the best.

“Grime is probably the only art form around that really promotes testing yourself, amongst other creatives, which is just rap culture. It's nothing special or new, but I don't see it in other genres,” he says. “I don't see people testing themselves against each other, whether it's from a production element or bars, lyrics, whatever it is”. For Flowdan, this friendly, and often fierce, competition has been amplified by his Grammy success. In March this year, he made history after being awarded the Best Dance/Electronic Recording Grammy for "Rumble" with Fred again… and Skrillex. As the first-ever UK MC to win the high-profile award, he’s got to step up and defend it when he’s in a room full of his peers. This also keeps him grounded. “A radio set is like, ‘Okay, you've got a Grammy now…’ But that doesn't matter when you're in the room with these guys that want to take the Grammy off of you. So putting yourself into that is always fun,” he shares. “I also know, strategically, it keeps me grounded, it keeps me a part of the mandem, because I never really want to separate myself. I don't want all eyes on me. I want all eyes on us”.

If you go back a couple of decades, that desire to be rolling with the mandem, and for all eyes to be on “us”, not Flowdan alone, has always been present. The notion of everyone feeding off each other, and upping their levels through working together, is at the heart of Flowdan’s practice. “I would say I'm a leader, but I lead with the mandem, I don't want to step up like, “Look at me, I'm the example”. I've always been a good team player,” he explains. “I thrive in that group setting and I'm aware of that. So, even in a selfish way, I just feel the best me is when I’m with the dargs dem, and I'm feeding, I'm performing and helping them be their best self as well. That's how it stays interesting”.

“I've watched some successful people just be alone and be lonely because they're just so sick and no one's in their league. That doesn’t look fun,” he adds.

The pitfalls of fame and success are well known and documented, from the loneliness that can prevail when someone reaches the pinnacle, to the expectations people can have based on your stage persona. With regard to the latter, Flowdan reveals he has learned to step into his vulnerability. “I'm openly vulnerable, I put less effort into being who I think you think I am. I’ll be going into situations, and I know that you've heard the music, I know you've looked at the face, and I know probably half the time what you're thinking… And sometimes that used to get me ready for judgement,” he shares. “But that's not always the case, and I don't even know what's going on in X person's life and situation. So I put less thought into that, and I just let things be rather than trying to control them”.

Reflecting on the topic more, he explores the impact of his Grammy win. “I don't know if that's to do with success or a Grammy, but it's just life growth. Having the opportunity to be around new people all the time is an opportunity to be human as well. Because some of these people think, I don't know why, that I am not human, or I'm special, or I don't just want to have a laugh and chat and do some basic shit. So whenever I'm in them situations, I embrace the opportunity to just be that guy - that normal idiot that you didn't think is a normal idiot… Sometimes it spoils things for them,” he laughs.

Elsewhere, Flow has also developed an appreciation for failure, seeing it as a tool for growth. As many mindset and wellbeing gurus will attest, viewing failure through a positive lens, and using it to learn and push forward, is a key factor in personal and professional growth. Talking about what keeps him grounded, he explains, “Failure is really a strong tool for me, and that’s failure to my understanding or not reaching the goal that I hoped I would. Or even not executing something the way I hoped I was going to. All of that just keeps me in the process of remembering you can grow more”.

“There's very seldom a time I think, ‘Rah, that's sick. You just need to do that again’. I'm always critiquing myself, and I'm always finding opportunities to better myself, or change,” he adds.

Throughout the interview, Flowdan speaks candidly about his life as an MC, there’s a light-heartedness to his delivery, and a maturity that can only be gained through lived experience and conscious reflection. While he’s not taking his success for granted, there’s a sense that he could lose it all tomorrow and somehow be cool with it, simply continuing to do what he loves with his brotherhood. He namechecks The Bug as a big influence on his general attitude of being unapologetically himself, he references soundsystem as a foundation for his craftsmanship, and pinpoints the shift from garage into grime as a pivotal moment for him to get on stage and do his thing. All of these moments, and many more, have permeated into his subconscious influencing his outlook and creativity. While he may not necessarily want to stand out as an example, or inspiration, there’s no doubt that a lot of artists out there could benefit from the way he carries himself.

Where many would have dropped off, and many have dropped off, Flowdan stayed dedicated and kept going. While the world embraces his talent, he’s perfectly content with being in the studio with the mandem, dropping bars, competing and cracking jokes. Keeping his feet on the ground and keeping the heartbeat of grassroots MC culture alive and kicking…

Would you like to add Flowdan's inimitable vocals to your own productions for an unforgettable result?

Download the Flowdan — Writer Blocks sample pack over at Loopcloud!