For Venna, the past six months have been defined by the relentless rhythm of the road. Since releasing his long-awaited debut album Malik in September 2025, he has travelled across hundreds of motorways with his team, bringing his new age jazz sound with fans across Europe and North America. It’s no wonder he looks a little tired when joining a video call from Copenhagen, sporting a black hoodie that perfectly describes his music, textured and well composed.
“I’ve been in America since January, so my sleeping patterns are all over the place right now,” he says, reflecting on his time in the States. Alongside the regular shows, he’s had some time to unwind with family and friends, going on a hike in Utah, seeing his dad in the big apple, and chopping it up with his niece and nephew while getting food with his sister in Atlanta.
Good people, good food and proper sleep, three ingredients Venna swears by for a successful show. On his days off in the middle of tour, the 26-year-old had his priorities straight. “I used to get a hotel room for me to just shower, chill in the room, order some food, and call home. Nothing crazy. I normally tried to regain a bit of energy for the rest of the run.”
And it’s very unlikely that his run will end anytime soon. Since his Grammy win in 2020 for his work on Burna Boy’s Twice as Tall album, he’s been around the world touring with Afrobeats royalty like Wizkid and long-time collaborator Yussef Dayes while lending his excellent saxophone and production skills to heavy hitters such as Kali Uchis, 6LACK, J Hus and Snoh Aalegra. Not to mention dropping cult classics including “Standard” and “Leon the Professional” with Knucks along the way.
It’s this string of accolades that has taken Venna from South London to the world, but this weekend, 13-15 March, he returns to another cultural hotspot of the UK known for its musical heritage, Manchester. He’ll be joining the Keep Walking Live tour, delivered by Johnnie Walker in partnership with NTS Radio, a festival celebrating the city’s global sound and the trademark Mancunian community spirit, with workshops, club nights and live shows taking place across the city. Tickets are available here.
Before Venna busts out his saxophone for the weekend ahead, we caught up with him to discuss his tour, playing the long game and what lies in his future.
You’ve just wrapped up the North American leg of the Malik tour. What was that like?
Venna: It was definitely a legendary one that I’ll always remember and definitely will hold a couple chapters in my book one day when I’m old and grey. Not the smoothest at times, but that’s part of touring as well. So yeah, I give thanks, it was a good run.
You’ve been on the road ever since breaking into the scene, touring with the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid and Yussef Dayes. How do those compare to the experience of taking your debut album across the world?
Venna: I haven’t been touring for myself for too long since I started back in 2023. I’ve been with Youssef the most out of anyone that I’ve ever toured with. It’s definitely a different responsibility. With anyone else’s shows, I just stand there, play my stuff and go home. Whereas with my project, I’m building the infrastructure, the team, the whole touring experience for myself and those who are on the tour with me and also for the crowd. I’m looking at a bunch of different things like travel, merch, what musicians I’m going to bring or what venues I’m going to choose. It’s a lot more stress but I don’t mind that. I give thanks that I’m even in the position to be able to do it on my own two feet.
Has your understanding of the album changed since you started travelling with it?
Venna: It’s just enhanced the love that I have for it because I can see people react and make their own memories and have their own encounters with it. That’s the beauty of touring. While performing, I’m really only going to have the memory of myself and the guys that I’m touring with, but then the crowd has their own memory of that day, whether they come by themselves, meet someone new at the show or come with their friends and loved ones. I get to share the music with people that I will likely never ever meet. Sometimes I do meet people in different walks of life and they share how much they like my music, that’s worth a lot more than you’d think.
Were you able to experience any of the cities whilst on tour or were you just locked in to ensure a good night of music?
Venna: It depends. A big part is transport. For this tour, we were on a tour bus. So we’d normally play a show the night before, I’d sign merch, pack down, get on the bus and leave around 2 or 3:00 a.m. to drive to the next city. Some people on the team liked to go off and explore but for me, I like my sleep. Since this isn’t my first tour, I’ve been to some of these places before, so I didn’t feel inclined to go run around and see an attraction. I had my little cousin with me, so he was waking me up like, “Yo, I’m trying to do this,” and I’m like, “Brother, man, I’m tired!” The only constant is some good food. Get some food and pick the day as it comes, I’m not too premeditated with things.
How about making music on the road, do you record when you’re touring or wait until you’re in the studio? How do you find peace in that constant rush?
Venna: When I first started touring I’d always have my laptop with me, trying to make beats in my headphones. But nowadays, hell no. I just wait. Making music, it’s a very sacred thing to me. So I always try to make sure that when it’s time to make music, I’m in a place of peace and tranquility where I can really just exist and only focus on that. I don’t want to be trying to make music and then my tour manager is complaining about something missing from the merch for example. I don’t want to make music in that state of franticness. On tour, I’m with some of my good brothers, man, so, I’m peaceful anyway for the most part. I got my little cousin with me, he brought his PS5 with him and we were just playing FIFA on the bus, watching movies and just taking it easy, until it was time to get into show mode.
That calmness also comes through your social media, you’re not one to constantly try and go viral like most of your contemporaries. How do you think that’s helped your craft?
Venna: My music has never been about virality and the core essence of me has been to never follow suit with what everyone else is doing. That’s why people gravitate to what I’m doing and that’s why I can sell out America. Some people flourish on social media and do very well but I’m about longevity and standing the test of time. If something ever goes viral, great, but that will never be my aim, my aim is to make a great catalog of music and build a legacy that people can learn from, thrive from and experience from. As long as the people who listen feel something, whether it’s love, sadness, happiness, whatever emotion it evokes, I feel like my job’s done.
When producing music, are you thinking about the longevity of a track?
Venna: I don’t really premeditate nothing, that’s my slogan in general. Knowing myself and what my mission is, anything that I do will age gracefully. So I’m not in the studio thinking I need to make something that’s going to last, stand the test of time, that’s just what naturally happens. A good studio session goes down to what sound engineer we choose, what musicians I call on to work with, everything is so meticulously thought out to see how we can get the best result. I believe the best result ends in things lasting forever.
Coming to the present, you’re gonna be in Manchester this weekend as part of Keep Walking Live by NTS and Johnnie Walker. How’s it like coming back after your show in November?
Venna: It’ll be a good time, I’ve got my band out here with me as well. One of the musicians is from New York, one’s from Canada, and the other one’s from London. We’ve been on a run since November so everyone’s warm, everyone’s hot and we’ll definitely mash up the place. My last Manchester show was one of my favourite shows of the European run so I just hope people have a blessed evening. My set’s gonna be a blend of all my projects, I’ll probably just write a setlist 10 minutes before we go on!
How important are these initiatives for upcoming musicians?
Venna: A big part of jazz is finding the next legends and bringing them under your wing. Where I’m at right now is trying to find the next set of legends. The guitarist I got is a legend called Jacob McGibbon. He’s 20 years old and he’s killing it, he dropped out of uni to come rock with me. That’s just jazz culture in itself, to find the next cat that will push the sound a bit further. Everyone has different stories and different ways of figuring this shit out because it’s not easy man. Maybe this weekend could spur something and trigger someone to pursue what they want. Art always needs a breeding ground for that to happen. It’s about finding the next set of legends who one day will use this moment and a platform like Brighter Sound to build off, create their own memories, their own band and their own legacy.
What advice would you give to a musician or an instrumentalist trying to make a name for themselves?
Venna: First of all, be the coolest on your instrument, try to be the coldest because that will set you apart from everyone else. Focusing on production, having an understanding of production and how things are put together, is crucial to why my music sounds the way it is. Also, just being true to what you like. I make the music that I love, I don’t make it for no one else. Being genuine, honest and true to your identity as a musician is key and that’s what you should live by.
Looking forward, how do you want to evolve your sound from Malik? Do you have any dream collaborations for the next project?
Venna: I’m one of them people, I don’t like speaking before something comes to fruition, I’d rather just unleash and unfold the music in front of everyone. I definitely have an understanding of where I want to go with it next though. It’s not going to sound like the Malik album for sure, I never make the same thing twice ever. I’m tapping into other palettes and textures and bringing different instruments into the mix.
Would you want to delve into some other art forms away from music in the future?
Venna: I know this is still music, but I definitely want to score some movies at some point. I also take a lot of photos of loved ones and of figures that are prominent in the world. So one day, I’d like to make a photo book when everything’s said and done. Maybe an exhibition or some shit. But I’ll be real, music’s the first and foremost and will always be the priority. Everything else is secondary.