U.K. Artist Kamal on His Debut EP ‘War Outside' and Fame in the Pandemic

The singer-songwriter’s openhearted tracks like “homebody” have made him a comforting voice across the world

- ANURAG TAGAT

TEENAGED BEDROOM pop artist Kamal’s earliest musical influences perhaps came from the time he spent listening to his mother’s iPod Shuffle. “She likes a lot of Bruce Springsteen,” he says over a video call from his home in Harlesden in northwest London

Then he remembers listening to a song called “Torn” but it takes him a while to remember who the artist was. “It was by a Natalie something… I can’t remember,” he trails off before I fill in the blanks and mention Australian pop artist Natalie Imbruglia, who had her big hit with a version of “Torn” in 1997. Kamal adds, “I was really obsessed with that song when I was younger, just because it was on my mom’s iPod […] I did a lot of skipping because quite a few of the songs weren’t my sort of taste. But yeah, there are a few bangers on there.”