25 Sep Naughty Boy: Why Give The Game Away?

The majority of us were introduced to Naughty Boy's sounds a few years before we ever caught a glimpse of him. Having taught himself to make music from the shed in his parents’ garden on a Watford estate, the British producer and songwriter, real name Shahid Khan, began furnishing homegrown rappers with beats - Bashy, Devlin and Tinie Tempah among them - before connecting with a then little-known Scottish singer, Emeli Sandé. Their chance meeting led to an engaging musical partnership that resulted in him producing and co-writing all tracks, bar five, on her multi-platinum selling debut Our Version Of Events, which became the UK’s best-selling album of 2012. 18 months on and Naughty Boy’s own album, Hotel Cabana, debuted at number two this summer, tugging Khan to the forefront. On a mission to delve into the character of the man behind the hits, SoulCulture sat down with Naughty Boy over a tasty curry in Covent Garden to discuss developing his craft, learning from Emeli Sandé, avoiding the industry, growth of the UK music scene and adjusting to prominence.