He's been backed by British rappers Dave and Central Cee, but rising singer-songwriter Kamal says he'll always focus on making music for the "real ones".

The 24-year-old musician from north-west London has just released his debut album after years of navigating the music industry, having signed to independent label Neighbourhood Recordings as a teenager.

Along the way, his 2020 breakout single Homebody became a lockdown hit and the R&B-tinged track Blue gained him further recognition, including reportedly from US superstar Billie Eilish.

"Apparently she [Billie] put me on a playlist that she'd curated for Spotify, so I mean I was gassed to be part of that sort of taste profile," Kamal tells BBC Newsbeat from his home garden studio in London.

He aims for "honesty" within his music, which also means admitting it was "scary" to ask Brit-award winner Dave to feature on his new album.

"Dave is such a humble guy and he doesn't feel too inaccessible because I feel like he really leads from a love of music, first and foremost," says Kamal.

"Which is the exact same way that I feel."

Dave featuring on his album is a full circle moment as Kamal previously featured on the rapper's 2021 track Mercury.

"I feel like the connection was already established for the most part," Kamal says of their relationship.

"But yeah, it still feels scary when you hit him up because you're like, obviously it is Dave, I grew up listening to him so it feels like a massive moment."

Rapper Dave, who has numerous Brit Awards, Ivor Novellos and a Mercury Prize to his name, opens up Kamal's track, The People That Saved Me, with poignant lyrics about love and memories.

Kamal says the verse was "perfect for the album" and "the kind of message" he wanted to send.

He has also featured on Mobo award-winning rapper Central Cee's 2025 track Now We're Strangers, and joined him on stage at London's The O2 to perform it.

"I feel like the O2 is a dream venue for so many of us musicians so to be up there was proper surreal," he says of that moment.

Amidst the major collaborations, Kamal wants to create music that is meaningful – something which comes across in his work.

"The music is always going to be the leading factor and you don't even get the co-signs unless there's a little something there in the first place," Kamal says.

And he plans to keep his day one fans at the forefront of it all.

"For the people that really love my music, they see the common thread, separately of those external things, of really vulnerable writing, which is what I always try and lead with," he explains.

"I always say I try and lead with honesty in the music, and I feel like that's the best way I can express myself.

"The people that latch onto that are always the real ones at the core of the fan base."

The singer's 13-track album also includes songs like Suffer, which explores topics around love and heartbreak, and All My Favourite People Are Sad, which talks of depression and friendship.

It's a lot of reflection for someone so young, and includes experimental tones which add a different layer to his usual soft singing voice.

Kamal describes his background as a mix of Trinidad, Belize, English and Palestinian and his childhood was filled with music.

But his relationship with music came before any hopes he might have had about making it big – and he says he still has much to learn.

"I feel like there's still a long way to go when I look at my music career, but I'm also very grateful for everything that's happened so far," he says.

And when it comes to the "doomscrolling" generation, Kamal has thoughts.

While he accepts that platforms like TikTok help artists who might not have a "fighting chance in the industry", he says the constant stream of content can sometimes feel like "fast food" music.

"I feel like lots of art forms are a bit more oversaturated now and they feel like they're more content pieces rather than pieces of art," he says.

He feels you have to "weed through" this to try and "maintain some sort of sense of taste".

As he's still in the early stages of his career, Kamal is taking it "day-by-day".

"I'm more just trying to figure out what's the best vibe of music and what's the best sonic and lyric that I can lead with next," he says.

"So I really take it day-by-day, studio session by studio session.

"It feels great, but there's a long way to go still."

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