{"id":1887147,"date":"2026-04-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1887147"},"modified":"2026-04-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-134","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1887147","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tFINN ASKEW\u2019S AZURE UNDERTONES<\/span>
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One of British pop\u2019s freshest faces, with Bieber and SZA co-signs in tow, Somerset-born, London-raised Finn Askew puts his hat in the mainstream ring with an introspective and immersive six-track.<\/h3>\n
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What do you get when you blend the melodic pull of Justin Bieber with the textured intimacy of Mk.gee and Dijon, and raise it in a quiet corner of Somerset? You get Somerset-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Finn Askew, and his new mixtape \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d \u2013 a project that feels less like a reinvention and more like an artist putting out a body of work that is reflective of his knowing who he is amid an industry that can often feel oversaturated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finn Askew has quickly become one of the UK\u2019s most compelling young voices. Co-signed by the likes of SZA, Kehlani and Bieber himself, his rise has been both organic, while having a reach that is global. From early breakout moments with \u201cRoses\u201d to selling out London headline shows and building a fiercely loyal fanbase, Finn\u2019s trajectory has been defined by instinct and a sonic model that isn\u2019t afraid to experiment and draws from a wide palette.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBLUEBOY\u201d, the six- track mixtape, sees Finn lean into a stripped-back and intimate honesty, musically shaped alongside his close collaborator and producer, Ezra Skys. The result is a tape that feels immediate, where imperfections are left in, and emotion leads. At its core, \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d is deeply personal: named after a childhood nickname given by his father, it signals an acknowledgement of the truest version of who he is.<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Tell me about what inspired the title of this mixtape!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My Dad paints, he\u2019s an artist. I have two sisters, and growing up, he would call us each by a different colour. One of my sisters is Peachy, the other one is Pinky, and he called me Blue Boy. I\u2019ve got it tattooed on me in Korean on my arm, and it\u2019s always been my nickname. I feel like this new mixtape is kind of like the rebirth of what I\u2019m trying to do \u2013 It\u2019s really me, and that\u2019s what Dad sees me as, Blue Boy. This mixtape embodies the truest version of myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDistance\u201d is one of your most successful tracks; it got over 11k presaves. Is it the song you thought would resonate with people the most from \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t think too much of it. When it did get the kind of attention that it got, it was a bit of a surprise. I remember talking to Ezra (Skys). I put out a first post about it, and usually, luckily for me, I feel like every time I post something about a song, the first post gets crazy interaction, and helps me realise that people do resonate with it \u2013 I can always tell off the rip. I remember we posted something about this song, and it did all right, and I didn\u2019t think too much of it. The next video I posted went crazy, and I thought, \u201cOh, wow, people really, really resonate with this.\u201d I feel like the song is kind of toxic in a sweet way \u2013 like it\u2019s not in your face toxic, but maybe a lot of people are toxic. Regardless, people resonate with it, and I\u2019m not complaining that they do.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been co-signed by SZA, Justin Bieber, Taeyong of NCT 127, Jungkook from BTS, Kehlani, and more \u2013 do you feel pressure when receiving co signs from these fellow artists who are so experienced in the game?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t put any pressure on me, but obviously, it\u2019s great to hear these artists that I look up to showing their support. Justin Bieber was definitely a crazy one. I couldn\u2019t name anyone bigger than that, right? He was my idol growing up. That is definitely one of the biggest co-signs you could ever have today. Justin Timberlake hit me up yesterday, telling me to keep going, to keep making music. Justin is literally one of the epitomes of music I\u2019m doing right now. It\u2019s crazy. Getting all of this love and support is great, but it\u2019s all online at the same time, so it feels a bit less than what it should feel like. I feel like when I start getting my flowers and doing more shows and tours, and maybe I can meet these people, I\u2019ll be like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s insane.\u2019 The support does help solidify what I already know. I don\u2019t quite get what I\u2019m doing, but it\u2019s good to hear from people that you really respect \u2013 it\u2019s inspiring.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMove On\u201d explores letting go \u2013 what\u2019s something from the \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d creation process that\u2019s stayed with you, whether that\u2019s a mindset, habit or way of working? Something you\u2019ve held onto, consciously or not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The simplicity of it. With the vocal takes, everything we recorded wasn\u2019t through headphones. We played the beat through the speakers, and I\u2019ve just sung with an SM7B. If you listen to the track and solo the vocal, there\u2019s so much bleed. I don\u2019t know why it resonates with people, but it does feel like you\u2019re in the room a little bit more, and it has more of a sense of inclusion. For every track I\u2019ve done it with, it\u2019s done well. I went into the studio with someone else and was excited to go in with headphones \u2013 and it didn\u2019t feel right. There\u2019s just something about writing in the room with this mic. The SM7B is the only mic I want to use forever now, just recording in the room.<\/p>\n

During the creation of \u201cBLUEBOY\u201d, what did you stumble across that surprised you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The more I created within the sound you hear on the mixtape, the more I realised how natural it felt. I remember we did the first R&B song, because I hadn\u2019t really made R&B before, and never really grew up listening to it \u2013 I\u2019m not going to try and make out I\u2019m this R&B guy. The first one made me think, Oh, that\u2019s really cool. People are resonating with it, people are saying this is great R&B. The second was good, and I\u2019m surprised at how good I can make R&B. It feels really natural \u2013 it just feels right. Especially because I\u2019m not intentionally trying to write R&B at the same time. That\u2019s why I think it works, because the music is natural. I\u2019m surprised at how well people are taking it.<\/p>\n

Working so closely with one producer can really shape an artist\u2019s identity, and you do so with Ezra Skys. How do you recognise a creative chemistry that\u2019s worth pursuing?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always wanted to have that one person to make music with. It\u2019s always been about coherence for me. When you work with lots of different producers, it\u2019s fun, don\u2019t get me wrong, and it elevates you. But when all you\u2019re trying to do, especially for me, is different sounds in different genres, I always wanted to lock in with someone and create something harmonious. And I was lucky enough to find Ezra, and he\u2019s literally like my twin. We look the same, we wear the same kind of clothes, we have similar tastes, and we are both from the south west of England. I\u2019m so lucky to have found that in someone who\u2019s a great friend, especially in the context of making music.<\/p>\n

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Growing up outside of a major music scene, do you think that distance protected your creativity in some way?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are pros and cons to it all. I wouldn\u2019t change where I ever lived, and I would never say I wish I grew up in the city, because there\u2019s a sense of freedom that I had, which is rare for people in the city. There was practically no one doing music around me, and if they were doing music, they weren\u2019t really pushing it. I was in a band before I went solo; it was nothing crazy, just a few mates making indie music. There\u2019s no one really pushing it and aspiring to do as I did. I never met anyone who really wanted to be an artist. I don\u2019t think a lot of people have the drive where I live. It meant I just had to kind of work by myself and figure things out on my own, which definitely helped build my uniqueness and authenticity. I\u2019m jealous of people who grew up in a city like London, though, because I feel like most musicians that I know who grew up in London have their communities and friendships with other musicians. That\u2019s something that I never had.<\/p>\n

When I moved to London, that was the issue. I\u2019m not an anti- social person, but I\u2019m not the sort of person who\u2019s going to go meet random people or other artists on a whim. On one hand, I wish I had grown up with these people and had a little clique, but maybe that would have changed me as an artist and what I am today. I wouldn\u2019t change anything. I felt like growing up in the countryside was good for me, but a lot of artists rush to the city. And on the other hand, when I moved back home, I was doing the best I ever have. I definitely thrive in the countryside.<\/p>\n

If your current sound had a visual world, what would it look like?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunset-like colours \u2013 some nice oranges, some purples here and there. I feel like I could ask my Dad to paint a really good painting to my music. He used to actually do my own album artwork on my oldest tracks. He gets it. But the music sits within those sunset colours, something quite pastel would work, I think. In the future, it might change, but I feel like that\u2019s the palette for now.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I want to do another tape by the end of the year. I was doing singles for so long, and waiting for something to pop, now I\u2019m at a point where, because I\u2019ve honed in on the sound, tapes seem way more feasible. So I want to get another tape out, hopefully by the end of the year, with a bit more of a winter vibe to it, something a little darker. I\u2019d love to do more shows this year, too. That sounds like a plan \u2013 more shows, and another mixtape.<\/p>\n

Words \u2013 Mapesho Kyakilika<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t17 April 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Feature Interview<\/a><\/div>\n
Music<\/a><\/div>\n
New Noise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tThe Quiet Enlightenment of Anwar Hadid<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland FINN ASKEW\u2019S AZURE UNDERTONES One of British pop\u2019s freshest faces, with Bieber and SZA co-signs in tow, Somerset-born, London-raised Finn Askew puts his hat in the mainstream ring with an introspective and immersive six-track. What do you get when you blend the melodic pull of Justin Bieber with the textured intimacy of Mk.gee and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-1887147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1887147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887147\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1887147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1887147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1887147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}