Today, Malick Koly has shared his first single of the year, the hotly anticipated “HiM8,” a haunting, magnetic track. Tonight, he’ll perform at the popular NYC party Toxic Thursdays at 62 avenue C in Manhattan, where his monthly appearances have drawn packed crowds and built a simmering excitement for a forthcoming collection of new music.
"HiM8" to me is where melancholy meets a cautionary tale which entails elements of grunge, folklore, country & blues story telling,” he shares. “When I sing "I know your schtick" I'm saying that I can see you coming from a mile away. Having the awareness of one's antics and negative energy forces the response, a simple "don't you rain on my parade all over ‘round town." And further, while we’re at it -- focus on yourself and tell me how that all goes and then check back in to see if I care: "Cue me in on your fall down someday I’ll bite." It’s a raw message hence the stripped nature of the song.”
LISTEN TO “HIM8”
The rising NYC artist cuts a striking figure in any setting. He wields a charm and sense of belonging in the world that sets him apart from other buzzy personalities in the New York scene, although his magnanimously free-to-enter parties have garnered him a growing reputation in the city. He’s an international student of music, a protean player with global ambition who grew up on three continents and has made a life on both US coasts. He’s performed all over and lived in many nations. Rooting for various local European football clubs - and hearing hooligans howl the songs of bands like Blur - is an early formative memory. He even once represented Côte d’Ivoire - his birthplace - presenting anthropological research on the drum set and its relation to West African percussion at the Venice Biennale.
It’s not necessarily obvious from the cathartic punk of his latest single, but listen closer to the complexities of those guitar chords - there’s a sophisticated jazz devotee behind them. He left college to tour the world with trumpeter Wallace Roney, then went on to record with French supergroup Le Deal at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, the same room that captured A Love Supreme. He’s also worked with current Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Ron Carter & Living Colour’s Vernon Reid. On last year’s Acadia, a dazzling album of guitar instrumentals by Yasmin Williams, Koly’s a featured performer, his cymbals sizzling behind her layered harmonies.
The charismatic son of a playwright who started early on stage, it’s no surprise that Koly’s acting eventually landed him in film. There’s his very true-to-life role as a drummer in the award-winning short Bloqué and he recently stepped into history, personifying the Tambourine Man alongside Chalamet’s Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Next year, he’ll appear in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s moody horror flick The Bride! Like his confident presence on record, Koly is undeniably magnetic on camera, captivating.
Stay tuned for more from Koly, and please inquire for tickets to this evenings show. | 
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