| Master Peace | |
| Birth Name: | Peace Okezie |
| Birth Place: | London, UK |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | 2018–present |
| Label: | PMR Records |
Peace Okezie, known as Master Peace, is a British musician. He has cited M.I.A., Blood Orange,[1] Santigold, The Strokes, LCD Soundystem,[2] Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Bodyrox, Princess Superstar, Friendly Fires, Justice, early Calvin Harris[3], The Veronicas, Paramore, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, The Notorious B.I.G., and Big L[4] as influences.
Okezie was born in London, and moved from South East London as a child to Morden, and then to Surrey where he grew up. He had a childhood interest in UK rap. He has noted that he "grew up around people involved in crime", and said that he went to "quite a posh school".[5] His favourite song growing up was "Don’t Speak" by No Doubt.
Okezie initially was part of a rap group, which he left before it became successful.[6] In 2018, Okezie released "The Lift", which involved him rapping over a-ha’s "Take On Me". In 2019 he released "Night Time", which featured Jme. The song was praised by Skepta.
The Streets released a single featuring Okezie, "Wrong Answers Only", on 14 January 2022. He was due to support the group on a 2022 tour which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] [8] In January 2023, Okezie released "Veronica", about young love, in the run-up to his EP Peace Of Mind.[9]
On 1 March 2023, Okezie released his debut album, How To Make A Master Peace, stating that he wanted the album to be a "cultural reset for Gen Z kids of the current day and age". He worked with producers Julian Brunetta and Matt Schwartz on the album, which featured Georgia on the song "I Might Be Fake", one of multiple singles which also included "LOO SONG", "Start You Up" and "LOS NARCOS", the latter of which Okezie stated was "probably the best song I’ve ever made."[10] Rolling Stone UK stated that Okezie was "leading the way for a new generation of indie stars" with the album, comparing it to Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Pete Doherty, M.I.A. and The Smiths, whereas NME compared specific songs to The Hives, also stating it was "an early contender for the best British debut album of 2024". A remix of "I Might Be Fake" with Princess Superstar, titled "I Might Be Fake-Arrr", was released in March 2024.[11]
In May 2024 Okezie won the Ivor Novello Award for Rising Star,[12] and stated that he was working on a deluxe version of How To Make A Master Piece to be followed by a second album, which would be "sleazier" and "poppier". He performed "Wrong Answers Only" with The Streets at Glastonbury Festival 2024.[13] He then released the single "Home" featuring Wale in July,[14] and announced his second EP, How To Make A(nuva) Master Peace, due to release on 4 October through PMR Records, followed by a UK and European tour. In August, Okezie released his single "Save Me",[15] and singer TSHA released her single "Can't Dance" on 14 August, which featured Okezie.[16] He is expected to tour in October following the release of his EP.
Okezie suffers from peripheral neuropathy, which causes nerve pain, frailty, and numbness in his limbs. He also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.