Master Peace chats ADHD, destiny and texting first in woo's palm-reading session
The indie singer-songwriter and Brit Pop revivalist answers woo's fortune-telling themed quiz
The indie singer-songwriter and Brit Pop revivalist answers woo's fortune-telling themed quiz
Practised all over the world, palmistry analyses the major and minor lines on your hand to divine what they say about you: from how you love to how you live and, possibly, what lies ahead in your future. Inspired by this tradition, Palmistry is a series where we sit down with some of our favourite names in the worlds of music, fashion and entertainment for a unique quiz. Turning to their palms, we ask them questions relating to the properties of the five best-known lines in palm-reading.
It's a dreary March morning when a blurry-eyed Peace Okezie, better known as Master Peace, picks up the phone for our Zoom call. When we speak, the indie singer-songwriter is recovering from dropping last month's EP Peace of Mind, and is gearing up for a string of live dates including a headline show at London's XOYO. (If you're wondering, he swears by Lemsip as a touring essential.) He's still groggy, but it doesn't take him too long to recover: no matter how little sleep he's had, his energy and ambition are palpable.
In conversation, he's prone to cheeky one-liners, describing Peace of Mind as "the best 12 minutes of your life" and is refreshingly frank, revealing that he's chronically impulsive - something which he admits can get him in trouble. And of course, this aligns with his musical persona: all stream-of-consciousness lyrical observations, tongue-in-cheek turns of phrase and half-singing, half-speaking delivery that's surely influenced by Brit Pop legends like Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker.
It's this eclectic charm that caught the attention of critics and fans when his career first started building momentum back in 2020. Three years on, he's got an impressive slate of EPs under his belt and an increasingly refined sound. With the indie revival in full swing (in no small part thanks to TikTok's love of indie sleaze), it comes as no surprise that he's currently readying a debut album - though he's coy about when exactly it's due to drop.
As we wait for this first full-length, we sat down with Okezie for an edition of Palmistry, woo's palm-reading theme quiz, and to chat about destiny, managing ADHD and gaining fresh perspective on his career.
Head Line
One of the three major lines in palmistry, the Head Line (also known as Wisdom Line) reflects your belief, self-will, intelligence, mentality and creativity. Beginning at the outer edges of the hand, under the index finger, it runs towards the middle of the palm.
Would you say you’re more logical or creative?
I'm more creative. I have no logic.
Would you say that's an asset as a musician?
It's a good thing and a bad thing. I'm quite impulsive, I just want to do stuff, and sometimes that can get me in trouble. I feel like a lot of creators are impulsive, we like to wing it and take a risk. I don't want to overcook it. I just want to kind of jump on it and get it popping.
What were you like at school?
I have ADHD and I found school hard. I'm not really an intellectual but because my school was quite academic, they really expected great grades. I left school with like no GCSEs. My sister, though, she's quite academic and she's definitely smarter than me, 100%.
I didn't know you had ADHD, how has that impacted you growing up?
I found out from quite a young age, which was good. But my brain was always racing 100 miles per hour and nobody understood. People would be like, "Peace, why are you rushing before you do something? Why are you not thinking or listening?" I just get easily distracted because of the ADHD. It also impacts relationships with friends and in love. You feel like you're never really in because your brain is just everywhere.
What’s the biggest adventure you’ve been on?
My music career. It's been a lot of highs, a lot of lows, a lot of middle bits. We finally kind of got to the promised place. It's been a lot and now it's kind of about maintaining it and building something that will last forever.
Heart Line
The Heart Line (aka the Love Line), is a representation of your outlook on love, passion, relationships and friendship. It's the horizontal line at the top of your palm.
Are you romantic?
It varies. I can get bored easily but if I'm into it, I'm into it. It depends on who the person is and what the situation is.
Do you text first?
Yeah, which I hate. You just drop a text, that's fine, but the problem is waiting it out. I have a lot of people around me that take so long to text and I never get it. I'm like, "I sent you a message at nine and you get back to me at one. What the fuck? What were you possibly doing from nine to one that you couldn't reply?" But I understand that this is me not realising that not everybody replies that quickly. My brain just goes there, but some people might just think I'm being too demanding.
Fate Line
Your Fate Line (which some call the Money Line) runs vertically, from the wrist to your middle finger. It's said to be an indicator of the path you will take in life and how your future will pan out, across your career, finances and fortune.
Do you believe in destiny?
Ask me this question again in five years. There's been times in my music career when I've been like, "If I'm supposed to be doing this, why is everything going wrong?" Then there's times where I feel I'm 100% supposed to be doing music, which is when things go right or I get a feature with someone I absolutely love. I don't know the answer yet but if this is destiny then it's going in the right direction.
Are you a planner or more spontaneous?
I do both. I've been planning my debut album for the past year but I made it quickly in two weeks, maybe even less than that, like 11 days. Normally people make a song, leave it and go back to it but I was like, "fuck that". It was a spontaneous process in that we made fresh music and didn't go back to old demos but I've been writing down ideas and references for a long time.
What’s on your moodboard for the future?
Make really good music that will stand the test of time, have children, have a house in the country and die.
Sun Line
The Sun Line is a vertical line which can start anywhere on the palm as long as it is in line with the Mount of Moon (at the base of the palm, opposite the thumb) or the Mount of Apollo (the padded area under the ring finger) It also isn't found in every palm. This line is all about beauty and creativity as well as confidence and power.
What’s the last book you read?
The Thom Yorke book, Fear Stalks the Land. It's lots of Radiohead lyrics he wrote, and I just read it sometimes when I'm stuck for words. I've taken pictures of certain pages on my phone so if I'm in a session and I'm stuck I can just take a look and get some inspiration for me to write my own thing.
Play hard or work hard?
I'm a hard worker. I don't really like to fuck about, especially when it comes to my music. I try to put everything into it.
Life Line
One of the easiest lines to spot on your palm, the Life Line is the arc that curves around your thumb. It's usually considered to be a prediction of your vitality, health, ideology and experiences - as well as if you will befall major changes or accidents.
What’s a major change you’ve had in your life?
A change of friends. I used to be friends with people in the alternative rap scene, even though I never made that kind of music. When I separated myself from that world to pursue alternative indie, I kind of had a change of friends and peers which has been good and allowed me to be around people who align with my vision. I'm more confident to turn things down now and I can be more intentional. Like with my latest EP, Peace of Mind, I really knew who I wanted to work with.
How many times have you moved city?
Never. I'm a Surrey boy 'til I die.
What’s one moment that changed your perspective on life?
I would probably say Covid. Everything was on a high for me just before it happened, I was fresh out of the womb and everyone was like, "this kid is on fire." I had a sold-out show with like one song and I was getting played on Radio 1. Then covid hit and it was just like, everything that happened up to that point didn't matter. I felt like I was essentially starting again once everything opened up again, because there's a new artist coming out of the woodwork every day.
The pandemic reminded me that there's more to life than being a musician or work. All those things that you put all your time and effort into, that shit doesn't really matter if you don't have family and health. I had to realise that and come to terms with it. And it's been a blessing for me, because now I'm doing this music thing and things are going well again but I'm not putting pressure on it. Before, I felt like if things didn't go well, my life would be over. Now it's more kind of like, "OK, if it's working, then let's just keep going."
Master Peace's latest EP, Peace of Mind, is out now. You can keep up with his gigs and live dates here and stay tuned for his debut album coming soon.
