Music Q&A: AM Sniper

How would you describe your sound?
Hip-hop music with a touch of island vibes. I started off as a DJ, evolved to a producer and finally started releasing my own body of work in the form of mix tapes. Then I expanded the wave with singles. I am at a point where I make music just for me and I like that.

What informs your music and songwriting?
I’m the type of artist that always needs the music first. The music needs to inspire the words, I think. It’s hard because not all music and sounds can do that for me but that’s when I know that a track or a beat is the one for me to work on and finalise it – you know, transform it into a song. In terms of inspiration it can be anything. I don’t over-think it. I let experiences teach me lessons and I react to them. We all react based on past experiences and lessons we have or have not learnt.

How have you evolved as an artist over the years?
I would say I went from trendy music to what I thought people wanted and now I’ve grown to the point where I make music I feel and I hope people will like it too.

What are you up to at the moment artistically?
I’ve managed to fuse the cultures and environments I’m surrounded by and merge them into an artistic haven for me, between Cyprus, Greece and the UK, and I do the run between those three countries. I’m going to release the Gangsta video with the best and biggest rapper in Greece, SNIK, on 13 October, and then drop my next single in the UK. And I’m on the verge of completing my debut album.

What’s on your rider?
Standard stuff, some Perrier, Ace of Spades Armand de Brignac champagne, and a jar of just red or blue M&Ms – if my team see the jar they understand the promoter is on point as it means he saw that detail and if he went through the process of picking just one colour of M&Ms then you know the vibe is certified.

Tell us your most embarrassing or surreal experience.
The worst ones never happened in real life – mostly in my dreams, hahaha, thank god. Embarrassing: I would say being booked at a show and being told the capacity, showing up and seeing there is nobody about. Regardless of whether you get paid we all want to perform to crowds, and it can affect you mentally if it happens. It happened once to me and I did not enjoy it. Surreal: I would say appearing at a show where you shut it down more than the headline to the point where they cut you off on socials and videos as if you never showed up and turn the place upside down. That’s why we always film our shows.