Malaki to perform on Laura Whitmore's BBC Radio 5 Live show this weekend

After being hailed as "an amazing talent" by influential BBC Radio One DJ Jack Saunders for 'Someone Like You 2' back in November, Malaki is poised for a major UK breakthrough – with a performance on Laura Whitmore's BBC Radio 5 Live show this Sunday, February 7.

The Dublin rapper originally recorded 'Someone Like You 2' as part of Rave On, Van Morrison – organised by Hot Press as a celebration of the legendary singer’s 75th birthday in 2020. The decision was made to release it as a single, via Hot Press Records, following interest from the UK. The track has since clocked up over 328,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Following a successful series of singles, Malaki also recently released Chrysalis as a special vinyl edition.

"Showing impressive musical dexterity, Malaki variously ventures into moody trap workouts (‘Paper Prophecies’), Burial-style atmospherics (‘46A’), and warm jazz grooves (‘Spreadsheets & Love Notes’)," Hot Press's Paul Nolan wrote in his review of the project. "Best of all here is ‘Fair Play’, a funky jam with stunning soul vocals from Lucy McWilliams.

"Lyrically, meanwhile, Malaki takes a deep dive into the gritty details of urban life, in a manner reminiscent of The Streets or Kae Tempest. Overall, this is a hugely accomplished effort that has Hot for 2021 written all over it."

Back in 2019, we spoke to Bray native Laura Whitmore about her passion for championing Irish music through her radio show:

“I’ve played some great Irish bands on the show, like Wyvern Lingo – representing Bray – and, of course, Hozier," she said. "Gavin James and Dermot Kennedy are brilliant too. My producer, who’s British, tells me to stop picking Irish bands all the time, but I don’t think I’m biased – there’s just an incredible array of good music over here. There must be something in the blood. There’s also a universal element to Irish music, which might be because Irish people travel so much and are based all over the world – the music just connects everywhere.”

 Listen to Malaki on Laura Whitmore's BBC Radio 5 Live show this Sunday, February 6 – kicking off at 10am.

In the meantime, revisit Malaki's performance of 'Someone Like You 2' for Rave On Van Morrison below