LONDON - The trajectory of Femi Koleoso’s life, as explored in a recent, deeply personal conversation with comedian Mo Gilligan, serves as a masterclass in the intersection of faith, art, and the responsibility that comes with outsized success. Koleoso, the bandleader of the multi-award-winning Ezra Collective, has spent the last decade accumulating milestones that few in the jazz world thought possible. Yet, as the pair unpacked the moments that shaped him—from his early days as a toddler hitting pots and pans to his historic wins at the Mercury Prize and the BRIT Awards—the dialogue pivoted away from the accolades, focusing instead on the bedrock of community and the ethos of "giving it away."
The narrative of Ezra Collective is inseparable from the geography of Koleoso’s upbringing in Enfield and his foundational years within the Jubilee Church. For Koleoso, music and faith were never separate spheres; they were the same impulse, expressed through different rhythms. He speaks with profound gratitude about the "Tomorrow’s Warriors" youth club, a space that became a sanctuary where he and his bandmates—including his brother, bassist TJ Koleoso—could claim jazz as their own. It was a place that transformed an "elite" art form into a communal language, proving that if you provide young people with a room to create and mentors who believe in them, the result is not just music, but a generational shift in cultural representation.
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Their conversation also peeled back the glossy veneer of industry success, revealing the high-pressure reality that follows such a meteoric rise. Koleoso recalled the visceral stress of the 2025 BRIT Awards—where the group made history as the first jazz act to win "Group of the Year"—sharing the anxiety of pulling together a performance with only 48 hours’ notice. It was a moment of feeling "out of depth," he admitted, highlighting the disconnect between the red-carpet exterior and the internal struggle to maintain a creative vision when the industry machine begins to pull in a different direction. He and Gilligan bonded over the shared, often unglamorous realities of life on the road, where the "tour from hell" is a common rite of passage, and the small, human joys—like a functional backstage shower—become the true benchmarks of a successful day.Central to the discussion was Koleoso’s continued commitment to his role as a youth leader at Jubilee Church. This aspect of his life is not a side project; it is, by his own account, his primary ambition. In a landscape that often encourages artists to distance themselves from their roots as they climb the ladder of fame, Koleoso’s insistence on "giving it away" stands as a radical act of service. He views his success not as a destination, but as a resource. The responsibility, he argues, lies in ensuring that the door he walked through remains open for those coming after him. Whether through mentorship, ministry, or simply being present in his local community, he views his public platform as an extension of the same communal spirit that birthed Ezra Collective.
Throughout the episode, the camaraderie between Gilligan and Koleoso—two men who have risen to the top of their respective fields—offered a rare look at the quiet work of staying grounded. They explored the importance of friendship and the necessity of saying "no" to opportunities that threatened to dilute the band’s identity or force them into commercial formats that didn't align with their vision. For Ezra Collective, maintaining the integrity of their instrumental sound has been a strategic, and ultimately vindicating, choice.
The conversation concluded as an invitation to the listener to redefine success. It is a story about building something bigger than yourself, about honoring the mentors who invested in you, and about finding joy in the work that doesn't make the headlines. Femi Koleoso’s journey is a transformational framing of what it means to be a "star" in the modern era: it is not about the light you catch for yourself, but about the light you reflect back onto the generation that is still finding its rhythm. By keeping his eyes fixed on the next generation and his heart anchored in his community, Koleoso ensures that his greatest legacy will not be the trophies on his shelf, but the doors he leaves open for the young musicians in Enfield and beyond.
