Maxsta

Born in Lewisham, South London in 1992, Ian Koromah (aka Maxsta) developed a love of music while still at school, learning piano and guitar. After a brief interest in rock music and skateboarding culture -- and a move to East London -- he became involved in the burgeoning London grime scene as part of the Mucky Wolfpack collective. Opting to go solo, Maxsta's first release, "East London Is Back," caught the ear of the BBC's urban radio division 1extra, with the track also earning airplay on BBC Radio 1. In 2010 the mixtape Maxtape appeared. The success of the album earned him a loyal following, but due to some of the lyrical content, he also became the victim of intimidation and decided to move to Essex to get away from the threat of violence. Rethinking his approach to music, Maxsta eventually signed a deal with the Sony Music subsidiary Just Jam Records in 2011. Fronting various campaigns for Adidas and Google and subsequently raising his profile, he released the single I Wanna Rock in August 2012. Following up with Pop Off and the U.K. top 40 single Wanna Go in 2013, Maxsta was scheduled to release his debut album in early 2014. ~ Rich Wilson