VERO Amplify: Oscar Jerome

CLASH continues its collaboration with VERO True Social spotlighting talent via their VERO Amplify series, offering insight into the creative forces driving the upcoming wave of homegrown performers.

The spotlight now shifts to a figure at the forefront of London’s progressive jazz scene, Oscar Jerome.

Hailing from Norwich, Jerome’s formative years were soundtracked by the polemical punk of Rage Against The Machine and a stint at London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Refining his craft as a member of eclectic collective KOKOROKO, the multi-instrumentalist set out to fuse the contrasting textures of hip-hop, soul, jazz and funk into a dynamic amalgam. His self-examining approach to music materialised on a self-titled EP, released in 2016, followed by a debut full-length ‘Breathe Deep’, which established the voice above the underground. 

This year’s album ‘The Spoon’ wove together Jerome’s distilled melancholy with immersive sound design; a collection of songs shaped by his experience of solitude in Berlin as the pandemic raged on all around. Inviting the likes of Léa Sen and Kaidi Akinnibi into his inner circle, the project captures the musician at his most stripped-back, candidly exploring challenging themes of depression and social injustice. It’s an evocative offering, quirky and darkly poignant in its rousing effects on the listener. 

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As part of VERO Amplify’s Deep Dives 5 interview, we uncover the man behind the enigma. Jerome reveals his favourite hotspots, games and an artist recommendation we should all be listening to. 

Jerome also performs an acoustic rendition of album highlight ‘Feet Down South’, filmed at the Clash Studio.

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Words: Ana Lamond