Peace Okezie, known as Master Peace, is a British musician. Initially collaborating with Jme and The Streets and releasing three EPs, in 2024 he released his debut album How To Make A Master Peace which received high praise from critics and won him a Rising Star Ivor Novello Award. He followed this with a fourth EP How To Make A(nuva) Master Peace.
Okezie was born in London,[1] to a Nigerian family,[7] and moved from South East London as a child to Morden,[8] and then to Surrey where he grew up.[7] Having said that he "grew up around people involved in crime",[6] he has also noted that he went to "quite a posh school".[9]
He had a childhood interest in UK rap,[6] but has also stated that his favourite song growing up was "Don’t Speak" by No Doubt;[10] he often listened to rap with friends and played music by indie rock bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party at home.[11] Okezie was first inspired to become a musician after seeing the bands Busted and McFly on television.[12]
Career
2018–2023: Early career and EPs
Okezie initially was part of a rap group, which he left before it became successful.[8] In 2018, Okezie released "The Lift", which involved him rapping over a-ha’s "Take On Me".[3] On a BBC Radio 1Xtra session, he was noted for singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".[12] In 2019 he released "Night Time",[5] which featured Jme.[3] The song was praised by Skepta.[10]
His debut EP Love Bites was released 6 November 2020, largely inspired by his childhood; NME called it "unfiltered".[11]Public Display Of Affection, his second EP, was released 2 July 2021. Its track "Boyfriend", featuring Mae Muller, was released alongside a music video.[13]The Streets released a single featuring Okezie, "Wrong Answers Only", on 14 January 2022. He was due to support the group on a 2022 tour which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15] In January 2023, Okezie released "Veronica", about young love, in the run-up to his EP Peace Of Mind.[16]
2024–2025: How To Make A Master Peace and A(nuva) Master Peace
Master Peace performing with drummer Hattie Steel at Valkhof Festival in Nijmegen, the Netherlands in 2025
On 1 March 2024,[5] Okezie released his debut album, How To Make A Master Peace, stating that he wanted the album to be a "cultural reset for Gen Z kids of the current day and age".[6] He worked with producers Julian Brunetta[17] and Matt Schwartz on the album,[1] which featured Georgia on the song "I Might Be Fake",[5] one of multiple singles which also included "LOO SONG",[17] "Start You Up" and "LOS NARCOS", the latter of which Okezie stated was "probably the best song I’ve ever made."[18] The music video for "I Might Be Fake" was later nominated for Best Independent Video at the AIM Independent Music Awards 2024.[19]Rolling Stone UK stated that Okezie was "leading the way for a new generation of indie stars" with the album, comparing it to Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Pete Doherty, M.I.A. and The Smiths,[1] later listing it as one of the 24 best albums of 2024,[20] whereas NME compared specific songs to The Hives,[5] also stating it was "an early contender for the best British debut album of 2024".[6]
A remix of "I Might Be Fake" with Princess Superstar, titled "I Might Be Fake-Arrr", was released in March 2024.[21] In May Okezie won the Ivor Novello Award for Rising Star,[22] and stated that he was working on a deluxe version of How To Make A Master Peace to be followed by a second album, which would be "sleazier" and "poppier".[23] He performed "Wrong Answers Only" with The Streets at Glastonbury Festival 2024.[24]
Okezie released the single "Home" featuring Wale in July 2024,[25] and announced his second EP How To Make A(nuva) Master Peace.[25] In August, Okezie released his single "Save Me",[26] and singer TSHA released her single "Can't Dance" which featured Okezie.[27] His 9 September single "Dancing With A(nuva) Man" was called "one of his poppiest offerings yet" by DIY,[28] and his final single for the EP, "This Time", was released 2 October.[29]How To Make A(nuva) Master Peace released on 4 October through PMR Records.[25] Following the EP, he embarked on a European tour called How To Make A World Tour.[29] At the Rolling Stone UK Awards in November, Okezie was nominated for the Play Next Award, for acts they believed would "enter 2025 as firm ones to watch."[30] He is expected to perform at South by Southwest in March 2025.[31]
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