MacD on Music: Derry rapper KOBACK prepares to drop ‘Signs’

Being a music journalist, I get to see so many great acts grow and develop, and sometimes I get a front row seat when they’re on the cusp of big things. I’ve seen so many talented people go from playing for five people at an Open Mic night to headlining their own gigs up and down the country. I’ve seen them getting signed and making their first TV appearances.

This week, I’m speaking with another artist who looks like they’re on the verge of that breakthrough, rapper KOBACK, who regular readers will remember from last year when he released his debut album ‘GRAPHIC’. I met with him recently on the day he was due to sign with UnitedMasters, the distribution group that has distributed songs for the 2022 World Cup and the game NBA 2K20. Now, they’ll be distributing KOBACK’s second album ‘Signs’ (out February 19th).

“We’ve been working for about a year now on possibly the most important album we’ve ever done. Just like ‘GRAPHIC’, where it was focused around mental health and the harsher side of things, this is now a healing album. It’s healing that broken inner child that a lot of people would have deep down. It’s not just my story, it’s my partner’s stories, my friends’ stories, it’s people I’ve just met in passing, it’s all that pain wrapped up into an album that people can really understand and get a feeling from too.”

“We’ve done it through Celtronic Studios. They’ve been a massive help, mainly Shea Whelan. He was the engineer through Celtronic and he’s one of the best engineers I’ve worked with. He’s had a big, big hand in helping reshape some of the tracks too. Now with this distribution deal too, I don’t think many people will come close to us for 2026. I think we’ve got 2026 locked down.”

I asked how the deal with UnitedMasters came about: “Absolutely randomly. We were sitting, the album was on a countdown on Spotify and an A&R rep from UnitedMasters reached out and said they’ve been listening to the music since it came out. They were big fans of what they’d heard, and they wanted to know if we were interested in getting on a call with them and going through talks of a deal. When we sat down with them, they said ‘We’re looking to bring you on as a partner’.

"UnitedMasters represents over two million artists that go through their distribution centres, and there’s only about a thousand to fifteen hundred artists that are entitled to this partner tier. It’s like a white glove service. They handle everything for you. They do all your A&R, they pitch to your playlists, your Spotifys, they work with the NFL, HBO, a massive, massive label but they have a big importance in keeping people independent.

"They don’t take any royalties. It’s an 80/20 split with you keeping one hundred percent rights to your royalties. It’s really important but it seems to be the safest option, too, that anybody can take. No upfront fees, they’re not buying any masters off me. I get to keep the rights.”

“I’m still kind of baffled by it. It still doesn’t feel real. It’s kind of like fate. Just two weeks before the biggest album and the biggest pieces of work I’ve ever done, a company of this size reaches out and wants to do the distribution for it, it’s like God handing me a favour.”

READ MORE: MacD on Music

Lastly, we spoke about some of the collaborations for this album: “First is Arn., or people know him as Aaron Shaw. Probably one of the most underrated vocal talents that we have here locally. Really amazing original music that he’s got coming out, and he’s going to be on the third album as well.”

“Roseena, who is a phenomenal singer from Galway, now living out in the Isle of Man. Again, probably going to get her on the third album too. Then we’ve got my lovely partner Emer, and she goes by E’lerah, and her first ever project singing on something will now be more successful than ninety percent of the artists coming from Derry, which is insane. Obviously, we spoke about Shea, who is just an incredible talent. Honestly, the album wouldn’t be what it is now without him. He’ll probably be our engineer for the long haul.”

And that’s it from KOBACK. His second album ‘Signs’ will be out on February 19th on all good streaming platforms.

Now, onto other business. This Wednesday (11th), ahead of her Valentine’s Day gig in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, Sister Ghost will be releasing her new single ‘Not Your Toy’. Speaking of the song, recorded in California alongside her album ‘Beyond The Water’ (out now) Shannon O’Neill, aka Sister Ghost explains: “Whilst being a fun punk rock blast of a song, this track has a heavier meaning behind it-it’s primarily for and about those who have survived coercive control.

"It’s sad and yet unsurprising to read that a recent study by Safeguarding Ireland stated that 40% of the public do not fully understand what coercive control is. This means we really need to talk about it more.”

The track will be out this week on all good streaming services.

Finally, time for the socials. Sister Ghost can be found on Instagram @sisterghostofficial and KOBACK @itskoback.