Touted as one of Sony's brightest hopes for 2016, singer-songwriter Ady Suleiman is quietly confident he can justify the hype as he packs his bags in preparation for his second UK headline tour.

An ambitious 23-year-old with genuine talent; he has developed a timeless sound and lyrical distinctiveness that has garnered him a broad range of influential collaborators from both sides of the Atlantic.

18 months ago Ady was just a music fan listening to stars Labrinth, Chance the Rapper and Jonny Coffer (Beyoncé, Sam Smith), fast-forward 12 months and they seek his affirmation as he works alongside them.

It’s surreal, It’s still feels weird to be in the studio with these guys. He said with understandable excitement.

Having signed a record deal last year with Pemba Records (his Sony Music label imprint named after his father’s birth place) he now enjoys having a team of music professionals to help him realise his lofty ambitions, even if that means drama, negotiation and maybe even compromise along the way.

Before being signed I worked mostly alone, no lawyers, no PR, but now I have a great team around me and they’re helping me achieve my goals.

It can be difficult sometimes, you have to get used to sharing your product and everyone from the label has an opinion on what should happen next, you have to get used to discussing ideas and sometimes the feedback is negative and sometime it’s overwhelmingly positive, you don’t have that drama when you work alone. But it’s been wicked to work with other music professionals.

High profile performances at last years’ Wireless, Bestival and Reading & Leeds festivals have helped him develop his stage presence, during our conversation it’s clear I’m talking to an ambitious performer who doesn’t ever want to come off stage thinking he could have done more.

When I look back at my old videos sometimes I feel I could have done more so now I make sure that I leave it all on stage now.

A lot depends on the gig and venue, the last few shows I’ve done I’ve been headlining and the crowd have turned up specifically to see me, those gigs are amazing and very different to being a support act or playing to a festival crowd. If it’s your own gig the crowd really want you to do well, they didn’t buy a ticket to boo you off stage, they want you to win.

The last few gig I’ve done have been overwhelming and very positive.

Motivated by the pure joy of putting a song into the world; Ady’s passion for his craft is undeniable and he’s not about to rush the process, this is a wise young man opting for a considered approach to song writing, making sure his message is understood, and above all he’s determined to make sure the lyrics do the tune justice.

Starting from thin air and delivering a piece of music that has the capability of uplifting the listener, there’s no greater feeling for me.

I don’t write quickly. I know when I’ve got a great idea and I like to take my time.

Once I have a great melody or chord structure I know immediately it’s going to be a great tune but it does take me time to make sure the lyrics do the tune justice. And like anything – the more you do it the better you get and the easier it comes.

I love writing and performing music and I’m quite a competitive guy so I want to take this as far as I can. I impose no limits on my career potential but a sold-out world tour would be an incredible experience.

Inspired by Reggae, R&B, Soul and earthy vibes, Ady Suleiman makes meaningful music, if you like your neo-soul tinged with funk and jazz styles add him to your Spotify playlist immediately and if that leaves you wanting more; best see if there’s any tickets left for his next Manchester gig – it’ll be happening at the Deaf Institute on 8^th March.

@AdySuleiman