We sat down with GeeOne and Zachariyah Sol, the newly crowned Future Makers winners, to talk about performing at the Royal Albert Hall, the wild chemistry behind their partnership, and how they plan to carry grime’s legacy into a new generation.
How did performing your own track ‘Better Than’ in such an iconic space as the Royal Albert Hall shift your sense of what’s possible for your music?
Zach: “I always had an idea that I’d eventually be capable of performing in a space such as the Royal Albert Hall. Some call it delusion, arrogance and hubris, but I’d like to call it ambition. In a world where there are so many insanely talented people, such as the other finalists, you must have the mentality that God himself sent you onto that stage, because ultimately, he did. It’s about what you will now do with said opportunity.”
You’ve said the moment you stepped on stage together, you “stepped into your element” — what do you think it is about your partnership that brings out the best in each of you?
Zach: “The partnership between me and Jentai is a clash of two complementary styles and energies. The way we bounce off of each other, and contrast one another, creates a comedic, lovable and iconic chemistry that helps boost our image in front of an audience. We hype each other up, we’ll lose our minds over a lyric if it sounds really good. It comes down to not being afraid to have fun.”
Your sound blends old-school grime energy with new-school influences — what parts of the genre’s history feel essential to preserve as you evolve?
Jentai: “I feel like it’s important to remember that Grime was born out of pirate radio stations – it literally came from not being given anything and making something out of that nothingness. Through that, I see the growth of early Grime music as a representation of us as a community kicking down all the barriers that were mainly set up to hold back young black people coming from the ghetto.
Despite grime being dubbed an old school genre, the fact that in 2025 we can still carry the genre into the new generation shows the struggle and hustle our elders went through can never be undone, and we, no matter what, will always find a way to make something out of nothing.”
Future Makers gives you a year of development support; what aspects of that opportunity are you most excited to use to shape your identity as emerging artists?
Jentai: “I think we’re both really looking forward to the studio time, both me and Zach haven’t spent much time in professional music environments outside of school, so having our first real studio experience is going to be a lot of fun, especially since we have a lot of lyrics and songs ready and waiting to be shared with the world. I’m personally really looking forward to the performance opportunities Royal Albert Hall are giving us, as performing is one of the main things that drives me as an artist”
With over 300 acts applying, what do you think made your performance stand out to the judges and thousands of students watching in the Hall?
Jentai: “I honestly still don’t know how we were chosen as the winners, but I feel it’s got something to do with how bold we are. Despite nerves, Zach and I are always undeniably ourselves; we’re never afraid to show people who we are and where we come from, and I feel the audience and the judges were able to connect with us because of that”
Zach: “In the creative industry, the odds are and always will be stacked against you. If you walk into a space with charm, charisma, a friendly attitude and a desire to become the very best. Opportunities will eventually come your way. The first thing I did during the audition is make a witty comment to make the judges laugh. I believe that friendly “nerd X even bigger nerd” image, especially as it is such a contrast to the style of music we are performing, helped to form an iconic energy that stood out amongst other performers. When talent is insane and competition is steep, you must learn to innovate.”
You’ve both said there’s “no endpoint” to what you want to achieve — what’s the first milestone you hope this win helps you reach in the next year?
Zach: “A big online presence is the next step. Being able to showcase witty, iconic bars/memorable punchlines that go viral, that people find themselves saying to their friends, or singing whilst they cook. Once you’re inside their heads, you’re inside their hearts. And the people will never forget your impact.”
Jentai: “I aim to release at least 2 songs within the next year. I’ve been saying I’m going to put something out for about 2 summers, but after the win at Future Makers, I feel I am finally confident enough to start properly putting myself and my music out into the public eye”.