With ridic buzzy co-signs, rising teen pop phenomenon Sekou's ambitions are sky-high. Words: Jamie Muir. Photos: Alistair Mcveigh.

When you think of first shows, many artists cringe at the mere thought of looking back to a time when so many lessons were still waiting to be learnt. But what if your first set was arguably the biggest of them all, Glastonbury? For Sekou, it set the bar for the sort of game-changing takeover that only the most significant festival on the planet can bring, and it fit him like a glove. In the space of months, his towering voice has already signalled for the superstar stages, just waiting to be marked with his name. For a future pop phenomenon, look no further. "I know it's easier said than done, but I need to be the biggest artist in the world."

Ambition is writ large in the mind of Sekou, and it's clear from the first note how huge things are about to get. Since that debut show at Glastonbury, rooms have been stacked, and plaudits have flown in for a voice that cuts through the noise. "It's just a whirlwind," he notes. "Really quick. It's been all over the place. I've been working on music for about two years, and I remember when it was January, thinking about how I wanted to release my first song and how it would all roll out in my head. Now it's really fun, but bigger things keep happening each time."

Growing up on a mixture of soul, alternative pop and superstar divas in the small market town surroundings of Ashby in Leicester, a desire for performing meant there wasn't any other option but to follow the voice he found himself honing at church every week. "Honestly, I'm not good at anything else," Sekou laughs.