From Fifa to the Forum: Master Peace, the new spark of UK rock

Until last fall, few had heard of him. In Italy, where this evening he will perform at the Assago Forum in Milan opening thethe only Italian date of the 5 Seconds of Summer tourcertainly none. In the United Kingdom Master Peace had already won a Ivor Novello Award like “Rising stars“, “rising star”, one of the most coveted awards in music across the Channel (it is the same one that he also won Lola Youngso to speak), after a debut album, “How to make a Master Peace“, much appreciated by specialized critics. The popularity of the British rapper and songwriter exploded after two of his songs, “Spin the Block” And “There’s no more underground” were included in the soundtrack of EA Sports FC 26, the “old” Fifa, the most loved football video game in the world. «FC is something iconic. For the first time in my career I had the feeling of having created something important”, he says. And indeed the effect was immediate: new listeners, growing streaming (137 million streams on Spotify, 6.3 million views on its official YouTube channel), and curiosity also about his previous catalogue.

An identity that is rooted in rock, but rejects labels

This is not an isolated case. Over the years the video game has contributed to the explosion of artists who later became points of reference. Just think of Billie Eilish, included in the soundtrack when it was still in its infancy, or Glass Animals, whose international success was also amplified thanks to the game. Without forgetting Sam Fender and Two Door Cinema Club, who passed through those playlists before becoming leading names at festivals. FC, in short, continues to intercept the sound of the moment and transform it into a phenomenon. Peace Okezie, this is the real name of Master Peace, 26 years old, fits perfectly into this tradition, but with a very marked personal figure. Born in London to a Nigerian family and raised in Surrey, he built an identity that is rooted in rock but rejects labels.

Between No Doubt and Arctic Monkeys

In his songs they coexist melancholy of No Doubt and theArctic Monkeys’ sharp energy. The result is a direct, nervous sound, designed for the stage. His debut album, “How to Make a Master Peace”, released in March 2024, was thought of as a «cultural reset for Generation Z» and received enthusiastically by British critics, who evoked references such as The Rapture, Pete Doherty and The Smiths. A record that already sounds like a manifesto: guitars in the foreground, emotional tension and a rock attitude that remains central even when genre boundaries blur. «I take up the melancholy from No Doubt. Arctic Monkeys rock and grit. When you mix melancholy, rock and grit, a song like “Spin the Block” can come out. I think I represent the new era of music well, where labels merge and become irrelevant. I have my own style. I don’t try to imitate anyone else,” he explains.

On tour with Franz Ferdinand and 5SOS

It is not surprising that i Franz Ferdinand they wanted him as the opening act on their UK tour. And now the circle widens: Master Peace is on tour with i 5 Seconds of Summerstandard bearers of contemporary pop-punk, bringing the same rough energy to the stage: «Franz Ferdinand and 5 Seconds of Summer are two very similar bands in the sense of control of the audience and composure: watching these two groups on stage I understood that there is no need to overdo it, sometimes you just need to sing the songs well». In February he released the EP “Stupid kids”, followed by the single “Love hate“: new chapters of a path that continues to grow without losing direction. And this evening, in Milan, he will have the opportunity to confirm live to the Italian public what FC has already suggested to the world: «I expect enthusiasm and a lot of energy from the Italian public. But I know little about Italian music. Maneskins are amazing. I’m the bomb».