Timomatic

Tim "Timomatic" Omaji – singer, songwriter, producer and choreographer – had a key mission statement for 2014. He aimed to simply create. "Just whatever it is, create: don't overthink – create and be free," Timomatic says.
And create the Nigerian-Australian did with the release of his audaciously avant single ‘Delilah’ featuring Pusha T. It's a record that epitomises futuro R&B by evoking classic artists like Michael Jackson and Prince, while simultaneously revelling in urban music's novel experimentation (cue: Drake, The Weeknd, Childish Gambino).
Delilah, which Timomatic sings in a shivers-inducing falsetto, isn't a reinvention or a deviation – it's purely instinctive. "I see it as an evolution of Timomatic," he says. "I see it as the next phase – a Part II of the story." Timomatic likens his artistic odyssey to pursuing a relationship. In the first flush of romance, it's all about having fun (hence his extremely successful urban/dance major label self-titled debut). But after that? "Then we gotta go beyond that and start getting real, start talking raw emotions and start to get honest with each other." The metaphors don't stop there, with the 'Delilah' of the song not necessarily a femme fatale. "I feel like 'Delilah' represents your dark passenger or your vice or that thing in your life that you seem to be drawn to, but ultimately it's probably not the best thing for you," Timomatic explains of his alt-pop Biblical reference. "As opposed to being specifically just the temptation of a woman, it's the temptation of anything that draws your attention. That could be money, power or a drug – anything that is to your detriment in excess. There's a bitter sweetness to it. It makes you feel good and it makes you feel terrified at the same time." Delilah was recorded with out-of-the-box producer Glass John, an Alaskan whose credits include Pusha T and Chris Brown, on a writing trip to the US. "He showed me a few beats he was working on. This one beat stuck out to me because on one hand, it was so menacing in its bassiness and its brashness that it was almost haunting, but on the other hand, it was so seductive and sensual." Timomatic was rapt when the cult Pusha T, the former Clipse member currently signed to Kanye West's powerhouse G.O.O.D. Music, laid down a rap for Delilah.
"It was surreal". "He's at a stage in his career where he doesn't really have to do anything for anyone – unless he really believes in it!" Above all, a wiser Timomatic has developed into a storyteller. And he has other tales to share on his forthcoming album. "I wanted to create a body of work that would sum up my evolution to this point – where I'm at and where I'm going," Timomatic suggests. "I feel the album is a closer reflection of who I am and the things I like to talk about and write about. It's a lot more intimate… I'm starting to get to express my opinions and my emotions about the nuances of life – whether it be relationships, love, sex, power, pain… I've always thought about these things, but it's taken me a few years to learn the right way to articulate it into song. It's quite therapeutic to get it all out there and to put it together into a body of work that people can digest." When Timomatic's academic (and guitar-playing) Dad astutely asked him, "Is your new music evolutionary or radical?".. he had to think. His answer? "It's evolution with a radical spirit behind it – a radical push to shake the perception."