Ezra Collective: “Rather than complaining about things, you make the change yourself”
FOUND spotlights the mentors, collaborators, and innovators who believe in passing it on — the ones who open doors for others, share what they’ve learned, and keep the creative energy moving. For our first feature, we’re starting with someone who embodies that spirit entirely. Femi Koleoso, drummer and bandleader of Ezra Collective, has always been about community — building the kind of support system that saw the Mercury Prize-winning quintet through their early days when they were just kids figuring it out.
These days, Koleoso is paying it forward. Through the Ezra Collective Foundation, he's training young women musicians. When one of them landed a job recently, it made his entire day. “Rather than complaining about things, you make the change yourself,” he explains. It's a philosophy that's taken his band all the way to Wembley Arena, where he once spotted kids from his old youth club standing in the front rows. FOUND caught up to chat pivotal moments, community building, and why it’s hard to beat playing a show in the big smoke.
Looking back, what was the moment that really set things in motion for Ezra Collective?
The moment that flashes was Ronnie Scott's in 2012. It was very much the infancy of this band — we had only been together a few months at that point. But that feeling when I walked off stage and everyone was clapping, I was like, I need that every day. I still look at that building and feel pride and ownership of it.
Togetherness isn’t just part of your sound — it’s how you move as a collective. How do you protect that sense of unity when you’re creating, performing and living life on the road?
It comes down to prioritising the moments that aren’t professional. It’s just as much about backstage as it is on stage — just as much about the journey to the destination as it is when you land there. When we’re on stage, a lot of that good vibe has been crafted when we’re off stage. One of the little rules we have as a band is that we consider the gig to have started an hour before the stage time. If we’re going on stage at 9pm, I want to be vibing with my brothers at 8pm. All of those things contribute to making it feel like a collective all the time.
From youth clubs to global stages, community has always been at the core of your sound. Who helped build that foundation — and how are you keeping that spirit alive as things scale up?
If you wanted to point out someone and say they had a really beautiful part to play in building it, it would be Gary Crosby [co-founder of Jazz Warriors, an organisation to increase diversity in UK music]. If there was a father figure of the band, it would be him. There are moments when I love Gary, and there are moments where I didn't love Gary, but he's always been a source of support. That moment when you're just chilling on a Monday afternoon doing nothing, and you just get a text through from Gary, and he's like, I'm proud of you - that just means the world.
The Ezra Collective Foundation has already made a real impact — what inspired you to launch it, and what do you hope it unlocks for the next generation?
The inspiration for it comes from a belief that, rather than complaining about things, you make the change yourself. Being in a band of boys, we felt that we owed it to all of the incredible women who have put us in this place to try and advocate for the next one. We had the opportunity to have five girls come and join us, and we were able to use the resources of Ezra Collective to train them. One of them got a job this morning, and that’s like one of the best moments of my day. It's in its infancy, but I'm just excited about organising what has always been on our hearts as a band.
What story were you hoping to tell with Dance, No One’s Watching?
The narrative that I really wanted to convey with Dance, No One’s Watching is that time is very precious, and sometimes we take it for granted. One of the ways we do that is you will see an opportunity to dance and express yourself, but you will allow the opinions of people around you to rob you of that moment. I think that’s a wasted opportunity. I got obsessed with seeing people who were just brilliant at not caring — they were like, I’m here to dance, and I’m dancing until it’s done. I started to write soundtracks for those people in the hope that we can learn from them collectively.
If we tagged along with each of you for a day in a city you love, what would we eat, who would we meet, and where are we going for afters?
There's a restaurant in Finsbury Park called Xi’an Expressions, and they have very good noodles, so we'll eat there. And whilst walking around, we'll bump into either someone I went to school with, or someone who I have been to their school and done an assembly. That's the best person to bump into. The Haggerston Pub is also good fun — they have a jazz club there on Sunday night.
When Ezra Collective play live, where in the world do you feel that same energy reflected back at you most?
The best energy has to be London, because I'm looking at my mum and dad. I'm looking at my aunties. I'm looking at my school teachers. I remember when we walked out of Wembley Arena the first four or five rows of people standing were all kids in my youth club. There's nothing that can rival that. I can't get that anywhere else in the world.
You’ve always championed what’s real and often overlooked. Who in your world — an artist, collective, or grassroots space that deserves more recognition right now for the way they’re building community or supporting new talent? We’re building a kind of family tree through these conversations and we’d love to speak to them next.
There's a band called Yard Act, and they're from Leeds, and the amount that they do for the youth clubs and the music scene in the north is very, very special. They’re always messaging me and inviting me to the youth clubs that they go to.
Writer - Cerys Turner