Confessions Of A Loverboy - No Guidnce on Harmony, Brotherhood, and Balancing Emotional Risk with Release

There’s something profound about a confession. Providing equal parts risk and relief, the desire to be vulnerable lies at the core of Confessions of a Loverboy , the latest offering from London-based quartet No Guidnce. Across five tracks, the group offers open-hearted manifestos on modern masculinity, confidence, and heartbreak. With striking visuals and dulcet harmonies wrapped in warm instrumentation, the project processes the push and pull of what it means to feel deeply, but to do so in harmony. Emotional candour meets a fresh, urgent take on modern R&B, each track nodding to the genre’s rich lineage while pushing it forward.

Zeekay, Eshan, Josh, and Kaci are redefining what it means to be a modern-day boy band. Their blend of classic R&B influences and a genre-bending sonic palette having earnt praise from Stormzy, Timbaland, and Boyz II Men, they have attracted a Their debut EP Is It A Crime? attracted a global fanbase and sold-out shows across Europe and the US — including a 60,000-strong crowd at Hyde Park in June 2024. With over 2.7M TikTok followers and 1B+ views, No Guidnce is restoring a missing piece in R&B. Like harmonies themselves—built from individual notes that are as distinct as they are inseparable—each member of No Guidnce brings his own frequency that is necessary for the collective. Brotherhood lives close to the heart of their musicality, and their chemistry is far from manufactured - it's lived in.

Now fully independent and fresh in their youth, the group is focused on longevity. Though it’s not yet clear where Confessions of a Loverboy will take them, they remain committed to the ebbs and flows of their journey. With over half a million monthly listeners and an unwavering vision, Each member carrying his own tone, timbre, and truth - No Guidnce know exactly where they are headed -  into their most exciting chapter yet - one grounded in emotional honesty, a deep love for musicianship, and a united purpose to continue to lead the renewed legacy of boy-bands.

Confessions Of A Loverboy - We’re just over a month removed from this EP release. Confessions can lift a weight off of our shoulders - but it can also be really hard to confess something. What was your approach to embracing these different elements in this body of work to tell the story of Confessions? Talk to me about balancing emotional risk with emotional release on this EP.

KACI - We knew from the start that what we wanted to talk about was vulnerability. I think that's such a big part of R&B music. It's not lost, but the toxic side of it was very much taking over. What we really wanted to do was hold cue for the vulnerable side of R&B, which was more present in the 90's and 2000's with the boy bands, and artists like Usher and Neyo, and the songs that were big back then. So it was very important for us to tell that story instead of making it too toxic - and I think we did that quite well throughout the EP. 

Eshan, you used to go to No Guidnce gigs before you were in the group, and were a fan of the group's work - I also know you and Zeekay had already known each other for a long time back then. It’s all come very full circle now. Separate from your entrance, what is something else that has come full circle for you since being in the group? 

Finding my passion and my purpose in music and performance. I did a lot of it back in the day with musical theatre when I was a child, and then had a little bit of a slow period during lockdown. With this opportunity now, I've been able to find that passion again, and reinvigorate the light that comes with wanting to be on stage, perform, sing and dance, and do that as a full time job.

On ‘Nostalgic’ there's a play on words with the ‘new edition’ lyric - as well as a TLC ‘Waterfalls’ reference. There are a lot of clever nods to R&B history in your music.

Bring me into the making of that track, and tell me about something that is classic or nostalgic that the R&B space has been longing for, that as a group, you’ve reinvented and made new. 

KACI - ‘Nostalgic' was the first song that we did in our new era, post our old situation. It was the first session we did, and we came into it with a completely new energy. Whenever we’d been in sessions in the last six months, the main word that kept coming out was about the music was ‘urgent’. We wanted it to be something that slapped you in the face. With that song, that was the approach, we just wanted it to be very different to anything we’d done before. That's why we had so many different ingredients that went into the making of that song. Even down to the outro, which we’d never had before. We got really creative with it. 

ZEEKAY - With reinventing, I feel like we’re reinventing the boy-band trope as a whole. In more urban communities you could say the boy-band trope is something that is often associated with being cringe - but I think we’ve very much taken an approach to own it and reinvent it at the same time. It's not a thing where we’re trying to be that image you have of a boy band - but we are a boy band, and we’re gonna show you that boy bands aren't just what typical industry thing is. we’re just a group of boys that sing together.

Zeekay, you’ve been part of a few musical boy-bands before No Guidnce, so you're familiar with learning how to move within a team. Talk to me about how that early understanding of brotherhood has influenced the way in which you show up for the group—not just musically, but personally too. 

It's a thing where you need to understand that there is a common goal,  and you need to constantly communicate to make sure you’re always on the same page with everyone else so that the common goal can happen. I think as long as everyone wants to be there, nothing can really go wrong in terms of personal relationships. Which are the most important thing in a group.

That's why I brought up communication, because if you can't communicate, then things won’t work. As well as that, you’re also not guaranteed to be friends with these people that you work with, unless you’re in a boyband that you’ve put together yourself and it’s because you were all friends first, you guys are not guaranteed to all be friends. I’ve been lucky enough to only be in situations where I’ve become friends with the guys. But if not for that situation - it can still work - as long as you have the common goal and you communicate and just keep everything very smooth. So I'd definitely say that communication is so important. 

It’s not just about individual decisions anymore. Zeekay, you’ve described it as each of you bringing an equal 25% to the collective. Have there been moments where that reality has humbled you, realising you have to share the spotlight, the wins, and even creative choices with three other people?

Talk to me about the humbling side of sharing success, but also the empowerment of this collective vision that you share? 

ZEEKAY - There are moments where it’s like having a jug that everyone has to pour into. If someone pours more than the others, there will be more juice - but it will spill, and there has definitely been situations where juice has spilt. But you live and you learn from those situations. I definitely think there were lessons to be learnt earlier in the group where it's like ‘okay, I’m humbled, let's get to the point now,’  but it also comes to a point where you can see someone else get humbled and be like ‘Okay cool, how do we work on this, and make this better for you, easier for you, and  and work together so that we are all aligned?’ 

KACI - I think the power of collaboration in music is so strong. With our group, it's all collaboration. So the fact that we get to collaborate on everything - it's very difficult at times for sure - but it's very much a superpower at the same time. We all have our own ideas and can come together and create something that equally came from all of us. Also, we often touch on how not just being in the music industry can be so hard, but being independent solo in the position we are in would be very difficult. It's always great to have people around you that you trust, in your group, and have the same goals as you, where you’re able to push forward together instead of having to experience everything on your own. It also makes it more fun, you can have friends around all the time.

JOSH - It’s just better to have four to be honest. It's always great to have more than one, but I think one thing we always experience is how we’re able to uplift each other if one of us needs more support at one time, and I think that's the one thing that a lot of people who go through it individually don’t potentially have. The same with that trust, and being able to be like ‘Cool, maybe today, I’m not 100%, but I can still give something,’ but then you can fully feel that, and  someone else can help support you. I think that helps in the group in general, and also just means that we can always feel like we have a safe space to just go to. 

Kaci, I know that growing up, you took singing lessons while finding your voice as an artist. Some say we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen more than we speak. What’s another area of your artistry where you’ve learned to stay open to guidance? And how has keeping that student mindset shaped the way you see yourself as a growing artist?

Definitely in the studio. It's very important to constantly be a student, because everyone will come at it with a different approach that can be equally as successful. So I think it’s just about believing in what you bring to the table, but also understanding that everyone has value in a room. 

Even people that have literally never made music before, can come in the room, give the craziest perspective on a situation, and it can make you write a completely different song. So definitely a student in that sense. And definitely a student in the business side of it as well. 

‘Break the Pattern’ is about opening yourself up to something new - and quite literally, you guys are breaking the pattern in a bigger way — by leading the resurgence of boy bands in the UK.

Right now, we’re in an era where solo acts dominate, but you’re bringing back something that used to be such a cultural staple. What does it mean to you to be at the forefront of that movement? And more broadly, what’s something you’d love to see make a comeback in R&B, but specifically UK R&B music?

KACI -  We do carry that medal with pride to be honest. We’re always trying to push ourselves, and push that brand as much as possible, which can be harder sometimes in the UK. But we’re just trying to keep pushing that, and also push it to be as universal as possible, while still

maintaining the fact we’re from the UK, which is always an interesting balance. 

The main thing I’d want to see make a comeback, which is starting making a comeback to be fair, is music videos.

Music videos are basically what got me into music - and without that, it's like half the artistry is missing.

It's such an important part of music, and I'm seeing a lot of underground artists pick that back up now, and I think we are too. Even with this project, we tried to string together as many visuals as possible, with the budget we had. We really value the visual side of things, and as a boyband are such an important part of the artistry - It helps fans to attach themselves to the group and to the individual members - so definitely visuals. 

Josh - you grew up in church, and lead worship for a while.  R&B lovers who are educated in the genre know that an artist whose grown up in church carries something different into music.

Do you feel that the musicality and spontaneity of that environment influenced how you see collective performance?

100%. I learnt so much worship leading with other people. The fact that worship lets you explore different avenues that normally pop or commercial music constrain you to - definitely taught me a lot. I feel like in general, you can tell when people are from church, and when musicians are from church, because musically, they go to places that normally, commercial music doesn't go to. When you’re in a band, serving with other people, the question is, "How do we help create an atmosphere that helps cultivate a space for God to move?" For me that means not having to always shine, or be the forefront. 

That helps in terms of me being in a band - because we have to think, ‘where do we shine?’ , and 'Where it is best to shine?' and still not take away from the collectiveness of No Guidnce. Because there are spaces where you can do that, and so when we perform, and write songs, we have a process of recognising, for each person - ‘Cool, this is a moment where you can shine’, or ‘this is a moment where we’re leaning into this person's strength’. And also in church that's also what we look at as people - where do we place ourselves - in a humble way where we’re not trying to outshine God because ultimately God is the focus, not ourselves or our vocals. 

You're constantly working with three other individuals, and this brotherhood seems so solid. I know you bring collaborators into your space - you've worked with some writers and producers like Victoria Monet, who's also a performer, JR Rotem, and Akeel Henry - what’s something each collaborator brought to your sound that you feel wouldn’t exist without them?

KACI - I think they definitely helped mold what our sound was going to be moving forward. At the start, when we came onto the scene, we were very young. And they came in with the expertise and experience to give us about what a hit sounds like, which we probably wouldn’t have been able to grasp as well without them. 

Definitely shaped the first half of our No Guidnce crew for sure. But we didn't have loads of creative control at that point, so I think it definitely helped our ears in terms of what we’d want to execute later on, and gave us some great songs that we love, and songs that our fans love too. They very much helped us with that when it came time for us to then execute our own sound, of what we’d want. It was very helpful in that sense.

Is there any really specific piece of advice that anyone has given you that has stayed with you or affected the way you approached this EP?

JOSH - One great piece of advice was from an American collaborator and they told us to keep the essence of us being from the UK. I think in general, that has always just stuck because its hard when you want to also go global, sometimes, in the UK market, you feel like you have to go elsewhere to get more of the love, or shy away from the essence of being from the UK, and the essence of being british that that we have. That was a good piece of advice that helped us realise, ‘Cool, we can actually make it, and not have to compromise, the essence of where we're from’

KACI - I think self- belief has come up a lot as well - essentially always being able to believe in your own vision. I think that has been key for this EP specifically. Just pushing through to get to what it is we actually want to say and what we want. 

ESHAN - I second that. It brings it back to how in the studio, no idea is a bad idea. One thing I’ve learnt has been from writing with other writers and producers - they just uphold this confidence where you can tell that they just know what they're able to bring to the table, and they’re confident in their ability. When you see that, it helps you realise we are here for a reason, and we can create beautiful music together that we all love, so... it’s helped us in shaping that authentic sound that comes from all four of us. 

ZEEKAY -  To add on top of that as well specifically, we’ve learnt about the importance of the music being authentic to us. I can’t remember who said it, but it was something along the lines of, ‘You’re the one that's going to be singing these on stage, and this is your song, not mine, so if you’re not feeling it, there's no point.’ 

So definitely for this EP, there's the sense that our experiences, personal feelings, and emotions are being brought to the music, so when we sing, we’re understanding those lyrics and relating to them because this was built off of our experience -  our happiness, our sadness, our pain and passion -  so it’s way more like authentic in that way, automatically. And people can notice that. 

Lovers to Enemies’ the forefront track of this EP, explores a painful flip from connection to conflict - bring me into this track, and whether you ever see those kinds of emotional opposites show up in your artistry elsewhere? How do you balance other dualities like vulnerability versus control in your group dynamic?

KACI -  ‘Lovers To Enemies’ - it's weirdly the most relatable out of the five songs. So many people, especially in our generation, are put in a situation where they ask themselves, ‘Where the hell do I stand in this friendship, where do I stand in this relationship?’ It was an angle we’ve never focused on before, so it felt quite exciting. The song came pretty quickly, and it was our first session with Tre (Jean Marie), MNEK, and Sillkey - and we had a great time. We made two songs in that session, and it was a standout. To be honest, it grew on me, because when we first made it, I didn't love it. I don't know why, but as time went on, I realised, ‘Oh, this is a great song. It's simple, but so direct.’ Simple but effective. 

ZEEKAY - With vulnerability and control, I feel like it's down to what we do with our vocals, because realistically, that song is a bit like a guys anthem. You can look at it from both ways, and it could be a girl’s anthem too, but as we’re guys, that's how we see it. This was around the time when on TikTok there was a lot being said about the ‘sassy man era’ and things like that, which is funny because when we were writing the song we didn’t want to be overly ‘sassy’- but we also wanted to make an anthem for the people, and achieve that balance between giving that 90’s feel of vulnerability, but also, reflect the reality that in our day and age - things can be a lot more toxic.

So we do merge the two, but our vocal performance on a song is what is going to really make people hear us in the first place, and is what is going to make people listen to it, even if they're not relating to it, and still love it. I feel like young girls love a boy-band regardless sometimes, so us sounding good is so important. 

Different Ways is a slower, more reflective track on the EP, offering a change in pace with a balladry moment. Ballads can be so simple, yet effective.

Were there any subtle choices in the creation process for this project that you feel ended up drastically changing the direction or trajectory of the EP?

KACI - Definitely. I think we had an idea of what we wanted the EP to be for a while, but as the project was growing through each release, we’d make small tweaks that made the whole story align a bit more.

‘Different Ways’ was weirdly like the centrepiece of the whole thing visually. With that visual, we weren't actually planning to do a video that weekend, It was meant to be a content weekend. Our stylist Anastasia had put together the denim looks that you see in the video, and it was the first time I'd looked at us and gone ‘Oh, we look like a boy-band. We look very aligned,’ and that image, for some reason, helped us put together the rest of the EP - from the title, to what it was all going to look like, to so many other details - because we knew that our look from the visualiser mirrored what we were trying to represent. When we watched the video back, I remember thinking, ‘This is the first time I’ve looked at us in a visual, seen all four members, but also seen the group together as one’. I know that if I was a fan watching us, I could easily pick out my favourite, and I could also easily pick out what we were trying to show the world.

As a group you've come to a defining point in your career, but you're still so young, and I wonder what your take on longevity is? As much as doing what you love is the best way to spend your time, do you find yourself ever wondering what things will look like in the next five, ten years?

 

KACI - Yes, all the time. I’m already thinking about next week. 

JOSH - I feel like we have big, big, dreams for what we want to do with No Guidnce, and we have those long term vision plans, but we’re also just trying to figure out what the next year looks like at the same time.

KACI - That's what comes with being independent too. We don't have that security in the same sense that a major label artist would have, because we’re always trying to budget the next thing. For me personally, I’ve really enjoyed showing that experience of being in a boy-band, because it might not be our forever, we could get signed to a major label at some point, who knows. But I feel like it's so important for people to understand the difference in what we do is that we’re doing this as an independent boy band, and it’s very very different. We haven't got millions of pounds pumped into it, and so when we make a visual, it has to be one hundered times more intentional. The independent experience is really fun, and also very stressful at the same time, but at the end of the day, you do feel that control and ownership of your creative a lot more, which I really enjoy. 

ZEEKAY - I think on longevity, it's also about us being able to still enjoy what we do, which links back to the communication aspect, and us always being there for each other, making sure that we’re all still awake, still in this, and still ready to come to work the next day.

Not only to show up because we have to, but to show up because we feel like showing up, and because we want to complete the mission that is still at hand. 

I feel like that will forever be the thing that drives us - us having a shared goal, a mission to complete, and wanting to be in that conversation when people are talking about the legacy of boy bands in the next thirty years. 

We got advice from Boyz II Men once, and while speaking to them the two main things that they gave us advice about were brotherhood and communication. There was also a phrase that constantly came up where they said ‘It’s a gym’. That idea of constantly working, and how  if you stop, that muscle won’t be as strong as it was before - the consistency element is so important.

JOSH - We just want to take things as far as we can take them, that's the vision. 

No one is forcing us to be here, and we’re actually choosing to be in this, and I think that's also a big difference. I think sometimes people look at boy-bands and think that we’re controlled by a machine, but actually, we’re all choosing as four grown men, to achieve the vision we share in terms where we think No Guidnce can go. It’s all about long term vision. 

Despite your name being No Guidnce, I feel like it’s clear that as a collective, you know exactly where you’re headed.

We’re a few EP’s into your story now - Is it a Crime, Spicy, and now Confessions Of A Loverboy. Will the trajectory keep progressing towards where we expect things to go, or are you preparing to surprise us with something completely unexpected? 

KACI - We really want to do a big project, an album. We’re just waiting for that climax point where we’ll know the right time to do it has arrived - right now we’re just creating songs that we really love. There's a lot of songs we have, sitting in our files on our phones, and I think for now it's all about orchestrating how we show what's next to the world.

ZEEKAY - We want to wound up shocking ourselves too. 

ESHAN - We also want to do more performances with this EP in this post release period, and get out there, connect with our fans physically, engage with them, and  perform these songs in person  as much as we can -  because that brings a whole new life to the music itself. We’ve still got a little bit of a trajectory with this project that we want to lean into before the next one for sure. 

KACI - For our fans, look out for new music, and more shows. 

Listen to Confessions Of A Loverboy, out now on all platforms :