Many musicians find creative freedom working alone in the seclusion of their own room, but for Mercury-nominated singer-songwriter and producer Dave Okumu, the most fertile moments of his career have taken place in crowded spaces. "Even as a teenager I was on a journey thinking about the importance of relationships,” Okumu explains, sitting in his studio in south-east London. “I wanted to learn how to connect with people and how to communicate, because that's what life is all about.”