Alex Iwobi has always loved music and throughout his career it has proved an escape from the spotlight of being a Premier League footballer.
On days off, the Fulham midfielder often heads to the recording studio with friends and together they pass the time rapping and making music.
“It’s a certain way of just expressing yourself and letting yourself be,” Iwobi tells Standard Sport.
“It’s a hobby, a way to escape from football. It’s just a sense of freedom and being someone else - not just Alex the footballer.”
This summer, however, what started as a hobby evolved into much more as Iwobi became the first Premier League player to release their own single.
Alongside Ajax striker Chuba Akpom and former England youth international Medy Elito, aka Don-EE, Iwobi produced the song ‘Don’t Shoot’.
The lyrics behind the song have a deeper meaning and are based around encouraging young people to ‘shoot’ towards their life goals, as opposed to street violence.
“Growing up in London, there is a lot of criminal activity, things that you don’t want to see or hear,” says Iwobi.
“With our powers, we are trying to say don’t do that, channel it into something else. Whether it is football or music, anything that keeps you on the straight path is what we are trying to show everyone.
“I’ve always loved music, I am not going to lie, but in terms of releasing a song, I never thought [that would happen]. It was just something where my friends said: ‘The music is actually decent, why don’t you release it?’
I am more than just a footballer. I am human, like everyone else.
“So, we thought let’s release it at the right time and not get distracted, because the main focus will always be football. But at the same time, I am more than just a footballer. I am human, like everyone else.”
The song is part of Iwobi’s wider work away from football, with the midfielder determined to make the most of his profile.
Last month he hosted his annual Project 17 community day, staging a football tournament in Enfield that had over 1,000 people from the local area attend.
All proceeds from the day where donated to The Christian Mbulu Charity, which is close to Iwobi’s heart and provides support for individuals between the ages of 13 to 18 and professional footballers.
“I’ve always thought with football, and the influence I have, I’d be able to bring the community together on a bigger scale,” he says.
“Where I grew up in Essex and east London, we all loved football and it brings people together. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what gender you are, when it is a hot day, you come to the park, you come to the cage and everyone is playing football. I’ve tried to carry that on the older I get.
“I try to show people that I am not just a footballer. At the end of the day, I am one of the people that was in the community, that likes to be with their friends, that likes to give back to people that are less fortunate.”
The only ‘disappointment’ for Iwobi from his annual tournament is that his team didn’t win - “maybe we need to pay the referees a bit or something” - but he is hoping for a successful season with Fulham this year.
They finished 13th in the Premier League last season, while also making the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and Iwobi believes there is more to come after returning for pre-season.
“I can’t wait to get the new season kicked off again,” he says. “With Fulham, we had a bit of an inconsistent season, but we know how good we are.
“When we were talking at the end of the season, we were thinking, we see the quality in the room, let’s try and push up the table. Everyone is eager and ready to go.”
