Kamakaze on Football, Music, and the City That Raised Him
Few artists blur the line between football and music quite like Matthew Robinson, aka Kamakaze. A professional footballer and lyricist with roots running deep through Leicester’s streets, he’s a rare hybrid of discipline, someone who can paint pictures with words, then lace up for 90 minutes the next day.
Kamakaze fronts Admiral’s AW25 collection: Born in Leicester, a capsule that celebrates heritage, homegrown culture, and the city that connects them.
“Leicester is what made me.”
Leicester isn’t just where Kamakaze grew up, it’s the core of his story. “I’m very glad I got to grow up here,” he says, standing in Victoria Park. “It’s a multicultural city. My friends were from everywhere, different backgrounds, different sounds. That’s what made me.”
“We used to play football here every summer, even in winter. From about 16 to 20, this was everything to me. It’s the most pivotal place in my life.”
His football journey began early, Leicester City academy football at seven, released at twelve, re-signed at fifteen before being released into the semi-pro market. But it was the early unfiltered Sunday League games and park football that shaped who he is.
“That’s where you really learn,” he says. “It’s tougher than academy football. It teaches you who you are.”
Kamakaze’s football story is a familiar one across the country and highlights the significance of open spaces in the city, those hidden grounds where talent and character are made.
“Leicester’s not just in my music. It is my music.”
When Kamakaze talks about music, it’s always tied to the city. “I think the best music makes you feel like you’re at home in it,” he explains. “Leicester’s always been that for me. Everything I write, it’s about the people and the places here.”
“Music’s about painting pictures,” he adds. “Someone like Kano, he talks about East London and you can see it. You know exactly where he’s standing. I want to do that for Leicester.”
“It’s nostalgia. It’s standing somewhere you don’t stand anymore. Leicester’s in everything I make.”
It’s a mission born from pride, but also frustration. “Leicester’s got talent, but not the same resources as London. We’re overlooked. I had to go to London to represent Leicester from the inside out. I’d have rather stayed here, built from the ground up with my people.”
“That’s why I shout about where I’m from. Because if we don’t, who will?”
The city of Leicester has always moved to its own rhythm. From Admiral’s legacy in sportswear to the music and culture shaped by artists like Kamakaze, it’s a city that inspires. And like Leicester itself, their stories are still being written.
Photography by Charlie Townsend
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