Are you excited to be here at Nandos?

Clement: Big time man, it's a nice line up as well. There's Conor Maynard who has got a bright future. Same as Tanya (Lacey) and Cleo.

Is there not beef with Conor because he won the MTV Brand New for 2012 award, which you were also up for?

 Clement: (laughs) It's a funny competition you know? But I gotta give him respect. He got 43% of votes. So that's a strong following.

 Kojo: Loads of little girls.

What are you fans like? Are they more chilled? Or are they obsessive?

Kojo: I wouldn't say they were obsessive.

Clement: There's a level of respect. And the age demographic is really diverse from 14-35. Because we're seven people, we attract so many diverse cultures and people. I remember HMV Next Big Thing, we saw a 60 year old being like "yeaaaah" and that blew me away and I was like "What really?!" And then there are little kids at the front. It's so good to see that united front.

How did all of you come together? Have you been together a long time?

Kojo: We've been together about 2 and a half years. Myself and Clement met via the good old days of MySpace. I was into his music... likewise. We always wanted to work with each other. His friend introduced him to a drummer who in turn met everybody else, and we all got into a rehearsal space and performed as a band. Clement started off as an MC, so he wanted a band behind him so he could take things to the next level.

Ah, MySpace ... why did they ruin it?

Clement: It was Facebook! It came in and Twitter came and everyone's on Twitter.

Are you big tweeters?

Both: Yeah, yeah, big time.

Clement: That's how we get our following at the end of the day.

So what was your journey from meeting on MySpace to getting signed?

Kojo: We did loads of showcases and stuff. 

Clement: We were in the studio for like 18 months, writing so much material. Labels were just attracted to us- Sony, Universal, Warner, came to all our shows. They noticed we were getting a big following. We signed with Warner Bros. The reason we signed to Warner is because they've got Muse, Biffy Clyro ...

It's a very diverse roster.

 Clement: Exactly, it's great for us.

Your sound is also very diverse. There are a lot of eclectic influences going on. Is that because there are so many of you? Do you all have different musical tastes?

Kojo: Yeah we do, we all listen to different styles of music. I think that's what makes it so much more special for us as a band in terms of making music. We can influence each other. I remember the first time we made "Champion" you were watching the boxing match that was coming up?

Clement: David Haye and the massive giant. The David and Goliath game. I said we need to write a song for the entrance. Since then "Champion" has been used for the Superbowl advert. Now in 2012, we have loads of festivals, we're booked up for Wireless, Wakestock, Camden Crawl...

Which night are you on Wireless?

Kojo: Saturday with Drake

Clement: The line up's stoooopid, like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Example, Wiz Khalifa. It's going to be crazy.

When you were on the Sound for 2012 list did it add pressure onto you guys?

Clement: I guess it's the noise that you make. So everybody that was tipped had a vibe about them. So it was like you have to watch out for these guys. To be among Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka and Lana Del Rey was overwhelming. It's not pressure. It's not an ego boost. It means that we're doing the work and we're getting recognised for that.

What can our readers expect from your debut album?

Kojo: It's pretty much done. Like 90%. "Champion" "Mayhem" and "Overtime" are just snippets of what is to come with the album. It has a lot of energy to it, and then taking it to the whole different experience of seeing us live is what will really add to the whole album.

Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Kojo: Both.

Who does the majority of the writing?

 Clement: Myself and Kojo are the vocalists, so we do the lyrics and then the band does the music.

Are there going to be any collaborations on the album?

Kojo: We ain't telling!

Clement: You gotta wait and see! It's going to come out in August or September.

You've been touring recently?

Clement: Yes, we've been touring with the likes of Plan B and Florence and the Machine.

That's really cool because you're reaching a really wide audience, with vastly different musical tastes that way.

 Clement: Exactly. Personally I don't there are many acts that can support so many different acts. We're in a good spot.

As we're IDOL Magazine, we always want to ask, who are your idols? 

Kojo: Mine's easy. Kanye West and Prince.  

Clement: Jay Z, I have all his albums. His music and his culture have been injected in me and I feel like this is the British version coming out in me. That's my piece of the puzzle to the front line. Adding the hip hop. Kojo adds the soul.

 Kojo: He calls me the black Pavarotti.

Clement: I feel blessed to work with him. The range! He can go real high.

How did you get into music Kojo?

Kojo: It's so clichee but I come from a church background, so that's where I was a part of a choir and it developed from there. I never really took it seriously until I got to college when I had to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I liked music so I started taking it seriously. I'm very lucky.

Where can our readers see you live next?

Kojo: Festivals- check out www.clementmarfo.com and all the dates are on there.

Thanks so much Clement and Kojo, of Clement Marfo and the Front Line!

Holly backstage with Clement and Kojo

Interview: Holly Rubenstein

 Photography: Elliott Morgan