Few places in the world carry as much musical gravity as Abbey Road. From The Beatles and Fela Kuti to Frank Ocean and Amy Winehouse, its walls hold a living archive of sound that has shaped generations. Once a closed-door sanctuary for only the biggest names, Abbey Road has opened itself up to grassroots talent, a new wave of Originals who represent the future of music.

With that said, it was the right setting for the launch of our adidas Originals Superstar Premium – size? exclusive. A shoe that has always been more than footwear, the Superstar is a cultural icon, a silhouette worn by generations of artists who have reshaped music, fashion, and identity on their own terms.

Arriving in a monochromatic execution, our Superstar is wrapped in brushed beige suede, with tonal 3-Stripes, a rubber sole unit, and the historic shell toe. Premium touches – from waxed laces to tonal debossed branding – complete the look with a refined finish. Its tooling feels both timeless and fashion-forward, much like the venue it was launched in.

In conversation with Nadeem Din-Gabisi 

At the heart of this release is artist Nadeem Din-Gabisi. Based in London, Nadeem has been steadily carving out a reputation as a multidisciplinary creative who bridges music, spoken word, and visual art. We caught up with Nadeem after his performance in Studio One to talk all things heritage, what influences him, his Sierra Leonean roots and British soundscapes. 

Do you remember the very first record you bought? 

“I don’t know if this is the first CD I bought with my money, but it’s a CD that I remember going to HMV in Croydon and buying. It was College Dropout by Kanye West.”

Was there an early song or artist that really inspired you to want to make music? 

“There’s an artist from Sierra Leone called Steady Bongo, and the song is called Como Viene. The song essentially means come from behind me and it’s about people who want to cause this man problems. And he’s like, yo, please stay away from me, is the essence of the song, and I remember that being very inspirational because I saw how much joy it gave. It was like a cross-generational song. So my mum enjoyed it, my grandma enjoyed it, I enjoyed it.”

When you head to the studio, what are three things you always bring with you – whether that’s a mindset, a habit or something physical? 

“Openness, I try not to be rigid. The second would be a joy. This is quite recent, where I feel the last year or two, I’ve begun to appreciate the privilege of recording and being able to make music and play a part in art-making. Whereas prior, I don’t think I truly appreciated it. Then, also somewhat linked, the third one is gratitude.”

How do you usually approach songwriting, do you have a process or does it change from song to song? 

“For me, I begin by writing song titles, but it depends on the song. Sometimes I’ll work with a producer to write the song, and then bring in other instrumentalists, whether it’s a saxophonist or another vocalist to join me on the song or to sing the chorus entirely. But I’m always writing and keeping my pen, my mind, you know, sharp and ready to come up with ideas.”

What’s your earliest memory of recording in a studio?

“I was in the choir of my church, St Peter’s, the Anglo-Catholic church in Streatham. And I’m pretty sure we went to Exeter Cathedral to do a performance. It was the first time I remember doing something on a big stage. I mean, when you sing in a church, it’s not really a stage, it’s very odd, because oftentimes you’re not, you’re behind everybody, and no one’s looking at you. So it’s an odd way to perform. But that’s what I remember being the first thing that I did that felt like, oh wow, people are going to remember this, and there’s some kind of posterity to it. My grandma had the CD of it, but I don’t know where it is now. I want to find it and see if I can hear myself when I was 11.”

What does it feel like to step into Abbey Road today?

“It’s been fun, it’s been daunting because of the size of the space and the history and legacy of it, so it’s been fun. Slightly nerve-wracking, but I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve felt very comfortable in it, but the size of it is pretty surreal, especially being in Studio One.”

While you’ve been here, have you learned about any artists who recorded here that surprised you?

“Yeah, so I found out that Frank Ocean recorded Blonde here, which I didn’t really expect. I’ve sort of associated the space more with bands and orchestras and film scoring. So I was surprised to see that. And that Blonde album, I really enjoyed.”

As you leave today, what’s the lasting thought you’ll take away from this experience? 

“The first one is I’d want to come back and the second one is that I’d want to come back and record here, that would be great.”

The adidas Originals Superstar Premium – size? exclusive is available at size? now.