rapper, artist, producer
"When I was five I found that I really loved just messing around on the piano and drums. Didn't like playing other peoples music as much as my own, but as for piano I got lessons from a few different teachers over time. I didn't like practicing, but I'm thankful I put in all that work. I was also in a band as the drummer for some time during my youth. Musically, I grew up on The Beatles to a pretty serious extent, my dad being a huge beatlemaniac, as well as my whole family being from England. I’m grateful for this because their music is undoubtedly some of the best in the world, and I’ve always felt a special connection to the band and it’s shaped my love for music. As I entered into highschool, my music taste began evolving with the rise of the 2017-18 soundcloud era of hip-hop. Artists like Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, XXXTENTACION and others including producers like Pierre Bourne were making incredible projects that ended up shaping my musical taste as a highschooler. At one point I decided to try and make my own beats. I downloaded the demo version of fl studio, which I was using for over a year before I was able to buy the full version. I didn't look up any tutorials or learn how to use the software, instead I just figured it out on my own, even if I was doing everything the way you’re not supposed to. As time went by, I was making beats a lot to the point where I wasn't leaving the house. My parents were also pretty strict so it’s not like I was even allowed out that much anyway, but regardless. I dropped my first little ep back when covid first hit, then continued improving overtime. Also started collaborating with some friends like Samende and Seth Brown on a project I dropped called Wild Dark Horse. It was released back in October of 2020, and although it wasn't getting a ton of streams, I just remember being really proud of it as people seemed to love the tape. Months later one of the songs started gaining some traction. "Cigs After Sex" was made in less than 20 minutes by me and Seth Brown one evening, and funnily enough it was the one song on the album which I was worried people wouldn’t like because of the poor mixing. I did not at all expect it to end up being my most popular song to date, as it has over 100,000 streams across platforms. We shot a video for it but never bothered to edit it. Some time later, I decided I wanted to be a full on artist, rather than just a producer. I really wanted to be 'teen,' similar to Ye, as when people would only see him as a talented beatmaker and not an artist. Only problem was I couldn’t sing or rap for sh*t. It would take hundreds of takes just to get one decent vocal line down, so while my next couple projects were more centered around myself rather than just as a producer, the vocals were rough and it took a lot of work and practice to develop my voice. My first ever show was at Kilby Court, the day my album “Computer Sex” released. I had Samende open for me, and another friend Oliver who was able to DJ the show. Over a hundred people showed up, but that’s nothing compared to what my shows will one day be like. It was a moment I’ll never forget though, and I knew as I was standing out on that stage that this was what I was meant for. Last summer I spent a lot of time in the studio with a great friend who goes by "OKCORES," while working on an ep which mostly featured myself over my own beats again. I flew out to Los Angeles to get it mixed, which cost me some money but it was worth it. I'm proud of the ep, and it's my most recently released project called "Don't Know Me". I really love my verse on the first track, "Better Off Without You", which comes in around the 1:40 mark. I feel as though the song deserves more recognition. I also collaborated with DAYYTONAFOX on a song called “UPS & DOWNS''; DAYYTONAFOX being a rapper signed to the very successful Takeoff, one of three artists in the multi-platinum selling rap group known as ‘Migos'. Tragically, Takeoff just recently passed away due to gun violence. It's losses like these which plague the rap culture and music as a whole. I still remember the exact moment of when and where I was when XXXTENTACION was shot and killed. There’s a lot of artists who change the world, too many of whom end up dead. Regardless, I’ve currently been busy with school. It’s an ongoing battle between the left and right side of my brain. I find that I get inspired at the worst times possible, meaning sometimes when I should be studying, I’m making music instead. I've been pushing myself recently, but it's hard to balance these two different sides of me." - teen
