TKorStretch - Interview
After a fire start to the year, TKorStretch came out the blocks hitting the scene with precision. ‘Flamenco Dance’ is the 4th release of the year for the Bristol artist, with hype increasing, so is his ability and this Drill influenced track is the evidence.
2020 saw TKorStretch make immense impressions in the scene, a link up with Block 6’s iconic ‘GhostFace600’ on the track ‘Cali Buds’, accomplishing 331,000 YouTube views. The first day of 2021 TKorStretch showed his potential with the track ‘HAM’. ‘Flamenco Dance’ is following the successful release of ‘Vision’ on Mixtape Madness.
Just shy of 1 million views across his music videos on YouTube, it is clear that TKorStretch is doing his bit to put Bristol on the map. His dynamic style is being supported by rave reviews, cementing his position as a one to watch out for this year.
Wordplay Magazine: How did it all begin, what got you into the mad game of music?
TKorStretch: My mum brought us up on music and made us listen to all different types of music, reggae, hip hop, jazz, all of it. My passion when I was young was football. I used to play for Bristol Rovers, I was in the academy from the age of 6 to 16 but had an injury, I had a clot in my right leg, so I knew I wasn’t going to play for a while. Because of that I wanted to find something to keep me focused so I didn’t go insane. I liked singing so I was going to little studios here and there and then started taking it more seriously.
WPM: Who are some artists that have influenced you or that you’d like to work with in the future?
T: One that influences me, I’ve got to say Young Adz. And one I want to work with is Haile from WSTRN. I want to work with both of them.
WPM: Could you tell me some of the problems you’ve faced making and releasing music during the pandemic?
T: Shooting music videos has been very hard because you’ve got to social distance and follow the rules, from that point it was crazy because if you weren’t social distancing in the music video you would get fined.
WPM: Part of your persona is the mask, what made you choose to wear one?
T: I don’t want my face to be the face everyone knows. I don’t want to go to Tesco and have people know that it's me who makes the music. I don’t care about fame, I just want to make music and have people enjoy it. I don’t mind talking to people, don't get me wrong, but if I'm with my mum or sisters or something I just want to be able to chill out.
WPM: How would you describe your sound?
T: Someone else asked me this recently, so I’m gonna’ give the same answer, I’d say drill music with a bit of autotune sound, I don’t have a name for it. It’s hard to pinpoint, but it's a bit of everything. One of my strong points is that I can do a lot of different hip hop genres and music.
WPM: What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?
T: My proudest moment so far was getting 100k on my first music video ever. I wasn’t expecting 10k and the first day it hit 14k, I couldn’t believe it. The fact that people like it makes me know that I’m not doing this for no reason. It makes me want to be better and be more consistent.
WPM: Your latest release ‘Flamenco Dance’ was a bit different to your normal style, can you tell me more about that?
T: Yeah, it was a bit more upbeat and for the streets, it's a proper put together song. I wanted people to be locked in and find the tune catchy, so they were hooked and wanting more.
WPM: Have you got any advice you’d like to share with anyone getting into the mad game of music?
T: The best advice I can give is, I thought 2 years ago I’m not going to get anywhere decent, so the best advice is keep investing in yourself, keep saving it up and keep doing it. If you don’t have the luxury of knowing someone at Universal, you have got to do it yourself. So, believe in yourself and invest in yourself, get going and get yourself out there. If you stop, you’ll mope about it, keep going people will be watching. Think people are watching even when it feels like they aren’t. One day it will come to you.
WPM: Are there any artists on your radar that we should check out?
T: All my boys, DVO Melody, KR, probably one of my favourite artists right now Jay Silva, he’s doing this thing right now. He mixes a song every year then disappears but he’s good, he needs to be more consistent and release more tunes.
WPM: What albums have you got on heavy rotation on Spotify currently?
T: D-Block Europe – The Blue Print.
WPM: What do you like to do when you're not making music?
T: Football, Gym sometimes and I like going to viewpoints. I do that a lot and chill out with a drink and a smoke with some mates.
WPM: What’s 3 things you can’t live without in the studio?
T: I can’t do without my magnum, my weed and my Dad, If he doesn’t take me to the studio I can’t vibe, I can’t record. He’s embedded into my routine now.