“You Have To Be Different Now Or No One’s Going To Take You In”. In Talks With Bristol’s Rising Artist: TKorStretch

Growing up in Bristol, UK – increasingly popular artist TKorStretch continues to thrive throughout his successful run of popular releases. Breaking on to the scene with tracks like “A.O.S.D”, “Cali Buds” Ft Ghostface600 and “Caliweed”, TkorStretch has constantly proven his dedication to develop his highly admired artistry. With an evidently humble approach to life, TkorStretch values positivity and good vibes to be transmitted through his music.

Fusing captivating melodies with rap and elements of many other genres, the multi-faceted Bristol native projects nothing less than uniqueness. His versatility and ability to do it all, allows him to stand out from other rising artists in the current UK scene. TKorStretch incorporates his influences into his music, enforcing his individualism and distinctiveness as a young musical prodigy.

Keeping a motivational, content mindset throughout his career – TKorStretch talks to Mixtape Madness about his experiences, the music journey so far and much more. Tap in below for an insightful interview!

Tell me a bit about where you’re from and how you grew up 

I was born in North London, Edmonton but I moved to Bristol when I was about 3/4 because my Grandad passed away and my mum wanted to be with her family. So I’ve grown up here.

Do you feel like it’s harder being from Bristol compared to London, trying to succeed in music?

Music wise, yeah. London has about 70% of the limelight and the rest is like Birmingham and Manchester. So it’s hard for us to get noticed and get in with the crowd.

Do you think you’re taking the right steps to get into this limelight that you say is mostly on London right now?

I think I’m going the right way about it. I’m not worrying too much about the limelight right now, I’m just focusing on me and getting myself to somewhere where i’ll be happy with. I feel like what i’m doing now, getting noticed, getting myself out there is the right path.

What made you want to get in to music?

Growing up, I used to play football from roughly aged of 6-16 and during that time, it was my main focus, but I enjoyed singing. When I stopped playing football, I tried to find something I enjoyed as much. Then I started rapping as well.

Growing up in Bristol, did you have any musical influences? 

No one was really on the Bristol scene, there were a few but there wasn’t a lot going on. I grew up listening to American music to be honest, especially Chris Brown. In the UK scene, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth and that came in when I was around 12, 13 and I started listening to them too. Id say Wiley, BBK and Chipmunk as well. The Chris brown and Chip collab made me want to jump on the music thing a lot more. 

Who do you listen to from the UK and US scene right now?

K-Trap, Haile from WSTRN, Young Adz, Lil Durk, Lil Tjay, Polo G, Yung Bleu. Them kind of artists – That’s who im rocking with right now.

How would you describe your sound? 

I listen to a lot of music like Reggae, Hip-Hop, R&B – I Listen to everything. I take elements from these genres and incorporate it into my music and just find my own sound, so I don’t sound like anyone else. To get out there now, you have to be different or no one’s going to take you in.

What do you feel like separates you from other rising artists in the scene right now? 

I can do everything. I think that’s what separates me. I can do everything and anything. Grime, Reggae, Hip-Hop, I can do it. So that’s what I think the difference is. I’m very versatile. 

Tapping in to your releases, one of your most popular releases “Cali Buds” with Ghostface600, how did that come about?

I released my first track “A.O.S.D”, and Ghostface released a track called “Intro” like a week after me – This was when he was still coming up, early days. I seen that upload and thought “Yeah he’s cold, he’s on this wave ting now”. So I hit him up and we both liked eachothers new music. Then we just started chatting from there. This was when he wasn’t on socials like that, he was just known for his music. I linked him in Manchester then we layed down the tune.

Do you feel like that’s where you started to gain some more recognition for your music? 

Yeah definitely! Because he’s from London and he’s in the game – he’s in there. I got a lot of messages from people there telling me I’m cold and I’m next up! So it definitely helped.

Is beat selection important to you and having chemistry with producers as well as other artists? 

Well, I never use YouTube for beats. In terms of production, I rock with my homegrown people – people from my school and that. I try use their beats and then give it to my manager who will touch it up a bit – that will give them a bit of recognition as well.

In your music you fuse melodies with rap. Which do you prefer? Vocals or rap.

I prefer melodies, I can’t lie! I’m a melodies guy. But where my fanbase lays, they like when I rap so I give them what they want with a mixture of what I want too. I have to remember that the music isn’t just about me, im not the one listening to it. I find out what they want, what I like and what my manager likes and put it all in there.

 Do you think it’s important to have this balance or ability to switch it up?

Of Course. You need to be able to do everything. When you get to that next level you need to be able to connect to all audiences, so you need to be able to expand and be versatile.

What’s the most important part of making music to you?

The most important part is making sure it’s from the heart. Don’t go in the booth and try force something. I try make the song catchy and deliver some good vibes.

Talk to me about your latest single “Flamenco Dance”, what was your intentions for this one?

I wanted to grab the people’s attention. My releases are good but I don’t feel like enough people are seeing me. So I’m looking at the scene now and asking myself, “What do these people want?”. I’m seeing drill everywhere so I decided to attempt it but with a spin. In a way that’s upbeat and fun. I came up with a little dance for it and a hook and then yeah – that was it really.

Do you feel like having a dance, is the key to becoming more interactive with audiences? Because I see that it’s going off on tiktok. Do you feel like this helps a lot with new music?

Of course. Definitely. Anyone that says TikTok doesn’t help the music is a liar because it does. That’s what it’s there to do, you need to utilise the tools around you to help you grow and if TikTok does that then cool. That’s what it’s there for.

Do you feel like you’ve achieved what you wanted with the single?

I’m always happy and content with what I get but of course I always want my videos to more, I’m still going to be pushing it but I’m happy. After every release I’m getting better and I’m building, so I’m doing something right.

What’s the next steps for you?

I’ve got a few singles coming up but I’m trying to focus on my EP, figure that out, marketing strategies, release date, things like that. But that’s what I got planned for you lot!

What’s your end goal?

I want everything. I want to hit my first million views, live shows, my own record label. Anything positive that the music brings. It’s definitely important to leave a legacy, you want to know that you’ve left respected and you’ve made an impact.

Who’s your dream collab?

Haile from Wstrn. I’ve said this for 2/3 years now. I hope he sees this anyway and hits me up *laughs*.

Keep updated on all things music with TkorStretch via his Instagram here.