upfront
TINIE
TEMPAH
“I’ve got a brand
new band, new
sound and new
energy...”
A
lthough
Tinie
Tempah’s success in
the British urban pop
arena has much to do with his approachable, friendly
demeanour, it’s hard to know exactly what a chat
with him might bring. What if we don’t get on and the
conversation is stilted? I’d heard him being interviewed
before and he seemed very nice, but he was talking to
Zane Lowe. I’m not Zane Lowe.
As it happens, at the other end of a phone Patrick
Okogwu, known to just about everyone as Tinie, is
relaxed and talkative. He’s doing the promo rounds for
Demonstration, his second album and the follow-up to
2010’s smash hit Disc-Overy.
“I’d say it’s a different buzz,” says Tinie, asked what the
feeling was like during the recording of Demonstration.
“I have a confidence and self-assurance that I maybe
didn’t have before, and a confidence in my sound to
make the record I wanted to. You’ll hear live strings and
electric guitars, lots of live drum fills, stuff you may not
have heard much of on the first record. That’s what I
set out to do, and I think I achieved that in the end.”
If you’ve listened to Demonstration, which came out
last November, then you’ll know that this is true, to
an extent. On top of the expected bangers, like lead
single Trampoline, there are some deeper, more subtle
cuts that showcase Tinie’s more serious lyrical tone.
The majority of songs, however, are variations on the
high-energy tracks that made him a household name
BUZZ 22
Grime-pop breakout star Tinie
Tempah has two smash albums
under his belt and, having
postponed his Cardiff date just
before Christmas, is going to have
another crack at it in early April.
to begin with, and he’s brought
quite a few friends along for the
ride.
“Yeah, there’s a great mix of artists in there,
and ones that you wouldn’t necessarily expect
to see all on one album. It’s my second record and I
felt that I had to go out and get some really amazing
people. You have Laura [Mvula], you have Dizzee,
Emeli Sandé who has taken over the world now, and
many others. You have 2 Chainz and Big Sean, two
of my favourite rappers right now. We were trying to
keep it fresh.”
Diverting for a few minutes into a chinwag about
the general state of hip-hop on both sides of the
pond – we’re both big Pusha T fans – conversation
eventually reverts back to the subject of his
upcoming UK tour. Any card-carrying Tinie fans
reading this might have spotted an elephant in the
room: the tour in question was originally supposed
to be in December, but was postponed until spring,
a number of dates being pulled altogether. A lack of
preparation from Tinie and his band is the official
excuse for this; any road up, they’re now hitting (or
disturbing, as he puts it) Cardiff on the first Friday
of April, so you’d hope this ramped up the party
atmosphere in the crowd. Back in November, Tinie
seemed to be itching to perform for his UK fans
again,