The tides are shifting folks. I think my musical tastes may be evolving yet again. The more I listen to Tinie Tempah, the more I start to question my musical interests. While Hip-hop has never been a genre of music that I’ve shied away from, it’s never been a genre that I’ve sought out or craved. In the past I would listen to a hip-hop song I liked over and over again, but that would be the end of it. Now, I don’t know what it is with Tinie Tempah, but I just can’t get enough.
Yes – there are HUGE differences between U.S. hip-hop and UK hip-hop. Artists like Tinie, N-Dubz, Example, Plan B, and Professor Green infuse different styles of music into their hip-hop beats, primarily of the the electronica persuasion. I think it’s this melding of genres that initially captured my attention and made me listen. 2010 turned out to be a tremendous year for Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu Jr. (AKA Tinie Tempah). Not only did his debut album go #1 on the Official UK Album Charts but Tinie has two #1 hits (“Pass Out,” “Written In The Stars“) and four Top 5 singles under his belt. As if that wasn’t enough to brag about, Tinie won two MOBO awards (including one for ‘Best Newcomer‘), was nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award and has 4 pending BRIT Award nominations this year (the BRITS will air on February 15th). WOW!
With the UK eating out of his palm, Tinie Tempah now turns his his sights on the US as he prepares to release his debut album in America this Spring. As the ‘best selling UK newcomer of 2010,’ Tinie hopes his international success translates into Stateside success. His debut album, Disc-Overy is due out on Capitol Records May 3rd and will feature songs from his UK debut as well as new material recorded just for the album’s U.S. release. Things are looking up for Tinie as MTV has already named him an “Artist to Watch in 2011” and Entertainment Weekly named “Written In The Stars” the next big hit of 2011″ (download it on iTunes HERE).
To help promote the album’s U.S. release Tinie Tempah will be bringing his energy to various festivals including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival and SXSW. A full fledged U.S. tour is also expected in March with tour dates and venues to be announced shortly. In the meantime, catch Tinie Tempah in his first ever U.S. television performance this upcoming Wednesday, February 2nd when her performs “Pass Out” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Pass Out” is currently available to download on the iTunes U.S. store HERE.
Check out the videos for “Pass Out” and “Written In The Stars” below and the video for his next UK single, “Wonderman” featuring Ellie Goulding HERE. “Wonderman,” is due out March 6th.