Kiss

Tinchy Stryder‘s latest single Off The Record is a move away from his usual pop-grime sound. Here, he tells KISS why he decided to make a dance-rap track and what fans can expect from his forthcoming new album – which features Dappy and Pixie Lott. He’s not decided what to call the album yet, but admitted to us that at one point he was thinking ‘Stryde Or Die‘ could be a good title!

What was it like working with Calvin Harris on your new single, Off The Record?
It was cool, man. I’ve always liked his tracks, I’ve liked his style. So when I was thinking ’who can I work with that I’ve not worked with that I like what they do’, me and Calvin have got a cool relationship, so I reached out to him. He sent me a few tracks over, and the one that actually I thought ‘that’s the one for me’, he had produced with Burns. I thought: ‘Yes!’ So I went in the studio and the result was Off The Record. He’s always touring, he has a residency in Vegas, he’s always all over the world. So we communicated using email and phone.

Why did you decided to move towards a more dancey sound?
With this album, I feel like, when I go out, and tracks like this come on, I like it and dance to it. So I thought, ‘Why not do a track like that?’ When I reached out to Calvin Harris I know his sound and his style, so I knew what I was looking for, but I didn’t want to make a track that was every day dance music. What I’m saying on it you might not hear on any other dance track. I thought me and him together, hopefully that would make something magic.

How’s things going with your clothing line, Star In The Hood?
It’s growing day by day. It’s in over fifty stores and as well as tracksuits, now I’ve designed snap-back hats, gilets (I call them body warmers but everyone else calls them gilets!), some varsity jackets – it’s growing.

You must be busy managing all that and your music?
Yeah, but I handle it somehow. I just juggle it.

Have you worked with anyone else on the new record apart from Dappy and Calvin?
I’ve worked with a few different producers and different sounds. One track I worked with Pixie Lott, and it sounds really exciting, I can’t wait for that to be heard!

Are you going to tour the new album?
Hopefully. I’m doing a tour before the album, the Rollercoaster tour. It’s like a small mini-tour, an intimate tour – smaller gigs. I want to keep it up close and personal. When you do the big stadiums, I remember I supported Usher and Rihanna at the O2, I was like ‘Woah!’ But with the smaller shows you feel like you can reach out and touch the audience, and it feels good.

Tags: Burns, Calvin Harris, Dappy, Pixie Lott, Tinchy Stryder