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Tinie Tempah is making a comeback – but why now?
Tinie Tempah released his debut single Pass Out in 2010.
Fans might have bought the track and downloaded it on to an iPhone 4 or an OG Samsung Galaxy
It’s a song many still associate with the rapper – but 15 years later the music scene’s almost unrecognisable, and definitely more crowded.
“It’s way more of a competitive space,” Tinie tells BBC Newsbeat.
“You’ve got a hundred thousand songs being uploaded to all the different streamers every day – that’s your competition.
“Me, I love a challenge though, so that really excited me.”
Tinie’s been embracing the new era, jumping on DJ AG’s livestreamed street sets and performing in the latest Love Island series – which has been a source of viral moments.
“A push of one post can change your life,” says Tinie.
“At the same time it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be able to sustain that or have longevity within your career.
“You know, one song could be hot today, and then the next one no-one could even hear about.
“That’s kind of scary.”
Tinie’s had to worry less than most about falling out of the public consciousness though.
He still gets almost five million monthly listeners on Spotify, and tracks such as Pass Out (174 million streams) feature on more than a few playlists.
But other parts of the music landscape are more troubling to him.
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Tinie Tempah saw peak fame in the early 2010s, even performing on shows like The Late Show with Jay Leno in the US
Like loads of artists, Tinie spent time honing his craft in grassroots venues and clubs – something he sees as an important training ground for new talent.
“Something that’s really great for artists, where you can do your 10,000 hours, build up your confidence, build up your fanbase is performing in some of these venues,” he says.
Latest figures show that 400 clubs have closed in Britain over the last five years – more than a third of the total number.
“By 2029 we’re not going to have virtually any clubs or night-time venues left in the UK,” Tinie says.
“That puts me on edge a bit.”
But other changes have been positive.
Tinie is a member of the Ivors Academy board, which oversees the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting awards.
At the 2023 ceremony, singer Raye complained about songwriters often being asked to work for free.
It led to a recent deal with major labels guaranteeing a £75 daily session fee, plus expenses.
“It’s very sad to me that songwriters are usually the last people that are thought about,” says Tinie.
“It’s great we’re finally having conversations about how that can be changed.
“Sometimes, as an artist, I’m happy to make music whether there’s money in it or not.
“But I do understand sometimes songwriters are travelling for miles and miles to work on something that may never come out.
“It’s a great jump from nothing which was the case before.”
Tinie’s been back on songwriting duties himself, working on new music for the last three years.
He says his hiatus gave him a “new revitalised lease on life” and seeing artists passing through his north-west London recording studio on a daily basis motivated him to “get back on the train”.
The rapper’s been performing his latest release Eat It Up – a collab with Skepsis – and says fans approaching him to discuss memories of his back catalogue was also inspiring for him.
“It feels amazing that for more than half of my life, I’ve been giving people music that has been the soundtrack of their life and music they’ll associate with certain memories and emotions,” he says.
“If I’ve brought joy to this many people just by making music, writing the lyrics I write, why stop now?”
He also says his experience has prepared him for the challenges of standing out among those thousands of songs getting uploaded every day.
“I’ve seen people be interested, not be interested, be interested again,” he says.
“It’s all part of the process and journey.
“The main thing is that I’ve made music I really love and I’m really excited about and people get to hear it and get to live with it and that’s a beautiful thing.”
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.