Tinie Tempah says success ‘turned him into a monster’ and almost killed him – as he drops second part of his name
HIS debut single Pass Out went to No1 a decade ago this month, but Tinie Tempah has admitted his time in the industry since then has almost killed him.
The British rapper has opened up for the first time about the immense pressure he put on himself to continue to top the charts after his first hit, which he says turned him into a “monster”.
Tinie, who has now got seven No1s under his belt, explained: “I just felt like, ‘S***, man, I need to keep going, I’ve f***ing put my foot in it now.
"I gotta keep going and it needs to get bigger and bigger and better and better.’
“I probably turned into a bit of a monster for achieving what I set out to achieve and trying to better and top every single record that had come before.
“I almost felt like, if that’s not the result I got, then I was going to get dropped or like I was gonna die or something. Or my mum was gonna be pissed.
"Like, ‘Your last one was No1, why isn’t this one No1?’”
He has had time to reflect during a break from the industry and tomorrow is back with new single Top Winners featuring Not3s — and a new name.
He is dropping Tempah, to be known only as Tinie, and added: “I just feel it’s a new decade, I feel like I’ve almost peeled a layer off of myself and Tempah was gone with it.
"It didn’t seem fitting anymore. I’m not angry anymore. I’m joking…”
Tinie has been hard at work on his new album, a follow-up to 2016’s Youth, which will feature an array of collaborations including one with Jason Derulo.
But it has been time away, as well as a new arrival, that helped him develop a new perspective.
He said: “I released my third album, and I was like, I want to take some time out.
“Doing normal life things like having a baby, I realised that I am normal, I’m not a f***ing robot.
“I guess it just allowed me to relax a bit and the blinkers are still very much on, that’s just the way I’m programmed.
“But for me, this sound is very new. It’s very new for you to hear, but it’s not very new for me to make if that makes sense.”
From what I’ve heard, he has plenty of treats up his sleeve.
bizbit
STEVEN Spielberg hired 20 Puerto Ricans for his take on 1961’s West Side Story.
Original star Rita Moreno said he wanted to “right some wrongs”, such as whites playing people from the country.
READ ON FOR MORE OF SIMON BOYLE'S BIZARRE COLUMN
Jesy's in big Mix up
LITTLE Mix singer Jesy Nelson got her va va voom on with her latest outfit.
She wore a one-sleeved crop-top showing her abs and a leopard-print skirt teamed with a beret. Ooh la la.
Her boyfriend, Love Island’s Chris Hughes, was the lucky man who got to experience it in the flesh as she wore it for a date night.
It’s a good job he was with her as there may have been confusion after a troll messaged him claiming to be Jesy.
They said: “Morning babe” and “Come on and chat with me”.
Chris said: “OK this is odd. Imagine believing I might fall for this.” Shrewd man.
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Niall has a hip problem
NIALL Horan has said it’s hard to get people to pay attention to his music, but the charts this week say differently.
In the new issue of FAULT magazine, he explained: “Music tastes go in cycles the same way fashion does and right now R&B and hip-hop are dominant.
"That’s tough for my kind of artist because we don’t fit into those genres. It’s tough trying to get people to look my way.”
Niall is actually in a battle with Brit country music duo The Shires for No1.
His new album Heartbreak Weather is just 55 copies behind their Good Years in the mid-week chart update.
bizbit
Westlife are the top Irish artists on YouTube – beating U2, says a study for St. Patrick’s Day.
Shane Filan had the biggest percentage of foreign followers, with the Philippines loving the singer more than any other country.
'Chewy' Lewis is so inspired
LEWIS Capaldi is proving again why he is almost as famous for his sense of humour as for his music.
He says the follow-up to chart-topping debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent will include some hilarious tales.
Lewis said: “The new songs will all be about things I’ve experienced this past year – , my ex-girlfriend Paige Turley winning Love Island, they will be niche songs.”
Lewis, who bagged two Brits last month, told an Aussie radio show: “I haven’t started writing enough lyrically to know what it’s going to be about. All I know is that it probably won’t be as good as the first one.
"We’ve had the good first album and the second one will probaby be a bit more s*** and my career will just quietly limp off.”
I can’t see that happening, he’s a superstar.
bizbit
JUSTIN Timberlake has teased new music with Hit-Boy and Timbaland.
He told Apple Music: “I’m in a zone. I don’t know how deep, but I’ve found something I’m excited about.
"It doesn’t sound like anything I just did.”
Gaga's a bright spark
LADY Gaga looks like she’s been wired to the mains for this zany naked photoshoot for Paper Magazine.
She is gearing up to release her sixth studio album Chromatica on April 10 and appeared to confirm rumours of a collaboration with Ariana Grande.
Dubbing the song a “celebration of all the tears,” Gaga told the mag: “It’s two women having a conversation about how to keep going and how to be grateful for what you do.”
The first high-octane single Stupid Love dropped last month and her album is described in the magazine as being “firmly rooted in classic house, with crisp, clubby dance breaks”.
The world could do with a bit of joy right now.
bizmeter
- REESE Witherspoon is pals with Beyonce after sharing her champagne at January’s Golden Globes. The Legally Blonde actress said: “Beyonce and I are really good friends. In fact, you might say, best friends.”
- Shania Twain has been won over by Brad Pitt – two decades after singing that he didn’t impress her much. She said: “I’m very impressed by Brad’s career. I hope he took it with the sense of humour that was intended.”
- Ben Affleck’s girlfriend Ana de Armas praised him after they starred in thriller Deep Water. She said of his acting: “Not only does he know how to do it with ease, he also manages to surprise you in every shot.”
- Ellie Goulding was inspired by the masters for her new album. On Heart Breakfast, the Worry About Me singer said: “The album comes in two parts. It’s classically influenced because I love classical music.”
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