Earlier this month we were treated to the braggadocious bars and infectious trap beats of TK3AYthaone’s latest single, 4ever.
A teeth-bearing manifesto on living it large, the rap cut forefronted TK3AYthaone’s searing penmanship and gusto, and preceded what’s sure to be a breakout moment for the New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist.
Below, we caught up with TK3AYthaone for a rundown of his latest single, the importance of family, and the moment he fell in love with hip-hop. Scroll down to catch our full interview with TK3AYthaone, and listen to his new single 4ever below.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
TK3AYTHAONE: Usually, my days consist of waking up early and traveling to uni then coming home and studying etc. It is currently the school holidays so music has been the main focus.
I have a passion for music and can honestly say it’s my true love but i also have a heart for helping people in my community hence why I am studying mental health with hopes to one day bring about change and impact my community in a positive way.
HAPPY: Tell us about where you are from? What’s the scene like in your neck of the woods?
TK3AYTHAONE: Im of Zimbabwean decent was born in Auckland New Zealand and now reside in Melbourne Australia. So my sound is a combination of my background, where i was born and where I grew up.
That why it sounds nothing like what’s in the city but i am blessed to live in Melbourne because its filled with so much culture which exposes me to different sounds all over the world.
Don’t quote me on this but i feel like Melbourne is Australia’s home for underground hip-pop.
HAPPY: What inspired you to start making music, and how has the experience of picking up a microphone positively impacted his life?
TK3AYTHAONE: I was fortunate enough to to born into a musically inclined family so music is something I’ve always been around.
Both my siblings are established artists so it was really easy for me to get into it but I was lucky enough to receive support from them along the way.
I guess the hardest part was finding who i am and developing my sound and personality in the music, when i say musically inclined i really mean even my cousins back home in Zimbabwe so i had to pave my own path and establish my own journey.
HAPPY: How did you come up with your artist’s name, TK3AYthaone?
TK3AYTHAONE: TK3AYthaone is not just a name to me it symbolizes who i am, starting with the first 2 letters “TK” (pronounced “TKAY”) those are my initials.
The “3” is to symbolize how i am the third child, growing up my family used to refer to me as the golden child aka the one that would change the world so it only made sense to have that in there.
HAPPY: How would you describe your musical style, especially considering the dynamic blend of hip-hop and pop? What artists or genres have influenced your sound?
TK3AYTHAONE: Growing up music was always around me starting with my parents who were reggae fans and my older brothers who were heavy hip-pop heads.
I fell in love with hip hop and having siblings that were students of the genre helped a lot. I have early memories of watching hip pop documentaries and even old-school movies like “You Got Served”, “Stomp the Yard” and “Get Rich or die trying”.
Being young i obviously leaned to a more modern sound compared to my siblings but i still prioritize lyricism, delivery and flow. Some of the artists I look up to are “Trippie Redd” “Juice Wrld” and “Drake”.
One thing about these artists do well is blend genres and experiment with music and this is something i resonate with and admire because I can’t be put in a box either.
With Forever i mixed my love for rap and Jersey Club as well as my passion for music and love for experimenting with my styles and that’s how it came about.
HAPPY: “4ever” places a strong emphasis on wealth and security. Can you share the inspiration behind the themes in the track and the message you hope listeners take away?
TK3AYTHAONE: Being a first-generation migrant my parents had to leave their old lives behind and start a fresh in Australia. So growing up not only did they teach me about financial literacy but also the importance of final freedom.
Although it didn’t make music sense to me when i was younger, it makes a whole lot of sense now.
Money is very important and i would be lying if i said the world didn’t revolve around it but for me personally chasing your dreams is the most important thing (“I touched a mic now everything better”).
I feel like if you chase your dreams and your heart is in the right place, everything else will follow.
HAPPY: The different iterations of “4ever” add an interesting dimension to the track. What led to the decision to present the song in various forms, and how does each version contribute to the overall listening experience?
TK3AYTHAONE: I remember a conversation i had with my brother and he told me that back in the day when you bought a single it came with different versions of the song like an instrumental and a remix etc.
So with that, i thought it would be cool to pay homage to that era of hip hop considering we a celebrating 50 years of the genre.
With the evolution of the world and the introduction of apps like TikTok, it made sense to include different versions of the song so anyone can use it however they like.
HAPPY: You are very driven in nature, how does this determination come through in your work, and how does it shape your creative process?
TK3AYTHAONE: I am just hungry, not only do I want to succeed for myself but also for those who came before me and those who will come after.
As I was a kid I remember seeing how hard both my parents worked, They are my definition of what hard work looks like. So when it comes to anything I do im relentless.
Even when im not feeling creative I still put in the same amount of time and effort into learning different aspects of the music industry in order to sharpen my craft.
