615: How's your month been since C2C?

TK: Yeah, it's been good. I've been doing a lot of writing sessions with my friend in LA and we've been doing a lot of stuff. We've been pitching some stuff out to some artists and stuff. We've got potentially a cool idea coming out. We're going to be pushing it to some big Nashville artists, male artists, so hopefully, fingers crossed. That kind of works out.

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615: You originally started in rock, what was it that made you pivot into country?

TK: That's a good question. In all honesty, it was an accident. I did a song called ‘All for You,’ which I thought was a bit more rocky, and I released it, and then BCMA caught hold of it, and said, “this is great. We're gonna put it as Single of the Week on that Friday, and I was like, what country? Then as I started producing more of my music, I realized that the stuff that I was doing actually had elements of country, and it just kind of felt more of a natural progression to go that way.

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615: Do you find it’s the same being a country artist as it was being in rock? Is it just different production, or is it completely different sort of lifestyle, as a gigging artist?

TK: It's a different lifestyle. I think when I started doing country, I kind of hit as it was starting to explode over here in the UK, I'm a massive fan of American culture, so I kind of landed at the right time. So for me, it was like perfect timing. Some of the stuff I write is a little bit softer now, and as I'm getting older, obviously I just want to relax a little bit more. So yeah, just writing things like that, I enjoy it, I really enjoy it now, and I feel like I’ve grown with my sound, and I feel like I'm trying to become who I've always meant to be.

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615: You produce your music as well, right?

TK: I do. Pretty much, like 95% of my stuff now is all self-produced. I do all my photography, I do all my graphics, I do everything. It's not that I do it because I'm, like, ego wise, but I just do it because I enjoy it, and being an independent artist, financially, it's very difficult to support yourself, and I like to give back as well. I record other artists stuff now and help them and give them a little guidance and stuff like that. So, yeah, it's nice.

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615: Have you always produced your own stuff, or is that something that came as you started pursuing music as a solo career?

TK: Solo wise, I've always done my own production. I heavily focused myself during the pandemic; I started doing some stuff with a website called Mix with the Masters. I've always had a vision of the sound I wanted to create, and I think I've been pushing on that every day, and I feel I’m getting there with every step, so yeah, it's cool.

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615: I know being an independent artist, it's a budget issue, but I would imagine doing your own production also does flex a different muscle creatively. And when you are then on stage performing that song that you've literally created every element - from songwriting to producing and then getting out there and performing it - seeing people like, love it, must bring that extra bit of like satisfaction, I would imagine?

TK: Yeah, for sure. When I played C2C, someone ran in and was just like, “oh, have you played ‘This Town?’” And I was just like, wow, people are requesting my songs now, so that's really cool. It shows that I'm doing the right thing with my music.

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615: Absolutely. I caught your Saturday show at C2C, which obviously it was the first up. It was in the morning, but you packed that place out.

TK: For the morning slot, like I'm the breakfast guy, people were loving it, and they were vibing to it. And it was really cool to see.

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615: Were you expecting it to be as packed as it was?

TK: No, I wasn't, in all honesty, and all credit to The Observatory because they did a great job, but yeah, it was 11am on a Saturday after the big show on the Friday night, I wasn't expecting to be playing to many people at all. But yeah, as the set progressed, it just got bigger and bigger. And like, people like yourself come down and watch, which I really appreciate. And, yeah, it's great people singing along and interacting. And, I mean, that's what I love. I love trying to get people interacting and just take themselves away from reality for a little bit.

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615: It was, it felt like being back in Nashville. I'd not been to The Observatory before, but the vibe of it, it just felt like stumbling into one of the bars on Broadway, because you hear some awesome music, it really had that vibe to it. I really enjoyed your set.

TK: Thank you very much. I mean, it was great to see you in person as well. I mean, like, just what - the week before, we were both at the same show, but we didn't even know.

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615: Yeah, I saw your Instagram post and was like, as if we were both at Sophia’s [Sophia Scott] show and I missed him.

TK: Everyone just looks the same in a dark room, so it's really hard to distinguish someone until you see their stories. That was a great show. But, yeah, it's great to be a part of this community – the people are great. I feel like it's an ever-growing thing; like everyone's always there, so it's just like a big family get together. and it keeps growing and growing, which is great. It's beautiful to see.

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615: That's the thing. Like, speaking of Sophia's show specifically, there must be about a dozen people now that I've seen at the last few of her shows that she's done in the UK. And it's like you say, a community, and you catch up with these people that you don't really see any other time, but then you get together, it's like, oh, let's have a drink and a dance.

TK: That’s it. I was thinking about that show the other day, and I was thinking, from her point of view, I know her a little bit, but I think for her, that must be incredible to be like, I'm in a different country right now, and yet all these people have come out to see me, and to support me and sing back - that must be a great feeling to have.

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615: Absolutely. The last two headline shows, she's sold out, which like you say, considering she's come from all that way, and people are invested and engaged, that's what I love about the country music community; there's something so special about the relationship between country music artists and the fans and just the people in the community in general who just love it.

TK: Yeah, exactly. I think it's the storytelling aspect of it. I think there's a lot of things that people really relate to in the songs, and there's that down to earth community, which I really enjoy. There's no like, ego, there's no like, ‘Oh, I'm better than you, because I'm doing a headline show.’ If you use Sophia as an example again, she got down in the crowd and she's, like, mixing it up and that's what I love about it. It's just great to see people all the time, in good spirit and supportive.

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615: Yeah, and it's a really exciting time for country over here specifically.

Yeah, it is. It is. And, like, First Time Flyers and Kezia Gill are really pushing the British flag right now for UK country, which is fantastic. You’ve got PIP Marsh bringing that whole rock energy as well, which is great, because me and him go way back. We were in the band days like, so that's really cool to see. You know, like Jade Helliwell, it's just great to see so many artists just really pushing it, and they're all getting the recognition that they deserve, which is great to see. It's nice to be a part of that and watch them grow.

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615: And it is such an indication of how far the genre has come, like, the fact that Pip Marsh is being as successful as he when maybe even a few years ago, he might not have gotten the same traction that he's getting now. But the genre is so much bigger and more inviting, more accepting of different sounds and I'm loving it. He and I have spoken a few times about a mutual love of Busted, who are a big inspiration to him and here he is making country music – it’s awesome. And I know you like Busted too, right – I saw you did a cover on Instagram.

TK: I love Busted – they’re one of the reasons why I do music too, it's probably 90% of why I do music.

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615: They’re so good.

TK: Charlie Simpson, I've met a few times. He follows me on TikTok, that's my claim to fame [laughs]. But yeah, he's one of the reasons why I do music, and he also is an inspiration to show that going into a different genre of music - because my band was, like, somewhat successful, and going into a different genre of music, I kind of maybe lost a few fans, which is understandable, because country is not everyone's cup of tea, but people like him and Cassadee Pope just show that it's okay to move to a different genre. I think a lot more people are accepting of that now; it's all a mixture of everything.

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615: Yeah. And I think once you do get people in, like you mentioned Cassadee Pope, her shows now, she'll do country, and then she's gone back to her pop punk sound and her set lists are a fusion of both, but people are just vibing to it regardless, because they're hooked into her. I think it all comes down to really solid songwriting at the end of the day,

TK: Yeah, exactly. And I think, you know, as you said about Charlie Simpson, I think the good thing about his voice and Cassadee's, for example, they're very versatile. It's easy to sit with any genre, and it seems to work, yeah.

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615: You’ve just wrapped the mix for your next single, ‘Mixtape,’ can you speak a little more about that?

TK: It’s a co-write with my good friend, Krystal King, who co-wrote one of my other songs, ‘Who Am I gonna Love’ which I duetted with Kirstie Kraus a couple of years ago. We wrote it in Nashville probably around a year and a half ago at Kirstie’s house; we just got talking about the days when we used to do mix tapes for people. I remember an ex-girlfriend made me a CD and I can still remember certain parts of it in my head because it stuck with me for life. So we were writing and I said why don’t we just write it like, I’ll be your mix tape and make it a love song. It’s a bit of nostalgia and initially it was a bit more of a ballad, but then I got in the studio and thought about making it a bit of an anthem, a bit more country rock and then I sent it to Krystal and she was like, this is ace! So I’ve been experimenting a lot with it and pushing my vocals, so I’m really excited for this because I feel like it really has that professional sound. It has the uplifting summer vibes, it’s the right sort of tempo that I think will work in America and in the UK and Europe as well, so I’m really excited for people to hear it.

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615: Have you got an idea in mind for when you are releasing it?

TK: I’m thinking the first week of May so there’ll be time to build it ready for summer. I’ve gotta do some artwork for it now – I’ve got some ideas in my mind for that. I’m just really excited for it. You know when you do something – whether it’s music or not – and you’re like, I’m actually quite proud of this. I’ve just gotta think of all the concepts for it – it’s got the word boombox in it, so I think I’ve gotta go purchase a boombox now and do the whole holding it in the air thing like the film [laughs].

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615: [laughs] Yeah, really lean into the nostalgia.

TK: Exactly. And then I’ll just sell it on tape, I won’t even put it on streaming sites, I’ll put it on cassette.

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615: Haha, I love it. Only grandmas will be able to play it, but it’ll be a unique marketing ploy [laughs]. In honour of your new song being called ‘Mixtape’ – can you give us your top 5 songs that would make your ultimate mixtape?

TK: Oooh, I would say:

Nate Smith – Perfect

Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway

Busted – Year 3000

Anything by Memphis May Fire, and,

Dolly Parton - 9 to 5

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615: That’s a hell of a mixtape, and we’ll throw your new single in once it’s released too.

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