Tkandz’s rise doesn’t feel accidental. It feels set in stone. At just 19 years old, the Lagos-born, Essex-raised artist has gone from uploading lo-fi drill songs online to breaking into the UK charts and soundtracking football montages across Europe.

His early songs, like ‘Love and Affection’, wore the self-taught musician’s heart on their sleeve, ukulele strums and pitched-down vocal samples hinting at something: Tkandz’s deft flows, an impactful voice with emotional clarity, a hustler’s ambition and the instinctive understanding of how to make a song memorable. At the age of 16, a breakthrough came with the release of ‘No Sleep’ featuring T’jugga and Shiloh Dynasty, which showed off Tkandz’s late-night introspection over hypnotic airy lo-fi production and hit a million streams in a month – an almost absurd milestone for a teenager posting songs online between school, playing FIFA and studio sessions.

But the true turning point – the moment the industry and the world were forced to pay attention – was ‘Now Or Never’. The single, made on music creation app BandLab and released in September, debuted at Number 41 on the Official UK Singles Chart and shot to Number One on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 [Editor’s note: NME and BandLab are both owned by Caldecott Music Group]. ‘Now Or Never’ is a perfect lo-fi soundscape – powered by distant vocals from Elise Trouw over German beatmaker CXSPER’s skipping 808s and worming bassline. On top, Tkandz writes his story of humble beginnings before going into the nucleus of the song, flipping the focus onto the listeners: “If I can do it, then why can’t you?”

Today, ‘Now Or Never’ sits comfortably at over 50million streams and counting and has been endorsed by global football stars like Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé. Despite an avalanche of new listeners and celebrity co-signs, Tkandz is keeping his sights on the bigger picture. Fame isn’t the endpoint for him – it’s only fuel to keep going. “I’ve always wanted this,” he says. “From young, I knew I wanted to be a superstar.”

When NME catches up with the rising star in mid-November, he’s in Miami, Florida, wearing a deep blue, lightproof jacket that harmoniously matches the clear-blue skies behind him. His energy is calm but confident as he breaks down his music journey, how the hit ‘Now Or Never’ happened, the making of his upcoming debut EP ‘Prodigy’ and why timing – not pressure – drives his rise.

Your music seemed to appear out of nowhere for a lot of people. But what’s the real journey behind the rise?

Tkandz: “I’ve been doing music for over four years now. I’m 19, but I started properly when I was 15. My first record was ‘Love and Affection’ back when I was 15. It was the time during the era where all those vocal-heavy samples over drill beats were going crazy, especially in lockdown. Then I dropped ‘No Sleep’ at 16 and that did a million streams in a month. From there, I locked in. TikTok became my best friend. It was going crazy for me.”

TikTok really changed the way artists break through. How did it feel to navigate that so young?

“As a kid, I always wanted to be a superstar, whether it was music or streaming video games. I just wanted to entertain people. So the attention wasn’t scary; it was something I had actually wanted. It feels nice to be recognised for something good. And TikTok helps people like me who don’t have the money for big marketing. If the song hits at the right time, it can go far. It’s free. You just need the right moment.”

It’s about the art of manifestation, which your hit single ‘Now Or Never’ really puts that out there. You performed it at the Ballers League in front of hundreds of thousands online. Was that your first big show?

“It was my first major show, but not my first show. I’d been doing open mics for ages – Camden Assembly, O2 Academy Islington, even local festivals like Afro Fest in Essex, little open mics. Those shows gave me confidence for my biggest performance yet. Performing in front of 200,000 viewers was mad, but it didn’t feel random. It felt like the moment everything had been leading up to.”

Take us back to the making of ‘Now Or Never’. What was going through your mind when you first heard the beat?

“It was instantly an uplifting vibe. Everyone describes the sample as ‘heavenly’, and that’s exactly how it felt. When I hear a beat I’m feeling, I just start talking on it. Whether it was a ‘hit’ or not, it was something I resonated with. The funny part is how it happened. I was getting my hair re-twisted in the morning, my phone’s buzzing and it’s [producer] CXSPER, and he’s saying, ‘Bro, the sample is going crazy right now, check TikTok.’ I listened once and thought, ‘Oh my gosh’.

“I literally started writing the song on the chair while an auntie was doing my hair. When I finished, I had the hook ready. I told my mum, ‘Let’s make this a moment.’ We went straight to the car and filmed a freestyle. We did five takes, and we used the first one. It wasn’t a race; it was a moment to show what I was doing right then.”

Your mum sounds incredibly supportive. What’s her role in your journey?

“She’s in everything. Not even like behind the scenes, she’s just there. If I need advice about anything, music or not, she’s the one I go to. It helps a lot to have someone who knew you before the music thing. A solid foundation.”

Are there any future projects in the works, is there anything else you can tell us about it?

“I’ve been working on an EP called ‘Prodigy’ for over a year. It has to be more than just a project; it has to be my story. I want people to listen and actually learn who Tkandz is, so that’s the kind of vibe I’m going with. There’ll be upbeat songs, but also songs where you sit in your room and really listen. Raw emotions. As of right now, there’s no guest features. I need people focused on me and what I’m saying, not on big names or co-signs. But production-wise, yeah, CXSPER is definitely on there.”

You and CXSPER seem to have a strong creative chemistry. How did you meet?

“Discord, funnily enough. The reason I’ve been with CXSPER is that everyone else was emailing beats, but he found another way to reach me. I respected that; it made him stand out. We got on a call and just talked about video games, memes and stuff outside music. I don’t like transactional relationships. If I work with someone, we need real energy. CXSPER had it from day one. That’s how ‘Now Or Never’ ended up happening.”

“As a kid, I always wanted to be a superstar. I wanted to entertain people”

Who are you listening to right now? Any current UK artists you’re really vibing with?

“I’m tapped in with EsDeeKid, he’s going crazy. Nemzzz, JB, they deserve their flowers. And obviously, Central Cee, a pioneer in the UK rap scene. But the artists I listen to the most right now? Probably Nemzzz and JB.”

What advice would you give young artists watching your rise?

“Timing is everything. Don’t force anything. Be humble and give 100 per cent to whatever you want to do. If you’re not ready, don’t do it. But when you go for something, go all in. 110 per cent. Now or never, basically.”

Dream tours or collaborations? What’s the ultimate goal?

“My ultimate goal right now would be a Europe tour. I want to hit up Germany, France, Italy, doing meets and greets and connecting with people outside the UK. That’s the big dream right now. Even if I completed my ultimate goal right now, I don’t think I ever fully ‘make it’. As in, there’s always another level, another step. Getting a gold record or going platinum won’t make me feel finished; it’ll just make me hungrier. I’m always in competition with myself. I’m not complacent. I’m taking everything one step at a time.”

Tkandz’s ‘Now Or Never’ is out now via Everything’s Yours Entertainment

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