AJ Tracey refuses to let “the pressure of TikTok” force him to put out music he isn’t happy with.
The 30-year-old rapper has released two studio albums, 2019’s self-titled LP and 2021’s ‘Flu Game’, and he wants to ensure his next record is something he can look back on in years to come and feel “proud” of.
Speaking on ‘The Red Carpet Treatment’ podcast by the BRIT Awards with Mastercard, he said: “I’ll be honest, I’m not doing it (keeping the new album under wraps) to be mysterious. I want to take my time and make sure the product is something that I can look back on when I stop doing music and say, I’m proud of that, and I’m happy I put it out like that. Not oh, I felt the pressure of TikTok and the pressure of ‘I need to do this’.”
The ‘Ladbroke Grove’ hitmaker admits he often questions whether he’s doing the right thing by not “complying to the masses and just putting music out every week.”
He said: “I’m a human, of course I worry. But I don’t worry about whether people like the music or not, because I think the music’s good quality. I worry more about if I’m doing the right thing by following my artistry, rather than complying to the masses and just putting music out every week. I know I am doing the right thing but as a human obviously, I still think, oh, maybe I should be doing that.”
Meanwhile, AJ said performing at Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage in 2022 was a “once in a lifetime experience”.
He said: “That’s a once in a lifetime experience. Every time I get certified for a gold record or a platinum record; I’m as excited as the first time it happened, because it’s a blessing. And where we come from, this is not regular. When I was a little kid rapping my little bars behind West Block in Holland Park School, I never thought that I’d be on the Pyramid Stage with a live band. You’ve got to live in the moment, enjoy it and give people your best performance.”
Check out the podcast episode on all platforms or check out the video version on The BRITs’ YouTube channel.