Navigating the music industry is tough, especially when you’re starting from the ground up. TK from Finesse Forever (FF) sat down with us for an interview to share his story. He revealed the hard work, determination, and community that helped him go from being homeless to a respected figure in the UK music scene.

TK reveals his honest thoughts and gives lessons for new artists, managers, and anyone who wants to breakthrough into the music scene.

 

TK’s Early Life: From Athens to South London

TK’s (Real name Toby Egekwu) early life played a big role in shaping who he is today. He faced many problems, but they also made him strong. Let’s look at what helped him create his view of life.

Born in Athens, Raised in South London:

TK wasn’t born in the UK, a fact that surprises some people. He was born in Athens, Greece where his parents used to live and work. His Father studied law in Greece. He and his mother came to the UK just before he turned two. He doesn’t remember a lot about Greece, but he has homely feelings when looking at pictures and visiting.

Homelessness and Finding Support:

TK came to the UK with just his mom whilst his dad stayed in Greece. They moved to South London and stayed with family for a bit. They didn’t have accommodation and were homeless for a while. They would stay with family but were unable to stay for prolonged periods of time. They also had to stay in and frequent bed and breakfasts whilst his mom would juggle multiple jobs. 

Eventually they would find a church with helpful people who let them stay in their spare bedroom. Growing up, TK’s early life involved a lot of movement in South London. 

The Influence of a Christian Upbringing

As TK is Christian and was brought up in a Christian household, he would go to church every Sunday. His church background would eventually shape his path into the music world. Even with struggles, his faith remained a core part of his life.

TK would fall into music through his church where he’d help out with sound engineering, EQ, drums and live sound by setting up mics and running wires.

The Turning Point: Secondary School Studios

The big change happened when his secondary school built a music studio. They had programs like Qbase and others. TK realized he could hone his EQ skills so he can begin rapping as well as  recording himself and others. 

 

Building Finesse Foreva:

TK, SK & JB Made It, formed the independent Finesse Foreva. But, how did their team come together? How did TK develop the skills that’d help him excel in the music industry?.

Getting hands on:

TK didn’t get the grades he wanted in secondary school and ended up doing a media course to get the grades he needed. This was in-part due to getting excluded and missing out on some key lessons. Although he didn’t intend to pick media in college, his mum told him he has to continue education (Nigerian parents for you lol) it ended up paying off for him in the long run.

He continued to follow the bad habits he had in secondary school until his then teacher told him that he would “End up being a bum” (In TK’s words). That’s when he decided to get serious about his course and goals. As he developed his skills his teacher who happened to be a freelance director brought him along with him on paid shoots for the likes of American artists like Pussycat Dolls and big brands such as River Island. TK was amazed about the perks that the creative industry delivers such as paid travel & food, he also noticed that you can wear your own clothes to work instead adhering to a dress code.

 

Building the label:

After building his skills in video and audio production he decided to do music videos using camera’s he’d borrow from his college; In addition he created a studio with JB in a friends bedroom but later had to move to a new location. They would eventually use their Church (which had extra rooms as it used to be a nightclub) before finding their current location.

They would record multiple people in their local area and beyond and would eventually get SK (An old school friend of both TK & JB) onboard with the plan, becoming incorporated officially in 2017.

 

Managing artists:

The Finesse Foreva team would end up managing a plethora of artists such as IQ, Russ Millions and drill duo AM x Skengdo. They would be successful with Russ Million’s as his hit single Gun Lean amassed over 17 million views whilst the remix attained over 28 million views.

AM x Skengdo would also go on crazy runs, managing to sell out Coco, perform at Reading & Leeds festival, completely sell-out their tour dates as well as have a chart topping mixtape titled “2Bunny” which debuted at Number One on the UK charts, surpassing artists such as Stormzy & Jay-Z. However their run was cut premature and momentum reduced due to a gang injunction placed by the Met Police for performing Attempted 1.0 which Police believed “Could insight gang violence” and would lead to a media crusade against them and UK Drill as a genre. This gang injunction made them have to check in with police before releasing and performing music.

The Mainstream media’s crusade against UK Drill:

The news of AM x Skengdo receiving an injunction led to backlash as in 2017 knife crime was rampant with 20 teenagers losing their life that year. TK and SK would defend it against critics in the MSM as well as social commentators such as Zeze Millz.

Despite all the negativity the Drill duo would get support. An anti-censorship event was hosted at the Saatchi Gallery where both musicians would perform at the event. Russian artist Andrei Molodkin also created an art-piece containing Skengdo x AM lyrics for the event criticising censorship. Krept and Konan would even launch a petition asking the police to “stop criminalising drill music”. Skengdo x AM and Krept & Konan were invited by Diane Abbott to address the Houses of Parliament about censorship of drill music.

In our interview with TK, he admits that Drill music can be harmful; however majority of people partaking in reprehensible activities are typically disenfranchised. Opportunities, youth services as well as making goals such as starting a family and home ownership more attainable is the first step to reducing such crimes.

 

Overcoming obstacles in the music industry:

TK mentioned the importance of networking when trying to make it in the music industry as well as fostering real relationships with people. He also advised people aspiring to get into music to not take advantage of others as that can lead to you becoming blackballed from important rooms and opportunities. Lastly he states that blackballing isn’t always your fault and can be due to jealousy and ego however you need to rise above it and not let that destroy your potential!

 

Tips and advice:

TK gave some advice and tips for artists surrounding what type of manager to look and mentions that talent in this day and age now includes marketing and not just your musical ability. He states its important to look for an artist manager who is knowledgeable and hardworking instead of one who’s seemingly connected but unaware of music law, rights and other key information.

He also stated some Pro’s and Con’s of signing to a label.

The cons are:

• You may get less creative freedom and your idea’s may not be taken onboard.
• Your song may not do as well as you expect, doesn’t matter if you’re signed.

The pros are:

• You may get to be behind some great moments.
• Opportunity to explore the world (if you do it right).

Giving back to the community:

As you may know, TK spent majority of his years in Croydon. His proudest moment amongst his many accolades is winning the Pride Of Croydon Award.

 

TK currently hosts FREE sessions and resources to young people looking to get into the music industry. it is called Music Nxt Gen and is supported by Finesse Foreva. It is for 16-25 year old’s. check it out below:

https://www.instagram.com/musicnxtgen/