Meet Hatice Tuzun | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hatice Tuzun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hatice, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
My childhood and my upbringing has inspired me hugely in music. I grew up on a council estate in a place called Lower Belvedere which is in South East London, we didn’t have much it was a 2 bed flat with no garden or much space but I had the freedom to play outside with my friends and experience a real childhood in a neighbourhood with other children experiencing a similar life to me, there was no judgement or slander everyone was equal on our estate. Our community was our family, we all had our own struggles but we would come together if anyone needed anything. I love this because it taught me from an early age that it doesn’t matter how well off you are there’s always love in these situations because I experienced it. Obviously there’s always good and bad and I witnessed many people battling drug addiction, domestic violence, poverty and mental health issues and saw how the government failed them when they asked for help. This is what made me begin to question why are such amazing talented people not giving the time of day to express themselves due to their class?, Why isn’t the government taking the people from lower classes seriously when they are asking for help? Why are we being ignored? Why’s everyone sad, on drugs or committing suicide, these questions need to be answered and this is what I base my music around, creating some sort of awareness of these issues. I’m inspired by day to day life and real life occurrences, I am a conscious rapper so I am inspired by political issues that affect people on a daily basis. I like to delve into the depths of peoples pain and the causes of the pain and then write songs to express this for them, I feel like I am their vessel for change. I find myself jotting down lyrics in my notes app whenever I become inspired because I know somewhere down the line those words will become a successful track.
Every single day I find myself questioning the world we live in and who is in charge of our destiny. What’s a better way to question authority than to write a banger of a drill track aimed at the UK government and the issues they have caused?
I see so much sadness in the world especially in the UK as this is where I am from and spend my days traveling, even sitting on a train and just looking out the window to see peoples bleak expressions inspires me to write songs around control and corruption.

I recently wrote a song about a neighbour’s house as it was clear it was a Bando. Every night I would be awoken by people arguing, smashing beer bottles, noise and police. I wrote a song called ‘’Bando Love’’ which is 100% truth of what I witnessed, a woman and man who were obviously intoxicated and using their home as a crack house, constantly arguing and pretending to be in love all the while they were using drugs and falling more intensely into issues with the police. On one occasion I witnessed the man smash his own window with a tiny bat and someone run off with a bag a mysterious white bag. I obviously incorporated this in to the track and was happy with the way it came out and was portrayed.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am constantly on the go and hate sitting still, I keep my self busy by writing songs and hitting the studio, content creating and collaborating with other artists and businesses.. I love writing music for the outcasts and visionaries of our generation, the rebels who question authority and everything in between. I am mostly making melodic dill, UKG and alternative rap tracks however am versatile and love to jump on any genre. I structure my days well and often wake up early and follow a strict schedule. A normal day looks like waking up in the morning and saying thanks for another day in paradise, make a coffee to wake myself up properly, check emails do some admin, work on some songs and beats, head to the studio, if I have interviews or meetings throughout the day I will attend, any spare time I dedicate it to music or content creating. I am also a big believer in manifestation, I make sure to do my morning mantras before heading out the door.

I am still on my journey as an artist, I didn’t know where to start and felt lost and discouraged at a young age, I was in and out of toxic relationships with friends and lovers which put me into some tough situations which lead me away from my true calling, i was very rebellious and didn’t like taking constructive criticism from anyone, its taken a while for me to control my anger which i have put into my songs. I have extreme anxiety sometimes and this took me a good couple of years to believe in my talent and get up on stage and actually love what I’m doing. Its been long journey but i am getting there, i love it, its all about the journey not the destination.

I want the world to know that it doesn’t matter how old you are you can still succeed, it doesn’t matter what gender you are you can still rap, it doesn’t matter what colour skin you hold you can still shut down stages in various venues, it all comes from your drive and determination, believe in your craft and other people will.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am part of the LGBT community so I would take them to G-A-Y and then Heaven nightclub in Soho. There drag queens, strippers, bright lights, loud music and alcohol, what more could you want?

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Russ- Its all in your head.

This book helped me understand myself as an artist on a more deeper level.

Website: https://linktr.ee/redrum_music

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redrum_music/?hl=en

Facebook: https://linktr.ee/redrum_music

Youtube: https://linktr.ee/redrum_music

Other: https://linktr.ee/redrum_music

Image Credits
Green Photo of me with a microphone and jewellery – @foxton.photos
Photos in yellow coat- @liamlensphotography
Photo in big fluffy green hat- @1upfreestyles