Final Draft Article for Double-page Spread

Below is the final draft article for the double-page spread. It has been edited to make sure that it's written with technical accuracy, and a few more questions and answers have been added to make the article longer and more interesting. 


Miami-born singer/rapper, K. P., took an interest in R&B/hip-hop music at the age of 11 and began singing/rapping from this age. After gaining many YouTube hits, K. P. started to perform at various nightclubs and was eventually noticed whilst performing at Mynt Lounge at Miami Beach by his favourite artist who he was also inspired by, P. Diddy, and is currently mentored by him and signed to his record label, Bad Boy Records. The new artist in the city gives YOLO an insight into his changed lifestyle…

Q: So P. Diddy was the one who noticed your combined singing and rapping skills. What was your reaction when he first approached you at Mynt Lounge?

K. P.: I was in total shock! I couldn’t come to terms with having my favourite inspirational artist of all time standing right in front of me – the main person who I grew up listening to as a kid. After my performance at the club he pulled me aside and we had a couple of drinks. We then talked about what it would mean to me if I became part of the rap game. I said that it would be the best thing that would ever happen to me in my whole life. I don’t want do it just for myself - I want to do it for my family too; I want to make them proud and thank them for making me who I am today. Next, Diddy said “well you can make that dream turn into reality right now with my help, if you want it that is”. I was completely lost for words; I was totally astonished but was feeling excited at the same time. I think my face must have said it all because then that was the point he actually dropped the question and asked me if I wanted to be signed to his record label. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I literally had to pinch myself (laughs)! I think I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life.

Q: You sure will - moment for life! It’s amazing how dreams can turn into reality when you push yourself to go on. What motivated you to carry on pursuing your dream?   

K. P.: Well, singing and rapping has been something I’ve been doing since the age of 11 and I’ve loved nothing more than doing that. Every day I use to come home from school and write lyrics based on what’s been on my mind and make up my own beats. Writing songs and singing or rapping them has allowed me to express my emotions freely and I’ve always loved doing it. It’s made me an enhanced person mentally so I feel better about myself, and when I felt the ‘free spirit’ when I did sing or rap I knew that this was what I want to do for the rest of my life. I thought that if I want do it for the rest of my life I’ve got to go for it and earn it. And ‘you only live once’ as you say, so there’s no point in living life not doing what you want to do. My family have supported me all the way too and knew that I’ve got some exclusive talent I need to put into action. Without them I wouldn’t be living my dream either. They’ve always been there through the good times and the bad. I truly appreciate everything they’ve done for me and I’ll never forget the people who made my dream possible to achieve. 

Q: True say. You’ve got to do something in life which you enjoy - YOLO! And it’s good to know that you’ve got such a supportive family that you can rely on. Were there times when you felt you weren’t going to succeed?

K. P.: To be honest, yes there were many. I use to get quite a few negative thoughts pass by in my mind but I just had to shut my mind off and listen to my intuition. I wasn’t going to back down. Most of all I thank God for giving me the strength and courage to fulfill my dream because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be living it right now.

Q: So how is life different now being in the spotlight constantly?

K. P.: My life is in the fast lane! It’s flying by so quickly now. I’ve already got my new album, ‘Ecstasy’, out now as well. I’m continuously in the studio though producing records and then part of my career is obviously partying as well, so I have a lot of early mornings and late nights. Even though I miss my sleep (chuckles) I do look forward to waking up and knowing that I’ve got to go to the studio or rehearse for a performance. People think that living this kind of life is easy but it’s not. To be and stay in the game you’ve got to go hard no matter what. 

Q: Why did you decide to call your album ‘Ecstasy’?

K. P.: It just sums up who I am and the kind of life I’m living right now. I’ve learnt through my own experiences that you’ve got to live life to the fullest because things only happen once, so you’ve got to cherish every moment in your life and forget the mistakes you made, but learn from them.

Q: Yeah, that’s what life’s about! Obviously apart from yourself, who else is featured on your debut album?

K. P.: My mentor – P. Diddy - is featured on there. It’s great to have him on one of my tracks, especially on my first album! The track that he’s featured on has an old school vibe which is always good to bring back into the new. I decided to include the old school vibe on that particular track as I’ve always loved his old school tunes – you can just cruise along to them! Also, I’ve got some of the biggest mainstream rappers/singers around featured on the album, such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna. It was awesome working with them!

Q: Sounds good! So which artists are you currently touring with?

K. P.: I’ll leave that as a surprise for when your team come to see me (grins)!

K. P.’s debut album, ‘Ecstasy’, has reached Platinum in music record sales and he is on his album tour in USA at the moment. For details about ticket information go to www.yolomag.com.