The Hitmaker Series: KTmelodies On The Winding Road To Stardom

KTmelodies is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and rapper influenced by electronic artists like David Guetta, Disclosure, and Kaytranada. Having crafted some impressive early releases that blend genres, his single "Pack Up Ya Bags" gained significant attention, resonating with listeners and amassing millions of streams by arriving just in time for summer. By incorporating EDM and house elements in experimental ways, KTmelodies has creatively expressed himself over the years, honing his skills and producing soulful reinterpretations of nostalgic R&B tracks. Blending guitars, synths, piano keys and more, he also incorporates influences of Afrobeats, house, funk and alternative genres in his music, never fully being under one label as an artist.

Originally hailing from South London, KT is now based in California, where he is on a basketball scholarship at university. Having been deeply passionate about music since childhood, he draws on experiences from both sides of the Atlantic to develop his hybrid sound. As he delves further into house and indie music, taking inspiration from Bloc Party in his recent tracks and experimenting with lyrics, KTmelodies is on the path to becoming a highly sought-after producer and musician in the experimental-house space.

You’ve been rising rapidly in the game right now as a producer and musician. What are some of your early influences that got you into producing and when did the shift happen for you to become a musician on your own terms.

I feel like my early influences stem from David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Avicii and sometimes even Skrillex. I feel like those guys influenced me in terms of programming but in terms of the music I really liked growing up, I was listening to those guys from around seven or eight years old and that was just the norm for me. That definitely got me into producing and the shift happened when I realised that I could create my own sounds. I’ve been producing as early as 11. I didn’t realise because I was on different platforms such as Mixcraft and I would use that to make fun little projects and nothing really serious. I shifted to being a musician on my own terms more so when I used the knowledge that I grasped from playing in the choir, and I used all of those little bits and pieces to create my own sound. Also, nobody really wanted to rap on my beats. [laughs]

Your influences are quite interesting as I bet you might have stood out listening to EDM and house music. Did you discover this genre of music naturally?

I think for me, a core memory was when I saw the ‘We Found Love’ music video with Calvin Harris and Rihanna for the first time and I was mesmerised. I’d never heard a song like that before from the rises to the synths, to the repetitive chords for the chorus. I was just amazed, and it really piqued my interest into house music and hearing different forms of it. As a child that really inspired me to be comfortable in that space. However, obviously growing up in Southeast London as a black male, you wouldn’t typically expect that to be someone’s go-to genre of music so there was definitely some backlash for that which made me feel less comfortable expressing myself.

Since you’ve been making music for a while, what are some of the biggest differences you see in yourself now in 2025 compared to when you released your first track.

I think one of the biggest differences is definitely the maturity of my sound and also mainly I would say finding my sound. It took me a while to lean into the main genre of music that I'm producing because like I said, it was something that was definitely difficult to shift into and letting people know that that was the type of music that I listened to. Now, even when I started producing, I hid behind it a little bit. I didn't want to fully express that that was the type of music that I was really interested in producing. I think that a core memory for me was finding Kaytranada's music for the first time and seeing that that kind of music can be represented behind a black male figure. And seeing that, I took inspiration from it, and I said, "You know what? I'm gonna lean into this and just be proud of what I produce and what I create," because at the end of the day, good music is good music. I feel like that is the biggest difference. Finding my sound and also leaning into not really caring what people might think about someone who's making that type of music.

We really like how you’ve flipped some classic R&B tracks such as Amerie’s ‘One Thing’ and ‘Beautiful’ by Snoop Dogg which was produced by Pharrell. Why latch onto nostalgia here for some of your flips?

I think mainly there's so much nostalgia in music that came before us. I think a wide majority of the music that is created today is somewhat influenced by music that came before us. I think anybody could name their favourite artist and also see similarities in music from a few decades ago or maybe even, maybe even longer. I think that the nostalgia is honestly just paying homage to those that were before. And I think that it creates a very euphoric feeling in terms of how it makes somebody feel because it's safe to say that there was a lot more feeling in music 30 years ago, 40 years ago because I think people made music about things that they were actually really going through. Not to say that they don't do that now, but I think more so that was the norm back then. And so also, there's so much more emotion on the instrument side of things. And so, producers were able to more so convey how they felt through the music that they were playing even if they had no vocal elements in that production of the song. And so, I tried to recreate this in my own way, and I think it brings forth a really nostalgic feeling when you combine those old school samples with the style that I'm going for right now.

Going back and touching on how you said that you remembered listening to Kaytranada for the first time and that was such a core memory for you, that was one of the things that I noticed with just some of your tracks. They breathe this jersey club, Brazilian baile funk, house, chopped vocal loops and bass lines taking like a centre stage. Considering you were born and raised in London and now you live in LA, do you think that has changed the type of music that you're making? And are there any sounds that you prefer to include? Or would you say that you're still very much focusing on the core of what you wanted to produce from the beginning?

I think I am very much focusing on the core of what I wanted to produce. I think me being away from the place that I grew up in, I felt like in earlier days, I was away from more criticism and judgment. And so, that gave me the ability to express more in terms of type of music that I was creating. I think the stigma of somebody listening to house music or EDM music at that stage around 2015 or 2014, I think that wasn't exactly the norm in Southeast London at the time, especially growing up in those areas, I think you'd probably be looked at a little funny. So, moving to LA, I think really allowed me to feel more comfortable expressing that type of music that I wanted to create for myself.

With the beginning of 2025, you started to release tracks with your own lyrics. ‘summer like this’ takes more of an indie direction and that feeds a little into the EP ‘disillusion’ whilst still retaining your original house-style beats. From a technical perspective, are there any sounds or samples that you’re drawn back to when producing?

I think mainly, I try to incorporate elements of my signature synth. It’s a synth that pulsates with a little bit of echo on it and delay. I think that’s definitely a signature sound that I’m always drawn back to. And it doesn’t work for every song, but it’s in a lot of songs. Also, soulful chords. I think that when anything is backed behind such soulful chords, it gives it so much character. And I think you can change the character of a whole song by just adding some chords alongside with the bass that give it a certain feeling and convey a certain message.

Do you prefer to sample flip or do a start from scratch composition?

I actually love both equally. I think that starting from scratch allows you to be more expressive and to convey the feelings that you're trying to bring forth in a more expressive way. For example, when I was producing yesterday, I was able to soak in the elements of the environment that I was in, which was nature and then convey them in my own way. It just gave me inspiration by being in that environment. So, I think that producing from scratch conveys more of my current state of mind. Whereas producing from samples is something that still gives a very nostalgic feeling depending on the sample that's being used.

Your breakout single, ‘Pack Up Your Bags’, is a very hype, summery banger, and you recently did a remix with dBona as well. The dynamic works really, really well here and I feel like as soon as that piano hits, it's a completely different vibe from the original, which I'm pretty sure that you intended for. In terms of the creation of this track, and any other remixes that you might do in the future, do you ever have any sort of rituals that you do before you go in the studio to put yourself in the mood?

I think that truly I don't go to the studio and try and psych myself up. I think my identity is music and, not to sound corny, but whenever I'm in an environment where I can create and express myself, I think I feel better than not being in that environment. So, it definitely comes naturally. I think that I've learned to honestly express my feelings through music. There's been times when I've been going through something or I've had something happen so soon, and the actual first thing I will do is go and put that in like a song. Even if there are no vocals, I just create a beat that that resembles that feeling or that emotion.

So, you'd say your music is very emotionally driven from the jump?

Yeah. My emotional state of mind reflects the music that I'm making. I think for example, and it’s probably a good time to address this but ‘The World Needs You’ was actually a song that I created when I’d found out the news that one of my friends I grew up with had passed. I think just the way that it came about, as it was through suicide, the track was a message to anybody that was going through something or anybody that was just feeling down, not feeling like themselves and just letting people know that it’s important to express to others that they’re needed and that they have a purpose. I feel like the world needs everybody in some sort of way, you know?

I think one of the things about being a musician or producer is that sometimes, people find inspiration from some of the most unlikely places and hardship is one of those things that drives creation a lot of the time, which is kind of unfortunate in a way. Maybe sometimes, others feel like having an outlet is more powerful than just talking to someone about it because you feel like you’re doing something for others. I feel like that’s what you’ve done there.

Yeah, definitely.

Have you ever scrapped a beat and gone back to it and revived it into something amazing?

Yeah, actually. With ‘The World Needs You’. I think that was a piano sample that I created in either 2022 or 2023 and I just got tired of hearing it. It was repetitive and truly, I didn’t know if I was going to use that in 2025 with ‘The World Needs You’ but it gave me quite a cool build up when the beat drops. It’s a track that I never really intended to make but I just put it out there and thought that this was something I needed to do. So, for anyone who sees this, they can listen to it and feel that emotion that I put into it.

Have you ever come across an unlikely source of inspiration that you didn't think would work but turned out to be essential?

Yeah. I think actually in the ‘Someday We'll All Be Free’ flip. I won't say I didn't think it was going to be essential, but it's more so one of those things that gave the track all the more character. That was definitely in that song where I reversed that sample and created something that I never expected. It gave the track most of its character because that’s the body of the track.

Would you be open to collaborating with other vocalists or would you prefer to just keep your work solely around KTmelodies as the main component?

Right now, I think I am definitely focused on getting my sound out there individually. However, I think I'm definitely open to working with other really talented people. I've recently been in the studio with Stormzy and just hearing his vocals and combining that with my signature sounds, that was really cool. I love the process of creating with other people however, for the time being, I’m definitely very much focused on getting my brand and my sound out there solidified so people know what they’re going to be listening to and I’m still working on some flips as well.