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Photo: Darren Filkins

A busy mind isn’t always obvious from a single glance, but musically, it is very hard to disguise, especially on a mixtape as intricate, diverse, and tightly wound as Jetpack. This London-based artist has his fair share of impressive writing credentials, but this body of work, a byproduct of COVID isolating himself and his process, is a work to behold, wondrous and fun. Wanting to know more about Fletcher, his latest mixtape, and plans for the future, we posed 10 questions to the rising artist. 

Ones To Watch: Who is Barny Fletcher?  

Barny Fletcher: I’m an artist and I paint with words and a microphone. I rap, I sing, I write. I also collect playing cards. 

What is the JETPACK mixtape all about? 

Jetpack is a tape of 10 heaters. I’d be lying if I said there was a deep meaning behind it. I think the energy, the writing, and my voice ties it all together. It was made during a time when there was a lot of uncertainty in my life. The only certainty was that the songs were hot shit.

You weave in and out of several tempos, genres, and emotions inn Jetpack. How did you curate the mixtape?

As an artist, you write a fuck load of songs. Some stick with you, some don’t. I might write 47 songs one month, and by the end of that month, I’ll only like 18 of them. The following month, I’ll find I keep coming back to like 5 of them. Those are the good ones. The ones that stick with you. That’s how I curated Jetpack.

Any collaborations? Who produced the mixtape? 

No collaborations on this tape. I’ve not released any collabs in my career thus far. I guess I’m waiting for the right artist to come along. The tape was produced by Slim Typical, MBWAV, Karma Kid, and Frrantic. Most of the beats were found on YouTube, over the tail end of COVID. I wrote them, acquired the stems, then properly recorded everything down at Rudimental’s studio in Old Street. 

What have you learned since your first releases? How do you feel you’ve evolved?  

It’s a grind. A grind I enjoy, but a grind nonetheless. There’s no correct formula to it. Hmm, what else? Always choose good people over money. These lump sum advances, believe it or not, are finite. Good people who have your best interests at heart are priceless. 

Can we expect more of this style in the future, potentially on an upcoming album? 

‘Album’ is a scary word. I’ll drop an album when I’m ready. Until then, they can be called mixtapes haha. The style will keep developing. The next project veers away from straight-up ‘beats’ and sonically, will feel more live, instrumentally. I’ve already started working on it.  

Besides this excellent mixtape, what else should we be on the lookout for? 

Shows, festivals, clothes, more music. Next year. COVID slowed me down for the longest, but we back. It feels good. Live shows are 50% of why I do this whole music thing at all. I love being on the road. You begin to feel like some sort of traveling preacher, on stage each night converting non-believers into believers.

What's inspiring you right now outside of music? 

Friends and family. My guy Luca Hamers has been growing his brand, and that’s been awesome to see. His clothes are on the rail out in Japan hanging next to Rick and Acronym. Crazy. My brother Oscar Fletcher just started a creative content agency, and they just signed their first contract with a big client. Everyone winning. We love to see it. 

Halloween candy, yes or no? 

Sure. Just not Haribo eggs.

Who are your Ones To Watch? 

I recently ran a session with Odeal at a studio in South East London. His melodies were crazy. He’s killing it right now and has a great team. They’ll go on to do big things no doubt. Uhh lemme see. Willow Kayne is great. Peter Xan is great. Osquello is great. Ray Matix is great. Flossy Ape is great. There’s a whole lot of talent in London right now.