Top 60 Tinie Tempah Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “I’m merely a fan of fashion from high end to streetwear, from Nike to Comme des Garcons.”

— Tinie Tempah

2. “My goal, my aim is to be a superstar, but not in a cheesy way. I want to go to America and do what they do. But better!”

— Tinie Tempah

3. “When you look at the Lady Gagas of the world, or the Jay-Zs, or the Black Eyed Peas, these are people who have one album release and it’s a worldwide one.”

— Tinie Tempah

4. “I’m starting to think about my life, thinking about where I’m going to be in three years time: who I’m going to be with, where I’m going to be situated myself.”

— Tinie Tempah

5. “People used to say poems were different to songs but I don’t think they are.”

— Tinie Tempah

6. “I find my dress sense tends to be a bit of a mixture between high fashion and unique vintage pieces with a little bit of street trends. For example, I might find a really nice, suede dinner jacket that I’d wear with a basic plain white shirt and some chinos and a pair of Nike trainers.”

— Tinie Tempah

7. “Nigeria is like everywhere, really: there are some beautiful places that have been invested in and others that haven’t been.”

— Tinie Tempah

8. “At the end of the day, I’m a human being and I just think that’s what it is. Challenging stereotypes by just being who I am.”

— Tinie Tempah

9. “I’m really big on family. I’ll love catching up with my cousins. Everyone’s in their twenties, so they’re all on their grind at the moment, but when we get the time, I’ll fly everybody to Amsterdam or Ibiza, and we can just hang for a week, chill, do nothing.”

— Tinie Tempah

10. “I was well brought up, my parents are still together. I lived in a council estate, but I don’t anymore; I saw my parents buy a nice house and move me to a nice area.”

— Tinie Tempah

11. “I’m so down to earth, I’m bringing gravity back.”

— Tinie Tempah

12. “I don’t want to achieve less than my mum and dad.”

— Tinie Tempah

13. “I’m a big fan of Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million.”

— Tinie Tempah

14. “Every generation that comes from this family has to do better than the last.”

— Tinie Tempah

15. “I can wear a suit, sweatpants, a long tee shirt, and a denim jacket all at the same time.”

— Tinie Tempah

16. “I’m a bit of a mummy’s boy.”

— Tinie Tempah

17. “Music has no race. It appeals to everybody.”

— Tinie Tempah

18. “I work with a trainer called Ruben Tabares. He’s a nutritionist, strength and conditioning coach, and an athlete. So I literally just train like an athlete.”

— Tinie Tempah

19. “Hopefully, young people will see that you can be young and make the sacrifices to follow your dreams.”

— Tinie Tempah

20. “If people are not listening to you as individuals, it’s always good to get together and make a stand for something.”

— Tinie Tempah

21. “This is the kind of fashion I grew up on – a good pair of trainers, great denim – and I will always love high-end streetwear.”

— Tinie Tempah

22. “Playing someone drum ‘n’ bass for the first time in ‘Pass Out’ – they’re like, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’ I’m having a lot of fun and a good time showcasing the music.”

— Tinie Tempah

23. “You have to do a show, an interview, you’ve got to go straight back on the road to another location, make a track and edit things like footage etc. It’s non stop. I really respect the hustle and work rate of Chipmunk, as well as N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder.”

— Tinie Tempah

24. “I’ve definitely done something that’s made my mum and dad forever proud.”

— Tinie Tempah

25. “My mom used to sell fabric and lace when I was younger. She would bring back these elaborate fabrics from Nigeria. I always enjoyed being around it. However, it wasn’t until I started making music that I started taking a vested interest.”

— Tinie Tempah

26. “I feel like I’m indirectly showing people, not that there’s another way, but just that if you really have a dream, you should try and give it a go.”

— Tinie Tempah

27. “If I go to an awards ceremony, I wear a suit, of course I do. I am proud to be there. If there are young kids looking at pictures of me, I want them to feel that they should long for the opportunity to go somewhere really smart and wear a beautiful suit, rather than to reject that.”

— Tinie Tempah

28. “I lived in Peckham for the first 12 years of my life and then my mum and dad decided they really didn’t want to bring up their children there. So they saved up money and bought a house in Plumstead, semi-detached, three bedrooms.”

— Tinie Tempah

29. “I didn’t take it seriously myself at the time, but now all of my old teachers are supportive. Even my principal – I sold out the O2 Arena in London, and he came out to see me, which was really cool. I actually put a picture with him on my Instagram, and I think and he’s wearing one of my snapbacks.”

— Tinie Tempah

30. “I don’t think I’ve had to change anything, really, apart from being more serious and focussed on my drive. One thing I’ve realised is that you get out what you put in and because of that my work rate has increased ten fold.”

— Tinie Tempah

31. “When I got a little older I was obsessed Lil Wayne. But then it was just as many British rappers – Dizzee Rascal I would always listen to.”

— Tinie Tempah

32. “There’s this other girl called Lykke Li from Sweden – I really want to collaborate with her, that’d be great. Obviously Kanye West as well, and Drake would be pretty amazing.”

— Tinie Tempah

33. “As a young guy from south London, I wanted to be able to make myself stand out.”

— Tinie Tempah

34. “I actually remember celebrating National Poetry Day at school; I remember having to write and read a load.”

— Tinie Tempah

35. “I think it’s imperative to have faith or religion, because it’s good to have morals, to be kind to others.”

— Tinie Tempah

36. “At the end of the day, you sign a record deal and you understand where it could go if you had the right song.”

— Tinie Tempah

37. “I really want to work with Adele, I think she’s amazing. Lykke Li as well. I love them both. I’d also like to work with The Script. I met them in Australia and we just got on like a house on fire.”

— Tinie Tempah

38. “I’ve seen how much effort has to go into a tour, the performance and also how to look after yourself, not just physically, but mentally too.”

— Tinie Tempah

39. “Being able to travel the world is pretty cool. There are places that I’ve always wanted to go to but being able to go there as somebody who’s a musician and is recognised as one is cool.”

— Tinie Tempah

40. “I think when you come to Australia you immediately get the sense of fitness and taking care of yourself and being healthy, and it really shows.”

— Tinie Tempah

41. “The way everyone in London is right up against each other makes it very real to you growing up, the fact that people have different lives to you. And that causes problems; of course it does.”

— Tinie Tempah

42. “I was like 14 and decided I wanted to be a rapper, so I needed a hip rapper name. I was with one of my friends in class and literally went through a thesaurus. I saw “temper” and thought, “I like this, but it’s too much.” My friend was like, “What about Tinie for tiny,” and that was that.”

— Tinie Tempah

43. “I watched my parents go from having very basic jobs to educating themselves, to buying a house. They set a really good bar for what they wanted their kids to achieve.”

— Tinie Tempah

44. “I grew up in an eclectic house where people were listening to all types of different music. I also think being educated, eloquent and knowing how to talk for yourself in the industry makes you go a long way.”

— Tinie Tempah

45. “Fashion Week is surprisingly very short. At least the actual runway shows are.”

— Tinie Tempah

46. “Sometimes I would bring some of my music to the school and perform on the playground, and they’d think, “There goes Patrick, trying to entertain everyone as usual.””

— Tinie Tempah

47. “I definitely believe in God.”

— Tinie Tempah

48. “I pray as much as possible.”

— Tinie Tempah

49. “I’m actually going to the gym, working on getting not fatter, just a bit bulkier.”

— Tinie Tempah

50. “I’m into everything. My iPod is very eclectic – if you kept it on shuffle, you’d be amazed. For example, I was forced to grow up on Dolly Parton. My mum was obsessed by her. She bought all this memorabilia for the front room. It’s ridiculous.”

— Tinie Tempah