Col3trane is an 18-year-old singer, songwriter and rapper from London and his debut mixtape Tsarina introduces us to an artist of real potential. Over ten tracks, Col3trane (real name Cole Basta) shows his versatility, with woozy songs like "Momma Bear," detailed storytelling on "Malibu Sleep," and the multi-part "Penelope," which now has over two millions streams on Spotify.
At times Col3trane sounds like Frank Ocean (which is certainly a compliment), but his own sound emerges on Tsarina, a forward-thinking take on R&B and pop music that draws influence from rap, too. Basta grew up in London to American and Egyptian parents, and although he's only been making music for around three years he explains that there were always guitars and keyboards around his house growing up.
"I started really making music when my mom bought me some speakers for my 16th birthday," he adds. "My stepdad used to work in radio so he had this little shitty radio mic I would use, and I would just record over dolla beats or beats I found on YouTube onto GarageBand."
With plays racking up and buzz building (pop star Dua Lipa is a fan), Col3trane has shared a new video for "Language," a cleverly shot, beautifully lit clip that gives us multiple views of a night in London. "'Language' is just a fun song," Col3trane says. "It’s about having a good time and being around positive vibes. The video was a sick experience as well, I feel like it captures that positive energy of the song perfectly. Had to do a couple mad maneuvers too...like getting up that bell tower. That is really me up there."
Watch the "Language" video now and check out the entire Tsarina mixtape on SoundCloud below or on your preferred streaming platform.
