Master Shortie setting the standard

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter

Nineteen-year-old Swindon native Master Shortie talks about his genre-splicing debut album, £1 chicken and starring in The Lion King.

Master Shortie's ADHD is out at the end of July

ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder] couldn't be a more apt title for Master Shortie's debut album.

Even sat on a couch - he's keen to get to the Lido, on this, one of the hottest days of the year so far - he's a torrent of fidgety ideas and opinions.

"I named it [ADHD] for numerous reasons," he rattles. "Number one is that I believe it craves a stupid amount of attention - a bit like myself.

"People have a habit of pigeon holeing music and I didn't want someone to pigeon hole my music so I thought I'd put a name on it before anyone else could."

Debut album

We're glad Shortie's eased the problem because it's a tricky LP to pin down otherwise - a bounding mix of rap, hip hop, grime, rock and pop.

Equally young producer Labyrinth was responsible for many of the album's hooks and beats, when they recorded in north London at the beginning of 2009.

Master Shortie is playing UK gigs throughout the summer

"I was there for like four days straight in the same clothes, smelling, sweating, feeling hot and eating £1 chicken and apple crumbles from the 24 hour bagel shop - and that's the result," outlines Shortie. "It sets the standard extremely high."

Energetic he certainly is, but shy, he is not.

"What I'd love for it to do is sell a million and one copies and go to number one and be the biggest album of all time," he boasts.

"But unfortunately in this time, and the music industry now, it probably won't do as well as I would hope for.

"I'd like to take it to a stadium and jet-packs and stuff, but all in good time…"

Theo Kerlin might only be 19 but his journey to this point has already been winding.

"Always entering talent shows and listening to up and coming artists," he recalls of growing up.

He spent a chunk of his teens starring in the stage production of the Disney film The Lion King, in London's West End.

"The Lion King taught me to mature at quite an early age and kind of set in stone exactly what I wanted to do which was music and obviously acting," he admits. "But I'm not the best dancer."

Music thriving

In fact, the success of Shortie's debut single proper Dead End has inadvertently positioned him as part of urban music's new wave of talent alongside Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder and Ironik.

What I'd love for it to do is sell a million and 1 copies and go to number 1 and be the biggest album of all time Theo Kerlin aka Master Shortie

"Talking to these guys they're all very clever, very intelligent and very focussed on what they're doing," he says.

"I've been around the urban music industry for a very long time. Regardless of whether I've been out there or not I've always been behind the scenes working with artists from that background. For the first time I believe we're onto something."

"People used to talk about a fall of black music, and the fact that it never really made it commercial."

"Now looking at the artists that are coming out with their material I understand why because the music is so much stronger. It's a lot more decent and it can relate to more people."

ADHD is released on 27 July