A chance encounter
Kin Rich was walking through Birmingham City Centre when he heard the sound of a flute being played.
Stopping to find the sound’s source, the musician approached Nathan, a homeless man who was playing the instrument.
Kin approached Nathan, speaking to him and asking to record the melody for his own music.
However, after recording and posting his song online, he had no idea it would go viral.
Speaking to Radio 1 Newsbeat Kin said: “I approached him, we started talking and he told me he loves music.”
He continued: “He said it’s his life – he doesn’t have anything else. He doesn’t have anywhere to stay, but he has music.”
Going viral
Using his phone, Kin recorded Nathan’s flute playing and gave him the only money he had on him at the time.
“I told him I wanted to work with him. The flute is my favourite instrument to put with my beats.”
The young producer took the recordings home, adding a beat and hook before posting part of the track on Instagram.
Overnight, the post received an overwhelmingly positive reaction and has been shared over 50,000 times on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1b57aLgo3L/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
“I woke up the next day to so many likes and views on my post, it was crazy.”
Kin returned to Nathan the next day, playing him their collaborated song.
“He told me he liked how I rearranged it all, he loves it.”
Future collaborations
Determined to make the song a success, Kim is currently working on a music video featuring Nathan playing the flute.
Speaking to Radio 1 Newbeat, he said: “I told him on the day I met him; ‘If this blows up, if I make any money from it, I promise I’ve got you bro. I’ll treat you.’
“We’re definitely going to keep in touch. I love him, we’re always laughing together. I can see me and him performing live.”
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