ON THE RISE
“Steppin,” by Flow $tro (featuring Skooly), is an ode to the quiet confidence of a beautiful woman. With a smooth beat, a bassline that bounces like a basketball, and wavy, synth-infused vocals, the song’s melodic trap vibes hook the listener from the jump. Flow $tro lets his woman know, I like how you steppin’:
You know how good you look but you don’t never brag
She ain’t got no makeup on, baby girl don’t need a man
Virginia-based artist Flow $trow got the idea for “Steppin” in a spontaneous moment in the studio late one night. He explains, “I heard the beat and just came up with the concept.” This is a track exuding confidence, swagger, and a deep admiration for the beauty of a well-put-together woman. The song captured the attention of Atlanta rapper Skooly, who raps a guest verse on the bridge about “Her body sent from heaven / She the devil.”
Flow $tro says has long admired Skooly. "I really looked up to how he was doing music coming up," he says. The collaboration was put together by his manager, Wave Team, a man he considers "like a big brother, family for sure." No doubt having this support system combined with management helps Flow $tro stay grounded and focused on his art.
Flow $tro has evolved as an artist, both in his style and his creative process. Compared to when he started releasing music in 2021, he now favors a much more improvisational approach in the studio. "Back then, I wrote more of my music ahead of time,” he reveals. “Now I kind of punch in and follow the music." Recording line by line, this method allows him to be more responsive to the beat's energy and create a more fluid sound. “I’m more listening to the beat, trying to find the melodies, then coming up with the words based on what I’m hearing.”
To source beats, Flow $tro works with a talented network of producers. “Steppin” was produced by Yayo and Noisy J, both from North Carolina. Other producers he works with include RK and 88. Sometimes the producers send beats to them. Other times he reaches out to them. These producers complete the wide-ranging team responsible for Flow $tro’s impressive creative output.
Flow $tro is carving his own niche in Virginia and the wider hip hop scene, offering a sound that blends seamlessly between hip-hop and R&B. He describes it as a “melodic sound,” drawing on his diverse musical tastes, drawing inspiration from both old-school legends like The Temptations and Smokey Robinson and contemporary stars like Future and Lil Baby.
In the immediate future, Flow $tro's goals are clear: "Release more content, release more videos, continue dropping music, and hopefully get this sh** to pop off!" He embraces the challenges of being an independent artist through resourcefulness and a level of dedication that simply doesn’t quit.
Fans won't have to wait long for more content. The music video for “Steppin” is out on Valentine's Day, 2025. And he's already planning his next single release for later this year, as well as more visuals and videos on the way.
Stay up to date with Flow $tro on Instagram, X, TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Watch out as Flow $tro continues to "Step" into the spotlight and make his mark on the music world.
ON THE RISE
Blossoms caught up with NME to discuss competing with The Beatles and Johnny Marr for this week’s Number One album. With ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in the running, the band also explained why making things themselves remains such an important part of their work as AI becomes more common.
The Stockport group put out their sixth album last Friday, October 2. By the midweek update, it was sitting at Number Two, between The Beatles’ expanded edition of ‘Rubber Soul’ and Johnny Marr’s latest solo album, ‘The Age Of Everything’.
“It’s mad, to be honest,” singer Tom Ogden said to NME about the chart race. “Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other and Stockport in the middle. If you’d told us this 10 years ago, when we were releasing our debut, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I mean, we’re in good company aren’t we?”
Discussing the stories behind the album, Ogden described ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ as “about being married and all the everyday stuff that comes with it”. He married Katie Donovan, the sister of Blossoms drummer Joe, in 2021. Married life has since given him a new appreciation for what he describes as “the extraordinary ordinary”.
“Saying the wrong thing in an argument, losing your wife’s no claims bonus, crying at the Kardashians, it’s all in there,” he explained. “The album is named after Stockport Town Hall, which everyone round where we live calls the Wedding Cake, and it’s where I got married, so it couldn’t be much closer to home.
“The last album [‘Gary’, 2024] had a song about a stolen fibreglass gorilla, which everyone loved, and that gave us the confidence to bring the same playfulness to this one, just with more personal subject matter this time.”
Alongside tracks that came out of writing sessions with Declan McKenna in a hot tub, the album reflects the band’s desire to stay involved in every part of the creative process.
“It started with the recording,” Ogden explained. “We made the album with Shawn Lee, playing live straight to tape, and once you’ve done it that way you can’t really go and fake everything else. We sat down as a band and picked the colour palette, and everything visual followed from that. We had body scans taken of ourselves and cake toppers of the five of us 3D printed, put them on a real cake and photographed it. I’ve directed and edited the videos, and the sets are all built by hand, no green screen. For the pop-up shop on launch weekend, a local artist hand-painted the album cover for the sign outside.
“It’s more work, but you end up with a world that’s yours, and I think people can tell when a band’s had its hands on everything.”
With AI tools and digital effects becoming increasingly widespread, that approach feels particularly relevant. For Blossoms, though, the motivation is simple: “the fun is in the making”.
“Tape doesn’t let you cheat and neither does a real cake,” Ogden said. “If a set’s a bit wonky, it’s because one of us or our mates built it. I think the more stuff gets generated, the more people want to know a human being actually did it. We’ve been in this band together for over 10 years, five lads from Stockport, and that isn’t something you can ‘prompt’.”
Maya Jama also appeared in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Meet Me In Love’. Her appearance came shortly before the UK launch of Celebrity Traitors, where she took on the role of a traitor alongside a cast that included Richard E Grant and James Acaster.
“She was brilliant,” Ogden recalled of working with Jama. “We’d met her at the MTV EMAs in Manchester a couple of years ago, so we took a chance and sent her a DM …and she said yes. Next thing she’s in a theatre in Cheadle miming my vocals while a load of people dressed as me serenade her. She got the idea straight away and was a proper laugh about it.”
The conversation then turned to whether he thought Jama could take home the win on Celebrity Traitors.
Ogden joked: “As for Traitors, she spent a whole day pretending to sing my song and I almost believed her, so I’d say she’s got every chance.”
Fans can listen to ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ now. In November, Blossoms head out on a UK arena tour with The Royston Club. Tickets and further details are available here.
Before the tour begins, the group is also scheduled to appear on SNL UK on Saturday, October 24.
