Former Rushmore Primary School pupil Anthony Bunbury tells Emma Bartholomew about signing a deal with Tinie Tempah’s production agency – and showing youngsters hard work does pay off

Two years ago Anthony Bunbury’s GP told warned him that his commitment to making music was effectively “simulating a flight to Australia” every single day.

Anthony, 30, was doing all-night stints sitting in a chair in his studio and was clocking up just two hours’ sleep every single night.

His routine consisted of dropping his daughter off in the morning, teaching music at a school, putting his child to bed, then producing music under the guise of Rxwntree from 7pm to 5am. He was suffering from blood clots in his legs.

Thankfully, not long after, he hooked up with Tinie Tempah.

The rapper promised to sign Anthony up with his creative agency Imhotep – meaning he doesn’t now have to juggle his passion for making music with a day job.

“It was just like the last 15 years of transition and journey and long sleepless nights were paying off,” Anthony told the Gazette.

“I was literally just hanging. I lived off power naps. In the car. At work. Whenever there was an hour I’d have a nap.”

Anthony, 30, signed a three-year publishing deal with Tinie a month ago, and is now working with the likes of Rudimental in a Shoreditch studio. He wants to let children in Hackney know that hard work can really get you where you want.

Anthony, who went to Rushmore Primary School, started learning piano aged 10.

“My parents thought it would be good for me to learn an instrument,” he said. “I wanted to play football and do rugby but I thought: ‘I’ll give it a go’.”

He went on to learn the sax and clarinet, and joined the Centre for Young Musicians in Haggerston at 15. He studied music culture at uni and started writing aged 20, then went on to teach at schools in east London.

“I just like to see people happy and dancing,” he said. “Music always brought loads of emotions out and when I played an instrument people would gather around and dance.”

He still goes back to his east London music college twice a month as a consultant volunteer. He wants to secure Arts Council funding for children in care and from low income backgrounds to get equipment like headphones.

“I go there to inspire them and give them advice,” he said. “I couldn’t let the schoolkids down before but there was literally no spare time. Now I’m in a position where I can help them.”