A YEAR ago, rapper Signal performed one of his biggest shows at Basingstoke Live.

Fast forward 12 months and the Popley rapper, real name Dan Amps, has been working on his craft and grabbing every opportunity put to him with both hands.

With the revamped B Love festival taking place this weekend, Amps will once again step out on to the main stage,but this time the rapper from Basingstoke is in a high-profile spot.

“I have worked incredibly hard with what I have done,” Amps told The Gazette.

“I am constant with my releases and I am incredibly proud and privileged to be in that position, but I feel like I have worked for it.”

He added: “Where they [B Love] has these bigger acts and bigger names across all the stages it has made it feel more exciting and it seems to have a bit more of a buzz around it.

“I am really excited about it and I hope that the people of Basingstoke really get behind the event and I really want to bring something new to my show and give some love to the Basingstoke family.”

In the last year, Signal has been evolving as an artist playing various venues around the south of England.

However, it was a recent experience further afield which has made the rapper focus on what direction he wants his musical to head.

He added: “I’ve just come back Malaga shooting the video for my new single.

“One of my video directors lives out there now, so we went out there for three days, it was strictly work, so didn’t get a chance to enjoy myself much, but some of the views were incredible.

“It was a life experience. It was of those things to tick off the bucket list, so it has got me thinking about other things that I can do and try.”

If jet setting and appearing on the main stage of B Love wasn’t enough, the 27-year-old is getting set to release his latest EP, WBWC (White Boy With Culture).

“With the way the urban music scene is heading it is going for the whole afro swing kind of sound and it just seemed to match the way my music was heading.

“I like to have something

which has a bit more of a hook and a catchy chorus so I can get people signing back to me, and there is where I feel most at home.”

Signal will be performing on the main stage of B Love on Saturday.