Tiggs Da Author Archives | Wonderland

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Wonderland Staff — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 12:54:20 +0000

Look no further; here are the records you need to be listening to.

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Wonderland Staff — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 08:32:10 +0000

Your guide to everything worth listening to.

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Wonderland Staff — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 12:11:48 +0000

Start this blessed four-day week the right way with our pick of the week’s essential new tracks.

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Best of The Next: Tiggs Da Author

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 15:28:47 +0000

The rapper-turned-jazz- singer, ready to shake up the UK live circuit.

Tiggs wears multicoloured top from MINT VINTAGE and hat TIGG’S OWN

Not unknown to a bit of audience apprehension when it comes to him getting on stage, people instantly assume Tiggs Da Author is about to drop some hard-hitting rhymes accompanied by equally blunt beats. But when the music starts, jaws drop. Far from being a rap artist, his music is a blend of old school jazz and soul, which causes even the most wooden spectator to nod their head in appreciation.

“When I first go on stage, people don’t really know what to expect. I can tell that people think I look like a rapper, but by the end of the set they’re loving it. That’s the general reaction anyway,” he says. His sound can be traced back to his childhood in Tanzania, where Tiggs spent eight years soaking up the culture before moving to south London with his mother and sisters. “It was impossible not to be influenced by the culture and music over there. I took it all on board and added it to my sound. It’s mainly jazz music and melody driven tunes,” he observes.

But that’s not to say that MCing and rap haven’t been an integral part of his upbringing. Tiggs saw himself as “just another a MC from south London” in the not so distant past. “I started off with grime and rap because that’s what my friends did,” he explains. “You’re just a bunch
of kids who want to express themselves and writing rhymes was a way to do that. It was simply the environment I was in.” As he grew older, Tiggs sought to further explore his African roots, musically. But it took some time for him to move away from his original sound.

“I brought it in bit by bit. If I would have done it as a straight switch, all of my mates would have thought I was crazy,” Tiggs laughs. “I knew I had it in me, but I just wasn’t confident enough to use it and didn’t think it was cool in the first place. So I decided to stick with MCing until I finished school and hoped that one day I’d get the courage to do it.”

Photography: Francesca Allen

Fashion: Kyanisha Morgan

Make up: Mona Lean using MAC COSMETICS

Hair: Lydia Warhurst using BUMBLE & BUMBLE

Fashion assistant: Denise Rottmann

Words: Leonie Roderick

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New Noise: Tiggs Da Author

Wonderland Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 08:59:32 +0000

We threw an abundance of New Noise questions to one of the most promising new artists of the year, Tiggs Da Author.

Tanzanian born and London raised Tiggs Da Author is a particularly individual proposition for the year ahead.

Influenced by a diverse range of musical genres, from Motown to Grime, the multi-faceted rapper, singer, songwriter is most definitely one of a kind. We can’t get enough of introductory track ‘Georgia‘, so thought it was in everyone’s best interests if we delved a little deeper to find out a bit more about the name that is set to be on everyone’s lips over the course of the coming months.

Tell us about the name… how did that come about?

I got the name “Tigger” when I was at secondary school as I always used to wear bags and hats with the character ‘Tigger’ on them and the name stuck. When I began to write poetry and stories I decided to add the ‘da author’ part. Now i’m Tiggs Da Author.

When did you start making music?

I started making music when I was around 16 thanks to a good friend of mine, DJ Fingers. He was an MC and producer and taught me a great deal about that world.

You grew up with very varied influences; what music artists inspired you the most?

I always used to listen to pirate radio stations when I was at school so was exposed to MC’s and rappers like Dizzee Rascal and So Solid Crew who were my main source of inspiration for a long time. As I grew up my taste in music started to broaden and thats when I became fascinated with East African jazz (kilwa jazz band). I had heard this music on trips back to Tanzania when my uncle would take me to Jazz clubs there. The sounds were so different to anything I had experienced before and it opened my eyes to a new world of music and dance.

We’re loving ‘Georgia’. What’s the concept behind it and how did it come about?

I wanted to talk about a guy who has a new love interest and he can’t help but spoil her. My friend was in this exact predicament with a girl who was obsessed with material possessions. I was intrigued by the situation he found himself in and thats how Georgia came about. The girl wasn’t really called Georgia by the way, but I like that name so went with that.

Moving to London from Tanzania at 8 years old must have taken some adapting. How was it adjusting to the different cultures?

It was hard to adapt as everything was different, from the weather to the way people ate, dressed and talked. The thing I remember I struggled with most was not speaking the language. I thought to myself I’m never going to be able to communicate with these people but it came soon enough. By the time I was in year 6 I could speak English properly.

Is this something that impacted your sound?

It has definitely complimented my sound as my music has the hard hitting drums sounds, Motown chord progression and is heavily driven by melodies, much like an East African Jazz record would be.

You live in South London, which has been getting a lot of attention as the new London music scene. What do you think it is about the Borough that makes it so exciting?

I’m from New Cross in South London and I believe its cultural diversity is what makes it so unique. In New Cross there is an array of different people and characters. Its a mix of Uni students, Drug dealers and users, poor people and rich people.

You’re working on your debut album at the moment, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes I’m currently working on my debut album. Its a concept album that follows one characters journey. He stands as a voice for the people and has issues of his own he has to deal with such as women and money etc. I don’t want to give a huge amount away but the majority of the music is uptempo, melodic, unconventional with a witty lyrical approach.

What does the next year hold for Tiggs Da Author?

Well obviously my album is coming out so just getting my music out there to as many people as possible. I also cannot wait to show people my live set up. I have played a lot of gigs before under different guises but nothing like this. I want to deliver the greatest live show this country has ever seen and I have a number of headline shows coming up in London as well as a few support slots.

Listen to ‘Georgia’ on Spotify.
‘Georgia’ is available on iTunes now.

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