Your new favourite popstar… TIAAN
TIAAN is an Australian-born, LA-based popstar who is serving some serious jams. The singer has recently popped out her self-titled debut EP, a collection of sensual and intense tracks driven by deep basslines and sparse beats.
Earlier in her career, TIAAN was pushed into cheesy pop territory, and even sang the theme song for Australia’s Next Top Model, but now she’s really found her own crazy(ish) sexy cool groove.
On the eve of her debut UK gig at Popjustice’s Deluxe Edition club night in London tomorrow night (June 18), I called up this rising star to find out.
Tiaan was probably always going to become a singer, to be honest.
“My dad needed a singer in his band so I joined him. He’s always been a singer and a bass player. He grew up in Chicago and he’s worked with, and been lucky enough to play with, some of the greats. I guess it was destined. It’s in my blood. When I played with my dad, he’d do funk, soul and R&B. We’d do old classics and original music that he and I had both written together. A lot of fun stuff.”
Tiaan isn’t afraid of a bit of competition from her fellow female popstars.
“I think it’s great. Competition is good. If there’s no one to compete with, or be compared to, what’s the point? At the end of the day, there’s always space for good music. It doesn’t scare or worry me at all.”
She once wore a gold and brown wig with highlights to sing an Ashanti song at a school assembly.
“It was one of my mum’s wigs. In fact, I’m not sure why she had it. She’s got great hair. All young girls go through that phase of ‘I’ve got straight hair. I want curly hair. I want blue eyes. I want brown eyes’. She had straight hair so I had to have straight hair. The only straight hair I could get my hands on was this wig. I think I had corduroy pants on that were tight and flared at the bottom. How terrible.”
As she loves dressing up, she’d love to be a guest judge Ru Paul’s Drag Race. She even has her drag name locked down.
“Some people pronounce my name wrong all the time – they say it like ‘Tijuana’. I actually think it’d be a hot drag name. [As a drag queen] I’d be really spicy and really over the top. Tijuana.”
She’d love to work with Iggy Azalea…
“I love the whole Aussie thing. I just love the little twang she’s got. I think it’s so cute.”
In fact, she’s a big fan of her fellow Aussies, generally.
“I think Lorde and Gotye have really opened it up for a lot of other Australian artists to be heard. I think it’s really hard for Australians to drift onto the world stage, and it’s an amazing thing that’s happening. I’m so proud. There’s so much music there. It’s a big part of our culture, but I don’t think that a lot of the world knows that. Maybe it’s Australia’s turn now?”
She’s rather excited about playing the Popjustice Deluxe Edition, you know.
“I am seriously excited. You have no idea. It’s my first show in Europe. It’s always been such a big deal for me to perform in London, so I’ m super excited that it’s actually happening.”
Finally, she believes that Madonna should make a trippy hippy album (not really…
“She’s done it all. I feel for her. Maybe she should go and completely surprise everybody with some trippy hippy stuff with a guitar and flowers in her hair… I’m joking. She needs to work with the most epic dance-pop producers that are out now. She just needs to go even harder than on the last one she came out with. I don’t think she should be too different and scare people off.”
Tiaan plays the Popjustice Deluxe Edition at The London Edition tomorrow night (June 18). She’ll be joined by Moko, Conway and Alexa Goddard! You can sign up for free tickets here!