Blu Detiger, a viral TikTok bass-playing prodigy from New York, has made her debut with her new album, ‘How Did We Get Here?‘ The groove may only last for just 18 minutes, but it shows her ability to produce banger after banger, whilst celebrating the beautiful presence of bass.
The 21-year-old has held a bass in her arms from the age of seven, currently inspiring young kids to take up the instrument themselves. Her TikTok account now holds over one million followers, where she showcases her musical talents. Having experience in DJing and playing sets on Instagram live streams during the pandemic, she has decided that this is the right time for her to share a full-length piece of herself.
‘Figure It Out‘ was actually written in 2019, but the right time for her fourth single’s release was on April 17, 2020. It made more sense saying “We’ll figure it out!” while stuck in a pandemic, seeing nothing to look forward to and having no motivation whatsoever. This is a great starter for her album as well – with an uplifting groove, smooth basslines and punchy, bubbly lyricism.
This track immediately blew up on TikTok when she posted a video of herself jamming to it on her bass, and after a while, it received radio play. Alongside, she posted a DIY music video which is just her dancing around a room with the lyrics on the screen. People have been saying that she sounds a lot like Dixie D’Amelio, but they probably haven’t heard any similar artists like 070 Shake, Remi Wolf or Rina Sawayama while scrolling non-stop for hours on TikTok.
The track where her cheekiness and colourful humour comes out most is ‘Vintage.’ Considering herself a vintage girl who loves disco music and wears vintage clothes, she needs a boyfriend to fit her image. She mentions the need for him to know all lyrics to ’Mr Brightside‘ by The Killers on a karaoke night:
“I need a vintage boy for my outfit / Always holds the door but I found him in a mosh pit”
Having a catchy chorus and a euphoric bridge, she creates a full visual experience for her audience. With her style of lyricism and rhymes, there are some parallels with Mac Miller on her track ‘Toast with the Butter.’ Her ability to make songs come to life relies on her talent for delivering her tracks, even coming down to the way she breathes into the microphone. She knows how to perfectly express a story, depicting the way she feels about desiring someone you’ve just met. Having produced this track with her brother, she has stated that this track is very special and personal to her.
Speaking of heavy breathing in music, ‘disco banger but you’re crying in the bathroom‘ is a masterpiece. Taking inspiration from interpretations on Youtube like The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala, but you’re in the bathroom of a party brings a whole different nostalgic feeling for the listener, with its blurring sound effects. Everyone misses gigs and different kinds of social events at the moment and this is like a strong, audiovisual throwback to that. Via Apple Music, Blu says:
“It was really late at night and I was really reminiscing about dancing and clubs. I’m a DJ, and I was just missing it so much during the pandemic. I was listening to all of these songs that I would always have in my DJ set, like “Love Come Down” by Evelyn “Champagne” King, “Forget Me Nots” [Patrice Rushen] and all these classic songs that I would constantly spin.”
If you didn’t laugh out loud after hearing the line “Oh, shit, I think you’re a Gemini” on ‘Night Shade,’ then we cannot be friends. Her relatable sense of humour and Gen-Z mindset is what completes her popstar package. She can go from a dancing queen diva, to a depressed dreamy millennial in seconds. In ‘Cotton Candy Lemonade,’ Blu is crying while vibing at the same time, which is an accurate representation of how people are feeling these days. She shares how poorly she has been coping with the pandemic: that her nights have become days and all her mindset is messed up. Blu’s lyricism is so pure and accurate to her feelings. She knows how to address her inner thoughts and turn them into bangers. She has a rare characteristic where she knows how to make fun of herself in a healthy way, while still staying true to who she is.
Being a whole aesthetic herself, she deserves every achievement which comes her way. With so much innovation and pureness within her, I would put Blu DeTiger next to artists like BENEE, Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Ashnikko and Remi Wolf. A powerful collaboration with girl in red would likely blow someone’s roof off.
