If you’ve been on the internet in the past few months, chances are you have had one of NYC Native Blu DeTiger’s bass covers on your screen. DeTiger picked up her first bass guitar at age seven, following in the footsteps of her brother (and now collaborator) Rex, who also played instruments in his youth. DeTiger started playing DJ gigs in New York at the age of seventeen, implementing bass into her sets. Since then, the now 23 year old has toured with acts such as Caroline Polachek and Fletcher and amassed a million followers on the video sharing platform TikTok. DeTiger has posted a multitude of bass covers of popular songs that have gained impressive numbers of views. In an interview with Interview Magazine, Blu said that she was in an airport preparing for a tour and had extra time to kill, so she decided to post her first video on TikTok, thinking “Oh, let me just post a little video, maybe this will be cool.”
Her first to go viral, an interpretation of Doja Cat’s hit “Say So,” currently has over 600 thousand views. Other popular covers DeTiger has uploaded to TikTok include “What They Want” by Russ, “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, and “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani.
However, DeTiger’s talent goes far beyond covers. Her first single, “Figure It Out,” also became a hit online, with the song being used in over 412.6 thousand videos on TikTok, and garnering over 1.8 million views on DeTiger’s official YouTube channel.
“Figure It Out” appears on Blu’s first full project, an EP entitled “How Did We Get Here?” The EP was released on March 5th and has since been streamed multiple million times on Spotify; which is well deserved. This is a seriously impressive project, and each song has outstanding qualities, including DeTiger’s specialty: a catchy bassline, which appears in every track.
The project opens with the aforementioned “Figure It Out,” a catchy tune that definitely has viral quality. It is clear why this track has gained traction online, considering its COVID relatable lyrics and memorable instrumentals. I could say the same about the second track, “Vintage,” a funky sounding ode to New York City and the people you are able to find there. DeTiger describes it as both sarcastic and funny and “very much real.” Next comes “Toast with the Butter,” a fan favorite. This song is to die for, with its cheeky, catchy lyrics and distinct drum/bass combo in the instrumentals.
Track four, “Disco banger but you’re crying in the bathroom”, is surprisingly shorter than its title. Somehow this track is exactly what you would expect, a fun sounding melody that somehow packs a solemn punch. “Night Shade,” which is arguably the highlight of the project, is a memorable track about a short-lived whirlwind romance. Like the other songs on the EP, it contains witty lyrics and of course, a killer bassline. The dreamy “Cotton Candy Lemonade” follows, with its ascendant sound that makes any listener feel like they are suspended in midair. This song also made numbers on TikTok, with around 15 thousand uses of the song in videos. The EP closer, “Kinda Miss You,” shines with its impressive storytelling, considering DeTiger admitted the story lacks validity and was a fictional, hypothetical situation. Somehow, DeTiger managed to make every song beautifully different while also keeping her signature basslines and outstanding lyricism. “How Did We Get Here?” is fun, catchy, and overall stunning. Considering that this is Blu DeTiger’s first project, I am even more awestruck by her pure talent and ability to create momentous music. I’m thrilled that I came across DeTiger and cannot wait to see what other work she will decide to release in the future of a career that I anticipate will be very successful.
