Blu DeTiger.Photo:Lucas Creighton
Lucas Creighton
You’ve probably already seenBlu DeTigerperform, whetheron TikTok, on tour withSabrina Carpenter, alongsideOlivia Rodrigoin her Disney+ concert special or withBleachers onSaturday Night Live. Now, it’s her time to shine.
After a lifetime of playing bass guitar and performing on some of the world’s biggest stages, the 26-year-old musician released her debut album,All I Ever Want Is Everything, via Capitol Records on Friday.
“Can you believe it’s only the first album? It’s just been so long,” DeTiger tells PEOPLE over lunch in New York City of the rhythmically bombastic 14-track project. “You wait, you think it’s never going to come, and now it’s finally here.”
Blu DeTiger.Lucas Creighton
As a child, Blu attended the real-life School of Rock and performed in showcases held at the legendary N.Y.C. music venue CBGB before it closed in 2006. “Having that in my blood is so sick,” she says. “[School of Rock] exposed you to the classics really early on, so I would listen toRolling StonesandThe Beatleswhen I was 7 and 8, and not every kid gets that exposure.”
During her high school years studying jazz at the Dalton School, Blu started playing bass in a band and performed her first professional gigs at venues including Santos Party House and The Bitter End — whereLady Gagafamously got her start. By age 18, Blu was a student at New York University and regularly DJing in nightclubs around the city, performing unique hybrid sets where she’d play bass live over other artists' music.
Part of the work, however, was getting into the clubs underage. “At my first gig ever, they took my fake I.D. I was so upset. I wasn’t drinking, I wasn’t partying. I just wanted to play,” she says, noting that she was luckily able to retrieve it. “On the way out, to the security guard, I was like, ‘Please, please, can I have it back?’ It costs a lot of money, that s—.”
Making a name for herself as a young adult wasn’t always easy. “I probably — definitely — got taken advantage of in terms of money. I’m sure people would be like, ‘Here’s $100,’ when I should have been getting $500,” says Blu. “There’s always sleazy people out there, but I feel like I’m a good judge of character.”
Two years into college, she landed a gig touring with electronic duo The Knocks and dropped out of NYU, since there was no way to balance school and work. “If I ran a music school, if you had a gig I would be like, ‘Go do it,'” she says.
While on tour, Blu started releasing her own music — but she’d become known for her talents on the bass and continued playing alongside other artists. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to say ‘no’ to anything,'” she notes. “Every time I was playing with these people, I was getting fans.”
She played bass on tour withCaroline Polachekin early 2020, during which TikTok was becoming a popular platform for music to reach audiences. Before getting on a plane for a show with Polachek in London, Blu decided to post her first TikTok:a video of her adding bass to Doja Cat’s “Say So.”
“I told Caroline, ‘I think I’m going to just go viral on TikTok,’ and she was like, ‘Yeah, go girl,'” she recalls. “I posted a TikTok before I left for the airport, and then I landed, and I had a million views. I’ll never forget.”
A few more viral TikToks later, Blu’s own single “Figure It Out” had a massive moment on the platform and fully launched her career as an artist. “It was just a perfect storm of all this crazy s—, but it was after years of playing and studying,” she says, grateful to be seen for her talent as a bassist. “I just always wanted respect and recognition of being good on the instrument. I just love bass. It sounds so stupid, but I really connect with it.”
Her wave of TikTok success came during the pandemic, during which she also had the downtime to get LASIK eye surgery. Amid her recovery, Rex checked her social media and realized she had “over a thousand message requests” — including one fromJack Antonoffasking her to participate in his virtual Ally Coalition charity concert.
“[Rex] was fuming, literally, like, ‘Jack Antonoff messaged you, and you could’ve missed this. He was so mad at me, and I was like, ‘Oh, s—. Sorry,'” she recalls.
“He texted me on legit Thursday, like, ‘Hey, are you in the city? We’re playingSNLon Saturday. Can you play with us?’ I was like, “Oh, my God! Of course. For sure,’ and then I did that with literally no rehearsal,” says Blu. “He’s the best, biggest producer and such a good musician. Just being in his orbit is really cool.”
The same year, Rodrigo asked her to play in her Disney+ concert specialDriving Home 2 U. “We were following each other before ‘Drivers License’ even came out,” she says. “She’s the nicest, most professional person. She’s so awesome.”
With a resume that rivals some of the most accomplished musicians in the industry — she also toured with Carpenter in 2023 — Blu began working onAll I Ever Want Is Everythingwith a stacked list of collaborators including Rex,Chappell Roan, Uffie,Justin Tranter, Magdalena Bay and Mallrat.
The album features a mix of ultra-confident, upbeat bangers and more vulnerable tracks — a product of her experiences on and off the road while making its songs. “Every time I go play for people, and it’s sick, I come back and I’m like, ‘I’m f—ing dope. Let’s write the dopest, most poppy s—,'” she explains.
Now that the album’s out in the world, she’s gearing up for a headlining tour and opening for ODESZA at massive “dream” venues like Madison Square Garden.
Many artists would find the prospect of playing arenas on their first album quite overwhelming, but Blu’s come-up as a bassist has allowed her to experience such moments as part of other bands — with less pressure on herself. “I’m less nervous,” she admits. “I know what it’s like. I’ve learned so much from artists on how to navigate that space.”
Ultimately, she’s just excited to further introduce herself to audiences withAll I Ever Want Is Everything. “I just hope people like listening to it, and I just want to experience the fanbase,” says Blu. “But I think just completing the album and having it come out is success in itself.”
source: people.com
