London’s number one Latino artist, Lisey Tigra, opens up about her debut album ‘LT’
Lisey Tigra is on the rise with an astounding portfolio of music, fraught with floor pounding bass and a vibey substance. As the creative permeates a variety of spaces, the singer, songwriter, and dancer talks to Stanisland Magazine about her musical journey and creating her own genre.
You describe your genre as ‘rocketon.’ How did this come about?
“I grew up with reggaeton and in my teenage years I became obsessed with rock. Both genres have influenced me and made me want to be a musician, so I think it’s only right that both play a part in my sound. I combined rock and reggaeton to make what I call ‘rocketon’. However, I don’t want to be tied down to just making reggaeton, so really for me, ‘rocketon’ is a representation of bringing together my musical and cultural duality as a British Colombiana.”
Your vocal delivery covers a wide spectrum. Are there styles you’re dying to try?
“I’d love to be able to scream and growl. Honestly, I don’t know if my vocal chords will ever get there, lmao, but I won’t stop trying.”
You incorporate a lot of dance into your work. What came first, movement or music?
“I think music has always inspired me to move. In Colombia, dancing is a big part of our culture; my aunties taught me how to dance salsa and bachata when I was little. However, I’m not a trained dancer, I just move the way the music inspires me to.”
BANDIDA is inspired by early 2000s reggaeton sound. What artists were you listening to at the time?
“I’d watch MTV and HTV (Latinos will know) and they’d always be playing Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and Don Omar’s “Salio El Sol”. Such a core memory for me. I was like 5, watching the baddies in the videos thinking I wanna be like them one day.”
Your debut album, ‘LT’, is releasing soon. What can we expect from it?
“‘LT’ is basically my musical journey of the past two years. It contains lots of different genres because I was experimenting and exploring sonically. It is the journey that led to finding my ‘rocketon’ sound after trying many different things.
But, I decided to put everything out anyways, because I think it’s nice that people can hear everything I tried — they’re still great songs that are a part of me and my journey. There is also a duality within the album. There’s 6 songs that I call ‘Lisey’ songs that are more soft, sweet, and poppy. And another 6 that I call ‘Tigra’ songs, which are heavier, darker, and bold. I won’t tell you which are which, so you can decide for yourself!”
As an independent artist, what challenges did you face in recording and producing it?
“I think the hardest part is just accepting how long of a process it is. Through this journey, I’ve learned to just be patient and trust the process, and to also be resourceful. As an independent artist, budget is always tight, but I think this has made me and my team so much stronger and creative as we always try to find solutions to make things happen regardless.”
Was there anything you discovered about yourself in the process that you’d like to explore more?
“I discovered my calling as an artist is to bring all parts of me into what I do, even if at the beginning it doesn’t make sense. Combining rock and reggaeton didn’t make sense in the beginning, and I even had pushback from my producers. But, I tried it anyway and it worked, so that’s the direction from now on.”
Your music video wardrobe is incredibly varied. Is fashion something you consider as part of your sound?
“It is definitely a big part of my artistry. I do all my own styling and I love expressing myself through fashion. I’m obsessed with anything that projects drama and rockstar vibes.”
What’s something about you that would surprise your fans?
“Let me just take this opportunity to reveal my big 3. Leo sun, Aries moon, Scorpio rising. Scary, I know.”
When ‘LT’ drops, what track do you think we’ll have on repeat?
“I think ‘Cómo te olvido?’ is such an addictive song. It’s the one you just want to play again and again because it just scratches the brain.”
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