Blu DeTiger Is on Her DeTour De Force

DeTiger picked up a bass at age 7 and has yet to set it down. She began her career in New York City, convincing clubs to let her (at the time, a 17-year-old NYU student) DJ their late-night sets. Bringing her guitar and improvising original bass lines over disco, house and funk records, she soon became a buzzy name in the city club-kid world.

Related | Checking Up on Blu DeTiger

Her now-distinct style blends the disco pop from her days on the dancefloor with a '60s punk-rock grit to produce offbeat rhythmic funk tracks.

But perhaps what cemented DeTiger’s place in the industry the most was support from her peers, gaining over a million TikTok followers during quarantine as she taught young music enthusiasts “Bass 101” in tutorial-style videos. Her fans, many of whom were inspired to pick up the bass themselves, are now known as her “bass army.”

Since her meteoric rise on TikTok, she’s performed on SNL and at Bonnaroo, released an EP and her recent singles — which include collaborations with Biig Piig (“Crash Course”) and Chromeo (“BLUTOOTH” and ”good 4 u”) are evidence of her continued musical evolution.

While she tours the country with her custom mirrored Fender, PAPER goes behind the curtains of her El Ray concert in Los Angeles to get some backstage gossip.

Before the show I went outside to see my name on the marquee. This is a feeling I’ll never get used to.

The bass I’ve been playing on this tour is a Fender custom shop — it’s super lightweight and has a mirror pickguard. I really like how photos of the reflection look. It’s an easy way to check if my makeup is all set too :)

I have been a fan of Chromeo since I was a kid. Me and my brother Rex got to work with them in the studio earlier this year which was a dream come true. We put out two songs together called “BLUTOOTH” and “enough 4 u." Here’s us laughing in the green room before the show. We always have so much fun together.

Pre-show huddle with the band. The minutes before we step on stage can usually be really hectic so before we go on I make sure we take a second to come together and center ourselves. I give a short fun pep talk with our hands in the middle as if we were on a sports team and then we go on!

Classic hair flip. I probably do a minimum of 50 a show.

I love going into the crowd during the shows. It makes me feel more connected to the audience, I can really vibe with them up close.

On stage with my funk brothers Chromeo playing "BLUTOOTH." I brought them up as special guests. It’s so fun to play together and was a special surprise for the audience.

I have a platform stage piece on this tour for some key moments in the show. This is from "Cotton Candy Lemonade."

Sharing a moment with a fan. This is what it’s all about for me.

Feeling the energy from the crowd.

I love the disco balls and lighting setup we have on this tour. Funk and disco are my roots and I wanted to ensure that was displayed throughout the set.

Feels totally surreal to be able to play my music in iconic venues like El Rey. It’s truly an honor and I’m so grateful for everyone who came out to this show and the tour.

Fall 2022 Blu DeTour Dates:

November 29, 2022 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN

November 30, 2022 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.

December 1, 2022 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA

December 3, 2022 - Webster Hall - New York, NY

Photo by Abby Orons