Tiagz: The Interview
Recording artist Tiagz mastered TikTok's algorithm to score a major record deal, with help from Charli D'Amelio and a 1950s jazz classic.
Business Insider’s Dan Whateley recently wrote an article detailing the latest artist to take advantage of the rapidly rising platform TikTok. According to BI, “The Canadian rapper Tiagz (Tiago Garcia-Arenas) has built a career as a music producer by strategically uploading songs to the short-form video app TikTok. Tiagz achieved TikTok fame by writing songs that directly referenced the app's popular memes and trends, effectively gaming its search and content recommendation algorithms. Two years after he started producing music, the 22-year-old artist is now signed by the record label Epic Records and has millions of monthly listeners on streaming apps like Spotify.” The Right Kind Of Brownies caught up with the artist to discuss early beginnings, what made him want to make music, and what’s next for him.
Follow Tiagz on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Spotify.
What's your earliest memory of music?
When I was performing dance and singing to my parents. I was literally performing a whole show when I was 6 to 7 years old.
How musical is your family?
My dad was a drummer, and my mom was a ballet dancer. My mom is also a visual artist.
What do you remember about the first song you made?
I recorded it on the floor holding the microphone with no stand. It felt amazing.
What made you want to make music in the first place?
I felt that artists had way more recognition than dancers. I also needed something more. I didn’t just want to be a dancer.
Who was the first person to call you Tiagz?
My friend called Isaac, who was in my dance crew. He said that it sounds dope.
What was it like creating the song Hitting Up My Phone?
Super fast and different. It hit hard.
How many songs would you say you have in the vault right now?
160 plus songs out. And, in the vault, I’m not sure.
What's next for you?
Take over. Keep walking towards the end goal. It never stops.