If you haven’t tapped into Tiana Major9’s songs yet, you’re not only in for a real treat, but a world of musical discovery. A London-based singer-songwriter signed to Motown Records with a soulful sound (think Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan, and Estelle), her big break started with the hit “Collide” from the Queen and Slim soundtrack in 2019. Since then, she has been steadily building a discography of harmonic instrumentals, poems, intricate harmonies, and smooth beats, with subsequent hits like “Same Space?” featuring SiR and “On Read” featuring Lucky Daye. Today, Tiana Major9, now touring with powerhouse icon Jazmine Sullivan, has released a four-song EP, Fool Me Once, that’s sure to make anyone a fan.
Born Tiana Thomas-Ambersley, the artist was raised in an East London-Jamaican household and is both musically inclined and educated. (She tells us she’s wanted to pursue music since she was five years old.) We couldn’t help but be inspired by how sincerely the 26-year -old has been following her dreams all her life “with no plan B”—and who wouldn’t believe in the method, as life constantly affirms her goals and talent? (See her current tour dates with one of her role models). With her artistry influenced by a life of singing solos in church, and listening to reggae and jazz at home, Tiana has created a sound familiar to lovers of R&B, yet totally unique in its expression. We caught up with the fashionable artist while on tour in her Houston, Texas hotel room via Zoom. She’d just spent the last few days shooting back-to-back videos for Fool Me Once, but was all made-up with auburn box braids, bright-gradient eye makeup, and a white asymmetrical top. Fool Me Once matches her in its bold sound, fun and funky beats, and intricate instrumentals.
Below, Tiana spoke with ELLE.com about her journey to stardom, her current tour, embracing bolder concepts in her new EP, and when we can expect her album.
Let’s talk about the EP. It was wonderful. How long did it take to make it?
Well, I’ve been working on it for about a year. So I’ve been working on my album for just over a year now and the songs from the EP have come from that process of me working on my album. But “Try Peace” is a brand new one that came out of a random session that I had a couple weeks ago. So [there’s] some older songs to me and some fresh new songs.
What was the backstory behind “Try Peace”? Is there anyone who inspired the song?
“Try Peace” is basically just about realizing that maybe the things that you’re doing in relationships [are] the reason[s] why it’s not working out for you. We all have experiences with exes and people in relationships and we can always blame them. But I think this one’s just about accountability and just basically saying like, “Maybe I should try peace this time. Maybe I should try it your way because you seem very peaceful and you love me in a way that is very new and fresh. So maybe I should do it your way.” … My girlfriend, she’s very lovely to me. She definitely is my muse for [the song].
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Did it just come off the top of your head in the studio? What did that writing process look like?
Well, I had a conversation with the producer that I was working with. His name is PRGRSHN. I work with him on almost everything, 95 percent of my songs. And we were just having a conversation about a conversation he had recently and he was basically just bringing up this whole scenario. And I was like, “You know what? Sometimes it’s been me that’s been the toxic one in the relationship.” Or “I’ve had toxic moments where it feels like it could have been so much easier if I didn’t respond that way.” Do you know what I mean? Stuff like that. So we were just … going back and forth on ideas and how that relates to me.
What about ”On God”? I think that’s one of my favorites in terms of the hook: “I love you, baby. That’s on God.” Is that a saying you hear a lot and you’re just like, “You know what? I’m about to put this in the song.”
I was here. I was in America a lot and I was working with artists, some of which were from the South. And we’d just be hanging, just writing music. And they’ll just be saying, “On God, on God.” I was like, “Oh, that’s nice. That’s really nice.” It’s really sweet, it’s very pleasant. So I was just like, oh yeah, I might as well write a song about it because I’ve been saying it a lot recently and I’ve been hearing it a lot.
And the song with Smino was really cool. How did you guys meet? What went into that?
So me and Smino, we had a session for the first time. We’ve never met in real life until that day. We just got in a session with a producer that he works with all the time called Phoelix, who was really lovely and he’s super talented. We just got in the room, just caught a vibe and then wrote our parts, went in the booth, came out, listened back to the song. And it was just a very good, easy, natural session.
I came out of that session with half of the song, which at the time I felt like, “Oh God, I really need to finish this song.” Which I did. But some weeks went by and then I came back to the U.K. and I did a writing camp for my project’s album. And I was just like, “I have this song that I really like, Smino and I think we should finish it.” I don’t know if I want to do a sung verse or not, or just an instrumental part. And I was like, “You know what? Actually, let me just put some bars. Let me rap.” So PRGRSHN, [said] “Okay, cool. I’m going to create another section.” And yeah, that’s how it went.
I saw that some artists who inspire you are Lauryn Hill, Marsha Ambrosius, Jazmine Sullivan. But, is there anyone else inspiring you right now and who you might want to work with later?
I love FKA Twigs. I think her visuals are just so… She’s just next level. She makes it look so easy. It’s very inspiring being on this tour with Jazmine Sullivan. Those that know me know I love Jazmine Sullivan, so to be on this tour is just another level of confirmation and I feel like it’s a big affirmation that I’m doing well.
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Definitely. Do you have a certain memory from when you were younger where you’re just like, “Okay, I’m going to sing for a living. This is my dream”? When was that?
I think I was very young. I’ve always wanted to sing. This has always been something I’ve been working towards. I’ve never had a “plan B” or anything else that I wanted to do. I mean, I’ve had other interests and I still do, but music has always been the thing that I wanted to do from five years old. I’ve had part-time jobs and worked in retail and stuff, but I’ve always worked there so that I can have money to buy clothes for my shows.
Has growing up in church influenced how you sing now, the rhythm or the soul or whatever it goes into it?
I think it definitely just influences the core choices that I make, melody choices I make. I think even just down to the way I write as well … just phrasing, vocal production definitely. Everything, yeah.
Sometimes you incorporate Jamaican phrases and accents into your music. And I wanted to know, is that instinctual or is it just like, “Do I need to add something to it?”
[I] just do it because it’s me, it’s who I am. It’s part of me, it’s things that I say on the regular. So I [have] always tried to write from an honest place and a place I feel deep down.
So now that the EP is out, when should we expect an album?
I don’t have a date, so I don’t know. But soon. We’re almost finished. I’m happy with the songs. We just need to choose them and just do videos and all the other things around it. But hopefully very soon.
Are you making it right now, along with the tour?
Well, right literally a couple days before I went on tour, I shot the video for “2 Seater” and “Try Peace,” which was a very tight squeeze. So with the album, I just need to take my time. I really take my time and just work on my visuals. Most likely after the tour because I got a lot going on.
Going back to “Collide,” the song you did for Queen & Slim, what was that process like, and when did you know it was a hit?
I think when I read the script, when I realized how serious it was, it was my first big opportunity after getting signed. I had the opportunity to read the script beforehand and was like, “Oh, this is dope. This is really nice.” And it’s going to be big. It’s Black people and it’s really touching on topics that we’re currently living through right now. So, I said, “Let’s go, let’s do it.”
Did you feel like it all happened at once or do you feel like, “I’ve been working towards this and it’s a natural progression?”
I think both. I think it’s very natural for us as creatives to just think that it is happening just overnight. But I’ve been working my whole life to get to this point. So I would say both. Sometimes it does feel like, “Oh wow! This stuff is happening very quickly and just overnight.” But in the grand scheme of things, I’ve actually worked very hard to get to this point.
Are there any other genres that you want to experiment with, rapping or anything like that?
Yeah, so many! I want to get more into Latin music. I want to do more Reggae, Afrobeats–dibbling and dabbling in country music, everything.
What’s your favorite song so far on Fool Me Once?
“Try Peace.” I love to sing so any opportunity I get to really just be in my feelings and sing like that … it’s going to be the one for me.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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