When she was seven years old, sibling rivalry spurred Blu DeTiger to get a bass so she could play along with her brother on his new drum kit. After honing her skills for several years at School of Rock, taking lessons, and playing in high-school bands, she also became a DJ on the New York electronic dance music (EDM) scene, setting herself apart by plugging in her bass to jam along.
In 2017, DeTiger (whose father, Jonny, is a renowned fine artist/sculptor) began releasing original music, using social media to spread the word about her funky, bass-driven songs that fit a wave of disco-influenced pop. Emblematic of the music business in the 21st century, her following (including 1.4 million on TikTok) garnered attention from Fender, which recently launched a signature Jazz Bass that sets a precedent while bringing an array of cool elements.
You got into playing an instrument because your older brother, Rex, started playing drums when he was 10. How did you land on bass?
I wanted to try playing something and there are always a lot of people playing guitar, so I wanted to be different. I tried bass and fell in love with it.
What was your first?
A short-scale Gretsch, which was really cool. From there, I got a Fender Mustang, then a reissue Precision and a Rickenbacker. I did the rounds before I landed on the Jazz Bass as my go-to.
What sort of music were you into when you started playing?
Classic rock like Zeppelin, the Beatles, and Rolling Stones. From there I got into Bowie. Growing up in New York, I was always around cool music and that energy.
How did you learn?
I’d play along to songs. At School of Rock, I’d take lessons and they’d have showcases at the end of every term – tribute shows. The first one I did was Rolling Stones and my band learned “Under My Thumb.” That’s where I got my start performing, which was a really good experience.
Did bass come easy to you?
It did not (laughs). I wasn’t naturally gifted; I had to really put in the work the first few years. Being so young and the bass being a giant, heavy instrument, the physicality of it took a while to get down. My hands were small and I had to build muscle memory. That took a while, as did training my ear.
How long did you do School of Rock?
Until I was 13 or 14. After that, I got into jazz; high-school jazz band started my journey into improvisation and music theory. In summers, I did jazz camps.
Do you have bass heroes in the jazz genre?
I was into the music, but I never really got into jazz bassists because it was a lot of upright players and I wasn’t as into it. But I would transcribe saxophone, trumpet, and horn solos from popular records – a lot of Myles Davis stuff. When you’re playing solos from those instruments, it opens up a whole new world because trumpet and sax players have to breathe between phrases, and that taught me how to leave space in a part or solo.
What led to your focus on playing funk-style?
I started getting into the music; I did Victor Wooten’s bass camp at Berkeley, and I did Grammy Camp. By then, I was fully focused on getting better. That’s when I started learning to slap.
Were there slap parts that you dug into to learn?
“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” was a big one, and “Hair” – I was in awe of all of Larry Graham’s stuff. I remember thinking, “That’s the coolest sound a bass can make!” “Glide,” by a band called Pleasure, has an insane bass line.
Which other players have influenced you most?
I was really into all of Marcus Miller’s stuff. Still am. I’ve always thought Grover Washington’s playing was amazing, and I was really into Victor Wooten. Once I started getting into funk, I fell in love with the genre.
Did funk lead you to disco bass parts from the ’70s?
Oh my God – some the best bass lines ever! Bernard Edwards is my favorite of all time – all those Chic bass lines are incredibly well-crafted; the feel and the groove is just… you can’t program that. My practice routine was sometimes picking a few disco songs and trying to copy the groove as close as I possibly could, which is so hard because it’s not perfectly on the grid, which is the whole point – it’s about the feel, and it’s so hard to cop. But that’s how you get better. I put a lot of what I learned from that into my own style, my own vibe.
In high school, you started getting gigs as a DJ. How did that happen?
Yeah, on the cusp of the EDM craze, one of Rex’s friends was throwing a bunch of parties in New York and the guy told me, “You have to meet my friend. He’s teaching people how to DJ. It’s gonna be a big thing and you should learn.” I thought, “You know what? That sounds really sick.” I grew up hearing house music and stuff my parents played, and my dad had turntables at home. So, I got into it and started getting gigs. I’d bring my bass so I could play over songs.
That’s not a common avenue for an accomplished player.
No, but for me it was a breakthrough, because prior to that I was getting hired to play bass in other peoples’ bands, touring in other groups, and doing one-off gigs in New York – work-for-hire stuff along with studio stuff. But the DJ thing was the first time I was doing something as my own person. It was me coming to terms with the fact that I wanted to be an artist and had something to say. I loved the feeling of controlling the room.
Did it help hone your front-person skills?
Definitely. I learned a lot from that, including way more about music. When you’re DJ’ing four nights a week, you’ve got to know every hit from every genre and every decade – what gets people on the dance floor and what gets people off the floor for the end of the night. From the bass-playing aspect, that’s where my ear got really good, because oftentimes I was doing it on the fly. I’d play over songs and improvise, which means really hearing what’s happening in a song.
Beyond that, it was great for connecting with people. I met producers who helped me make my own music. I was building an audience of people who would come to my sets because of the songs I played, and they liked the bass thing I was adding. It was a pivotal time.
Would you monkey with mixes – remove bass tracks?
No, but on some songs I would EQ bass out a little bit. On others, I’d just play higher on the neck so I didn’t muddy-up anything, maybe do a harmony. Or, I’d slap, because that’s mostly higher frequencies that wouldn’t interfere. Sometimes I’d just double the line.
When did you start writing?
Once I was in band settings. I had a band in high school and we’d write songs together in the room. I didn’t start writing my own until I was 18 or 19, when I was recording and singing. I never really got into singing, but I realized that if I wanted to put out my own music, I’d need to sing.
Were you at New York University at the time?
It was my last year of high school and first year at NYU. I wrote a lot of bad songs (laughs), but I was working with producers and as I got better at [music production/performance software] Ableton, I started making my own DJ edits.
Sounds like you were busy.
I was super-busy – heavily ingrained in the nightlife scene. I knew a lot of people at Tisch School for the Arts and the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. I only went there for a year, but I got to know a lot of people. I was DJ’ing most nights.
How do songs pop into to your brain?
It depends. It has changed over time, but usually starts with a drum and bass groove, or it’ll occur to me that I want to make something in a particular vein – a certain tempo and feel. I’d hear a bass line and drums, add chords and melodies, then lyrics last.
These days, I’m trying to switch it up. Now, I do titles first and think, “Okay, how can I make a song that fits this?” I don’t have a routine because that’d feel like I could fall into the same sort of song every time.
You’re coming up with ways to challenge yourself.
Definitely. And that’s important as a songwriter.
What was your first Jazz Bass?
My first was Mexican-made one I got new for 600 bucks when I started getting into slap playing. At the time, I had a Rickenbacker that I loved, but the frets were wearing.
And your second Jazz came because of your presence on social media?
Yeah, when I was 17, Fender reached out and said they wanted to send me a bass. That was a big moment – I was freaking out (laughs). They sent an American Elite that I still play a lot because it’s one of my favorites. It was my first bass that was active and I’ve really liked those electronics from the first time I played it.
How did you decide on the neck shape for the signature model?
I did a lot of research and had help from Jerry Barnes, who plays for Nile Rogers and Chic. He has a huge collection of vintage basses – different styles including a lot of Fenders and other brands. I went to his studio and tried a bunch until I was like, “Okay, this neck shape is what I like the best.” The signature model is more based on a Custom Shop Jazz we did a few years ago with the same finish.
Was it chambered?
No, but when we started to design the signature, I was like, “Okay, what are the most important things to me?” One was weight because I was going to be playing it live, and that’s something Fender was missing in the market.
What inspired the finish?
Aesthetically, I wanted something that fit my brand and my vibe. The blue sparkle came from wanting something that was different and unique. I like instruments that can stand alone as a piece of art – things that are beautiful to look at. And because performing is my favorite thing in the world, I like instruments that stand out onstage. My name being Blu, I had to have blue (chuckles), and we did a bunch of color swatches for the sparkles to make it right; the first iteration was too sparkly, so we went back.
Where did you get the idea for the mirrored pickguard?
That comes from Nile Rogers’ signature Strat, which I always thought was really cool. But also, my really good friends in Chromeo have these chrome-covered guitars and basses they use onstage, and when the lights and lasers hit them, it’s such a cool thing.
Was the matching headstock your idea?
It was. That was on my Custom Shop bass, too, and I really liked it.
How about those cream-colored pickups?
I just really like that look – it’s more-vintage.
What were you going for tone-wise?
I love the Bernard Edwards late-’70s funk sound. We discussed ways to get that, and they thought it could be cool to try the humbucker and active preamp, to keep it from losing midrange or low-end because of the chambering. When they sent the first prototype, I loved it. We made a few tweaks to the bridge and some other things, aesthetically, and with the second prototype I was like, “This is perfect! It’s getting every sound I want.”
What do you say to fans who ask how they can become better bass players?
My biggest advice for anyone wanting to get better is to learn songs that you love. For me it was Chic’s “Good Times” and “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen (with Freddie Washington on bass). “Do I Do?” by Stevie Wonder (Nathan Watts) is a really good one. Prince songs; I got really into “Lady Cab Driver” and others.
To read our review of Fender’s Blue DeTiger X Player Plus Jazz Bass, grab the December ’24 issue from the VG store.
