Clocking up millions of streams, Tiggi Hawke is a wordsmith who draws from her own life and experiences. Tiggi tells us about her tremendous career – with much more to come.
Tell us about your background, your upbringing, and your introduction into the world of music.
I started writing music (badly!) when I was about 15 and I never really thought it was something I could make a career out of to be honest! I grew up in a music-loving household, so I loved being in that creative space and found it was a way to get my thoughts out of my head and it became a safe space for me. Fast forward and with a ton of help from amazing people I’ve found myself sticking around for good and I couldn’t be happier.
How did you get into music production, songwriting, and performance? What are some of the highlights and artists you’ve worked with?
I started writing by myself and focussed mainly on lyrics (which is not too dissimilar to what I still do) but now I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredible writers and producers so all the noise in my brain can get translated into songs. If I wasn’t writing music, I’d definitely be holed up somewhere writing poems or something. I don’t know if I can pick a highlight, everyone I’ve worked with has taught me so much for better or worse and I wouldn’t be here without any of those experiences. That said, I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to work with people whose talent blows my mind on a regular basis.
What were some of the barriers you experienced, or still do experience, as a ‘female producer/performer’?
I think that being a woman in the music industry can be very intense, I’m not a producer – it felt like that path was less available to me and it’s something I’m trying to do more and learn more about but the natural path for women is definitely more of a singer/songwriter one. Social media is a literal minefield, I’ve had so many unwanted messages that I’ve lost count and there is always huge emphasis on image on there but I’m fortunate to have a very supportive team which does make a world of difference. I’d bet money though that if you asked any female in this industry if they’d had a moment when they felt a barrier or had a bad experience due to their gender they would almost all say yes, which is such a shame and something that needs to change.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen over recent years in regards to the attitude towards being a songwriter, and a woman in music?
It’s definitely getting better but I can still count the number of times I’ve worked with a female producer on one hand but that is hopefully changing. I know a lot of schools and education centres are making their courses more appealing to everyone. I think a lot of artists and songwriters are speaking up and supporting people around them and calling people out on their behaviour in a good way and helping educate them for the future.
‘Female producers’ are ninjas in the studio, just because they’ve had to work twice as hard to get recognition or be taken seriously = that’s true, right? There are many amazingly talented females in the industry coming through.
There are some CRAZY talented women coming through the industry and forging a path for themselves and others which is incredible to see and witness. I mean yeah, we’re awesome in the studio but also at navigating through the other side of the industry where we also strive to be taken more seriously – it’s one hell of a balance. But I feel that it’s very encouraging to be in the industry right now where there’s a lot of support and a drive for change.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self about being a woman in music… what to expect, the difficulties, the excitements?
Buckle up!! There will been some tough moments but mostly you’ll have an amazing rollercoaster ride! 99% of the people you meet and work with will be amazing, supportive and want to lift you up and as much as you can, choose who you work with, but don’t forget that being a woman doesn’t bar you from looking at the screen to check your own music video (yes it happened).
What can we look forward to hearing from you in the next few months/year from your creativity?
2022 is gonna be a crazy year! There’s so much music being finished up right now and it’s all going to be coming in the next 8 months – I can’t wait!
