Tiana Thomas who goes by ‘TianaMajor9’ is an 18-year old neo-soul/jazz singer/singer-writer from East London. She can be described as the figurative soul-child of Jazmine Sullivan and D’angelo as her voice has a unique tone reminiscent of the two musicians! Tiana’s first memories of signing root back to the early age of 7 when she remembers being asked to sing in church, and since then, her love for music has continued to develop.
Tiana tells Amor that she draws inspiration from as many places as possible but working closely with her brother Melvin (who is also her guitarist) gives her great insight into music, thus giving her the inspiration to know music as well as he does. On top of this, it is evident in her style that listening to genres such as reggae, neo-soul, new & old skool hip hop and real jazz have had a huge influence on her as a musician.
On the 10th July, she revealed a new song on her YouTube channel called ‘Crazy things’ which was inspired by past experiences. She describes being overwhelmed with ‘feelings [she] can’t hide’ as well as expressing the sentiments that accompany falling in love with someone new: ‘get [ting] shy’ and doing ‘crazy things’. A situation most of us can definitely relate to! ‘Crazy Things’ consists of jazzy scats, a range of soft and strong vocals and beautifully sang bluesy harmonies which showcase her unique style; the romantic lyrics are accompanied by a smoothly played acoustic guitar melody. The latter half of the song consists of a fun, quirky rap verse where she expresses her advocacy for meritocracy acknowledging that ‘hard work is synonymous for pain’. The rap verse is reflective of her bubbly personality as she cheekily combats her audience’s reserves with regards to her age stating that she’s ‘trying to win, [and she’s] not gunna stop or quite’ regardless of people ‘trying to mug her off, her age’ . The verse also includes a swaggy little bit of island patios, revealing to us her Caribbean origins as well as showcasing her diversity.
To conclude therefore, TianaMajor9 is definitely one to watch as she is a breath of fresh air to the music industry bringing with her a style comparable to none. We, at Amor predict great things for the young talent and will be looking out for the rest of her musical journey. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – @TianaMajor9. Follow her for all music updates and general Tiana-ness. Furthermore, all of her music is free to watch on her YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/TianaMajor9 where she uploads once a month.
Upcoming events: Whitecross Street Party on Saturday the 19th of July, The Edit Magazine Launch on the 25th of July. And in October for a black history month event due to be confirmed!
By Kanekwa Nzimba
