Speaker 1: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very
Speaker 1: special guest Award Grammy Award nominated songwriter and recording artists
Speaker 1: Tiana Major nine is in the building. How are you.
Speaker 1: I'm will thanks, how are you goody? I love your music,
Speaker 1: thank you, I love all of it.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I love your share.
Speaker 1: Thank you. And so today is very special for me.
Speaker 1: And I mentioned this because out of one hundred, over
Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty episodes, this dish has finally made
Speaker 1: it to the show, and so I was very happy
Speaker 1: when it came across our email. You could go ahead
Speaker 1: and tell our listeners our watches what you're gonna have
Speaker 1: me eating today?
Speaker 2: Okay, so we are going to make corn mill porridge classic,
Speaker 2: a staple and something very close to my heart. And
Speaker 2: obviously you told me it was hot.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, this is if I had to do Eating
Speaker 1: While Broke and I was on the other side, this
Speaker 1: would have been my dish. So yes, and this is
Speaker 1: like I think this is a staple in the Jamaican house.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, this will keep you full for two days straight.
Speaker 1: Yes, And so I grew up on it. Very I
Speaker 1: was very small. I never paid attention, but my mom
Speaker 1: would make it in the kitchen. I just knew how
Speaker 1: to eat it the top to the bottom. But you
Speaker 1: are gonna go ahead and tell us how to make
Speaker 1: it and what the ingredients are.
Speaker 2: Okay, So first we have cornmeal porridge. This is like
Speaker 2: the grains, it's quiet, this is fine. Yes, the fine
Speaker 2: corn sorry, corn mill, yes, no cornride, Yes, this is
Speaker 2: the fine grain corn mill. We have the brown sugar
Speaker 2: hair Bailieve. I've been doing this recently, and like I've
Speaker 2: been posting on my Instagram and showing people like me
Speaker 2: cooking because I love doing that, and a few people
Speaker 2: have been like bay leaf, but I'm sorry the real
Speaker 2: ones though.
Speaker 1: You add a little bit of bay leaf in it
Speaker 1: and you could really taste the difference.
Speaker 2: You can, I personally can, but yeah, bay leaf is great.
Speaker 2: Cinema sticks essential, nutmeg essential. We have some coconut milk.
Speaker 2: It can't be car meal porridge. About this, and then
Speaker 2: content smelk for some extra sweetness and flavor.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, so I'm excited. Okay. And this guy's this
Speaker 1: dish was beyond extremely affordable. So go ahead, tell us
Speaker 1: what how do we make it okay.
Speaker 2: So first I have another bowl here. You're going to
Speaker 2: add the corn meal to this bowl. This is actually
Speaker 2: quite a lot of corn meal. It's just for me
Speaker 2: and you. Yeah, I think I want to.
Speaker 1: Use some of the some of our guests may want
Speaker 1: to try.
Speaker 2: I want to do three of this corn mill. Put
Speaker 2: the cormell on the bowl. He add some water, a
Speaker 2: little bit of water.
Speaker 1: I love your accent. I was secretly hoping you'd have
Speaker 1: like a Jamaican accent, but I was like, it's not
Speaker 1: the UK, the overseas just trumpeding, huh.
Speaker 2: I was born in England, so.
Speaker 1: So your parents didn't have any.
Speaker 2: I mean, my mom has something. She has an accent.
Speaker 2: It's her own like black British Jamaican accent because she's
Speaker 2: like she was first generation, so she has that. My
Speaker 2: dad was born in Jamaica, but he came over to
Speaker 2: England when he was sixteen. But some reason, for some reason,
Speaker 2: he doesn't have a Jamaican accent, which is that's fair.
Speaker 2: He's quite awesome. He's been around a long time. Ye basically,
Speaker 2: I'm just stirring up the porridge with the water, just
Speaker 2: to make sure that there's no lamps I'm going to
Speaker 2: turn this on.
Speaker 1: And here I thought the way to get the no
Speaker 1: lumps was to do it over the stove. You pre
Speaker 1: do it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you add a little bit of water to another
Speaker 2: bar so you can kind of like mix it. I'm
Speaker 2: gonna add more water. Dropped the lid in there. But yeah,
Speaker 2: my dad doesn't have an accent. But we just went
Speaker 2: back to Jamaica and he's he's he was trying to
Speaker 2: bring it back.
Speaker 1: I feel like Jamaica, like my mom was very like
Speaker 1: almost ashamed of her like pats her accent, and so
Speaker 1: she like the only time we hear pastball or Agamaican
Speaker 1: accent is when she's mad, right, then it comes out
Speaker 1: and then you're just scared of death.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I don't know. My dad was telling me
Speaker 2: that when he went to school. When he was going
Speaker 2: to school, he had like he was living with this
Speaker 2: lady and she was like really not encouraging him to
Speaker 2: speak in his accent. So I think he lost it
Speaker 2: when he was even in Jamaica, which it is quite crazy,
Speaker 2: but I don't know. He was bringing it back womens
Speaker 2: on Women's on holiday, So.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you're not able to pick it up me
Speaker 1: I am.
Speaker 2: I feel like I can do it. I just won't
Speaker 2: do it until I'm like super confident in it.
Speaker 1: Until your words super confident. You can't speak pet I can.
Speaker 2: I can understand it, but I just I don't know.
Speaker 2: I just I'm working on it. I'm figuring it all out.
Speaker 1: Okay, yes, So basically, so you're working out the lumps.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I added water to the part and now I'm
Speaker 2: going to kind of pour this corn meal water mixture
Speaker 2: in here whilst stirring.
Speaker 1: And this is low heat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, am I recording this to be recording?
Speaker 1: This is it recording our praise? Recording?
Speaker 2: Is it? Check?
Speaker 1: Is it recording? No?
Speaker 2: Press it? Okay? Oh yes, recording now? Yes, okay, So yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm just stirring, like the cornmeal mixture into the water.
Speaker 2: It's cold water first as well. That ensures that there's
Speaker 2: no lumps in here. I'm gonna keep going because you said.
Speaker 1: Because nobody likes the lumps. Just in case you've ever
Speaker 1: had ports, you do not like the lumps. No, the
Speaker 1: lumps are terrible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I will start it again. But you know, sometimes
Speaker 2: eat my, you just have to figure it out. You
Speaker 2: have to figure it out. But yeah, this is spashing
Speaker 2: a little bit, but you just basically start in. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and then it's basically going to get thicker, and then
Speaker 2: that's when you add all the other stuff. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: really really simple.
Speaker 1: I was going to say, are you going to scrape
Speaker 1: the other stuff in there?
Speaker 2: Yeah, the water is still cold, so it won't. It won't.
Speaker 1: So as long as the water is cold, that's when
Speaker 1: you get the lumps out, not when it's hot.
Speaker 2: Yes, God, it will be harder to get the lumps
Speaker 2: out when it's hot. It would be better to do
Speaker 2: it with a whisk. But yes, it's fine.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you got this. Pretend you're actually eating while broke.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we have limited You weren't independent artists, yes.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, So take me back to what was going
Speaker 1: on during the Cormea Porridge days.
Speaker 2: Oh. I was living with my mom in East Ham.
Speaker 2: I'm from East London, m H. And we were it
Speaker 2: was me, my mom, my sister, and my older brother.
Speaker 2: My dad was in my life, but we didn't live together.
Speaker 2: They weren't together, but yeah, we were. It was just
Speaker 2: the four of us in the house and my mom
Speaker 2: would be working and trying to make do. I'd be
Speaker 2: going to like an after school club because she wouldn't
Speaker 2: be able to come back in time to pick me up,
Speaker 2: so they would just pick me up from school.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: But yeah, we were just funking it out in east Ham,
Speaker 2: East London.
Speaker 1: So single mom essentially, yes, literally three kids, Yeah I had,
Speaker 1: I have.
Speaker 2: I have two older brothers and one sister, so yeah,
Speaker 2: she's had four, four of us. But yeah, there was
Speaker 2: three of us.
Speaker 1: In the house, one boy, two three girls.
Speaker 2: Usaid no two boys twirls yeah, okay perfect?
Speaker 1: And then was there a lot of music in the house?
Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of music my mom. I grew up
Speaker 2: going to church, come to Costal Church Kojik, and my
Speaker 2: mom would always be playing gospel. She'd be in like
Speaker 2: praise and worship. She'd be leading praise and worship. Also
Speaker 2: like a Sunday school teacher as well, so there would.
Speaker 1: Be so you were like a lot of church.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, a lot of church. It was school after
Speaker 2: what was it drama school? And then church. That was
Speaker 2: all I did for a while.
Speaker 1: Wow did she know? When? At what point did she
Speaker 1: or you realize that you had a voice of gold?
Speaker 2: I think around five that's when she started going back
Speaker 2: to church actually, and I just I was just really
Speaker 2: fascinated by music. I really loved music. And she was
Speaker 2: also going to vocal lessons on the side to like
Speaker 2: in the evening she was doing like vocal lessons, she
Speaker 2: would come back and teach me the songs and like
Speaker 2: teach me the stuff that she was learning in those lessons.
Speaker 1: So yeah, around five, Okay, now I know I can't sing. Okay,
Speaker 1: So there's some people like they could humme a knowe,
Speaker 1: and you just know, like God.
Speaker 2: Just blessed you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like you're in the category of the
Speaker 1: God just center voice your way. But it is nice
Speaker 1: to hear that you worked on it. Absolutely absolutely, but
Speaker 1: it does seem very like God given.
Speaker 2: Okay, thank you?
Speaker 1: Am I not wrong?
Speaker 2: I mean I don't think you're wrong. I just I
Speaker 2: think that with anybody, you do need to rehearse. Like
Speaker 2: from when I was younger, if I listened to old
Speaker 2: videos or watch old videos of me singing when I
Speaker 2: was twelve, compared to nowists I can hear the rehearsal,
Speaker 2: I can hear the work. I'm so glad I stuck
Speaker 2: to it.
Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, why was your mom taking these music lessons?
Speaker 1: Does she want to pursue it? Professionally.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I think he was really Mom's really
Speaker 2: into like extracurriculous stuff, like even now she goes to
Speaker 2: like she's joined like a few fitter schools and like
Speaker 2: acting classes and just do stuff on the side. So
Speaker 2: she just likes to just be active. And that was
Speaker 2: something that she did with her sisters as well. They
Speaker 2: all went, so it was like a fun thing. She
Speaker 2: loves to sing, so okay, it was just yeah, it
Speaker 2: wasn't like a full career. I'm sure, yeah, as far
Speaker 2: as I know, but it was, yeah, just to have
Speaker 2: a little something to do in the week.
Speaker 1: Okay, so you're you're in the church, you're singing five
Speaker 1: are you singing further church? At their point or starting?
Speaker 2: I was trying my hardest too. I was really really
Speaker 2: trying my hardest too. I was trying to like befriend
Speaker 2: the pastor's wife, like just like hey, like you tease
Speaker 2: be able to sing, or like, can I sing next week?
Speaker 1: Like just as a young, young, young l Yeah.
Speaker 2: Like I was like just really just trying to sing
Speaker 2: wherever I can. And then I would go to like
Speaker 2: youth conventions and just asks to sing and Christmas time
Speaker 2: and it was like the children would like sing a
Speaker 2: song or showcase talent or whatever. I would always be singing.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, okay. And so you're your mom one hundred
Speaker 1: percent embraced this.
Speaker 2: Part of you, Yes, one hundred she at what point
Speaker 2: she would now I was going to say, she really
Speaker 2: really encouraged it, like she was like my aunties used
Speaker 2: to call her stage mom, which is so funny. She
Speaker 2: was really really trying would be to be a star,
Speaker 2: like she was really trying her hardnest.
Speaker 1: So there was no like, hey, mam, I want to
Speaker 1: pursue this one hundred percent, and she was She was
Speaker 1: like hell.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, she was with it one hundred.
Speaker 1: And then how did your dad feel about this?
Speaker 2: Him too? He was really, there's a few lumps in him,
Speaker 2: so I'm going to take them out.
Speaker 1: He was funny because I I what you're taking out
Speaker 1: these lumps is hilarious.
Speaker 2: Yeah, nah, I'm sorry. We already spoke about having lumps
Speaker 2: in him. Were like, yeah, let me take him out.
Speaker 2: My dad was with it too, He was very encouraging,
Speaker 2: and yeah, I just really really tried to back me
Speaker 2: financially too. I told you that they didn't live together,
Speaker 2: but my dad would try and invest anyway he can,
Speaker 2: like into your music career. Yeah, music and just dance
Speaker 2: and all those other things.
Speaker 1: And your parents get along perfectly fine or.
Speaker 2: Yeah even to this day, like it's I don't understand
Speaker 2: the relationship, but they Yeah.
Speaker 1: Why because they get along so fine.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like it's my dad is still very much like
Speaker 2: part of the family, and like, yeah, they co parent,
Speaker 2: they co parent really really well. It's really inspiring.
Speaker 1: It's nice.
Speaker 2: It's really nice.
Speaker 1: Okay, So who were your inspirations early.
Speaker 2: On, early on Beyonce. Definitely loved Beyonce early early, early,
Speaker 2: early on. Yeah, early on, Brandy, Brandy. My mum also
Speaker 2: loved Brandy, so that was a given. Who else would
Speaker 2: I say? I would say Gabrielle. She's like a uk Difa,
Speaker 2: Jamie La Jamiliar sorry Estelle. So many people, a lot
Speaker 2: of black birds that were like really doing the thing.
Speaker 1: Yeah, your sound is like it reminds me of old
Speaker 1: school R and B, like you know, yeah, it's like classic.
Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't know the right words to
Speaker 1: describe it. But I was jamming with Trevor Okay, we
Speaker 1: were both like, now do you want to hum us
Speaker 1: a little something?
Speaker 2: Let me take you sound. I wonder if oh what
Speaker 2: I have.
Speaker 1: M He said, it sounds beautiful, it sounds it sounds
Speaker 1: God given.
Speaker 2: Thank you. This is getting really thick now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's looking like it's yeah, very thick.
Speaker 2: You want water?
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I'm wondering when you had the coconut milk.
Speaker 2: And actually, you're right, I should do that now because.
Speaker 1: It's starting to look like remember when I don't know
Speaker 1: if your mom used to make these. They're like cornmeal
Speaker 1: porridge and they had the raisins in it and they
Speaker 1: were thick, and I used to hate those things.
Speaker 2: That sounds to make it insane, cornmeal porridge, raisins something.
Speaker 1: It was like it was like this thick. I don't
Speaker 1: know if it was like some kind of I don't know,
Speaker 1: hard to describe, but I wouldn't eat it. That's the
Speaker 1: one dish if someone brought out the show, I'd be like,
Speaker 1: I'm good, okay, Oh you had a lot of coconut
Speaker 1: milk to it.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think sometimes it depends on the day. Sometimes
Speaker 2: I you know, some passion, but you know how I
Speaker 2: started off, Yeah, corn milk and the water. Sometimes I
Speaker 2: do cocon coconut milk, cold milk, and then do it like.
Speaker 1: That, but you know it's gonna taste good.
Speaker 2: Though I'm excited. I don't have this in a few weeks.
Speaker 1: Oh so you eat this on the regular?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just, I just this is a staple and
Speaker 2: it's really easy to make. So yeah, I keep this in.
Speaker 2: I keep calling me on the pantry. Definitely.
Speaker 1: Now take me back to your career. So you're at
Speaker 1: what point in your career do you start to see
Speaker 1: like a little bit of a pickup oh, in your
Speaker 1: pursuit of music career.
Speaker 2: I think I've had a few points. I think the
Speaker 2: most pivotal one was when I was like fourteen years old.
Speaker 2: I entered the competition which was like Newam's Got Talent.
Speaker 2: It's like it's spin off, like a local competition that
Speaker 2: was like based on Britain's Got Talent. And I want it, really,
Speaker 2: I want it, and I want an iPod, which was
Speaker 2: really cute, and I don't know, it just kind of
Speaker 2: solidified that, oh, I could do this and people could
Speaker 2: people see me and people hear me, and I could
Speaker 2: win iPods. So that was a real point in my
Speaker 2: turning point in my career and my life. Another one
Speaker 2: was when I got signed to Motown.
Speaker 1: That's a big deal. Yeah, it's a big moment.
Speaker 2: That was a really big moment.
Speaker 1: Again, it was like how did that come about?
Speaker 2: How did that come about? Many ways? So my A
Speaker 2: and R at Motown, Lindsay Lanier, she she was like
Speaker 2: connecting with this producer that I worked with. His name Progression,
Speaker 2: amazing guy. I've worked with him since I was twenty.
Speaker 2: But she connected with him and I think he showed
Speaker 2: her my music. Do you want me to tell them? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, ahead, So after I.
Speaker 2: Put the coconut milk in, study it around, it's starting to.
Speaker 1: Get really thick, starting the pup and it's scared it's
Speaker 1: gonna burn her, but.
Speaker 2: It's okay, it's not gonna burn. And then I'm putting
Speaker 2: nutmeke in now, and then I'm gonna add the cinema
Speaker 2: stix just like for some spice.
Speaker 1: Now you're just gonna add it and just leave it
Speaker 1: in there, just to say.
Speaker 2: Yes, I had a little bit of water. How thicks
Speaker 2: do you like your home average?
Speaker 1: I think I think that that are a little bit
Speaker 1: lighter because you know it's gonna get a little thick.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, that's what I would saying, I'm like, this
Speaker 2: is sometimes with Cormo, it's like it's.
Speaker 1: Kind yeah, yeah, I think i'd encourage you to put
Speaker 1: so much.
Speaker 2: He's okay, you add cold water, so it as we said,
Speaker 2: it doesn't lump up. Okay too much? Okay, but yeah,
Speaker 2: what was she saying?
Speaker 1: We were talking about your deal with Moltown.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so Lindsay met up with Progression, who's an
Speaker 2: incredible producer, and she was just he was just showing
Speaker 2: her his music and we had a lot of songs
Speaker 2: together and from what I heard, she was like, oh,
Speaker 2: who's this artist? And there was just like a a hunt.
Speaker 2: Not a hunt, but like she just really wanted to
Speaker 2: find out who I was. And that's how it came about.
Speaker 2: And then we stayed in contact. I had a headline
Speaker 2: show in my very first headline show in London twenty nineteen,
Speaker 2: and yeah, after that she signed me and we were
Speaker 2: together as a team up until twenty twenty two. Okay, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: so it wasn't that long.
Speaker 1: Wait nineteen, that's but it was also during COVID too, Yes,
Speaker 1: it was. That was also like kind of difficult. But
Speaker 1: was it cool because you had to record during that
Speaker 1: time or were you recording during that time.
Speaker 2: Yes, I was trying to do as much as I could.
Speaker 2: I was working on my project, my EP at home,
Speaker 2: but I had recorded a lot of the vocals already,
Speaker 2: So like when COVID hit, it was just about like
Speaker 2: putting the project together and figuring out the market in
Speaker 2: and the visuals and stuff like that. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, what were some of like the painful lessons
Speaker 1: and the good lessons you learned during their whole experience?
Speaker 2: Oh, painful lessons no one owes you anything at all.
Speaker 2: And a good lesson is it's kind of similar. It's
Speaker 2: like people come and go, but right people will stay,
Speaker 2: and like it's also good to meet loads of people
Speaker 2: at like it's also good wait hold on, let me
Speaker 2: get let me get this, let me get this together.
Speaker 2: I think I think I met some really really good people,
Speaker 2: and all the relationship kind of like paused or like
Speaker 2: we're not like together together anymore. It still was. We
Speaker 2: still had a great time, So I couldn't look back
Speaker 2: at those times and be like, you know what, it
Speaker 2: was still we still had a great time, made so
Speaker 2: many great memories and yeah, just hit so many goals
Speaker 2: at that time.
Speaker 1: So yeah, but for one of the lessons to be
Speaker 1: like no one owes you anything. What experience triggered that
Speaker 1: thought to be a priority of like one of the
Speaker 1: painful lessons.
Speaker 2: I think when when it was like twenty twenty two,
Speaker 2: I just came off of tour Jasmine Sullivan and I
Speaker 2: came back and I wasn't able to get through to
Speaker 2: my label, Like.
Speaker 1: You couldn't get him on the phone or anything.
Speaker 2: I couldn't get them. You know, it's crazy.
Speaker 1: This is like typical industry stuff though.
Speaker 2: Right, I was gobbed. I was absolutely gobsmacked. I'm putting
Speaker 2: in the cinema.
Speaker 1: What are you trying to reach out to them for?
Speaker 1: Like a foul up? Like what's the next way?
Speaker 2: What we're doing?
Speaker 1: You couldn't get him on the phone?
Speaker 2: No, I think there was there was a lot of
Speaker 2: things happening at the time in the label, and yeah,
Speaker 2: it's just like there wasn't really anybody in the label
Speaker 2: to chat to. It was like they were ignoring me.
Speaker 2: It just wasn't anybody left.
Speaker 1: Oh, like like you called it, it was almost like a Doe.
Speaker 2: Do do yeah kind of. I mean as far yeah,
Speaker 2: as far as I know, it was just like just
Speaker 2: just for the recognize that.
Speaker 1: I put a little nutmeg, and she dropped like one
Speaker 1: bay leaf in there. Yeah, and I didn't. I'm just
Speaker 1: just so we all know what we're doing when we
Speaker 1: go home and try to imitate this. And she dropped
Speaker 1: one cinnamon stick in there. That's it. So don't don't
Speaker 1: get don't get froggy in the kitchen with those bay
Speaker 1: leaves and the cinnamon.
Speaker 2: St Wait, do we have a lid?
Speaker 1: No, no, we don't. We got a bowl.
Speaker 2: We got a bowl.
Speaker 1: Okay, all right, why do you need a lit? Oh
Speaker 1: my god, it smells okay, Oh my god. But you
Speaker 1: didn't add any brown sugar yet.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, you do that.
Speaker 1: And then you didn't add any condensed.
Speaker 2: Mil No the sweetness. You add that the end.
Speaker 1: But I can smell.
Speaker 2: It smells perfect.
Speaker 1: It smells like cormells. Okay, I'm excited. I haven't had
Speaker 1: this dish in like twenty years, probably more so.
Speaker 2: Oh it's because you've been having them ready.
Speaker 1: It's because that never made it to my belly. Trust me,
Speaker 1: she's making fun of my instinct cormeal is don't ever
Speaker 1: do it, guys.
Speaker 2: That's also eat It's okay, but it never had you
Speaker 2: said you too.
Speaker 1: It doesn't come out. It's just it's for whatever reason.
Speaker 2: It's disgusting. But I mean, if you just want it's
Speaker 2: something quick, then yes forever.
Speaker 1: This looks so good and so good.
Speaker 2: I needed to like bubble a lot.
Speaker 1: So you're calling your motown, you're calling all town, and
Speaker 1: they're not answering. You just get off to the road
Speaker 1: with Jazzmine Sullivan elated you've arrived. I would imagine like
Speaker 1: torn with Jazzmine Sullivant is like like I'm doing the
Speaker 1: thing there.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was definitely like anxious that whole time because
Speaker 2: it's just it was just very new and like I've
Speaker 2: never been on tour before and there was a lot
Speaker 2: of moving parts. But yeah, I was I was happy
Speaker 2: that I was on tour. I wanted to come back
Speaker 2: and just figure it all out. But yeah, there was
Speaker 2: it wasn't we wasn't able to like get through. We
Speaker 2: didn't actually know what was happening, but my manage, me
Speaker 2: and my manager at the time just decided to just
Speaker 2: keep going and just like just keep taking opportunities. I
Speaker 2: supported Adele shortly after, which was great.
Speaker 1: You were supported Adele support. What does that look like?
Speaker 2: Oh? She had a show in Okay, this is enough.
Speaker 2: She had a show in London, two shows. It was
Speaker 2: a British summertime festival and yeah it was. She just
Speaker 2: headlined the whole festival. She had myself, Mahalia, Gabrielle and
Speaker 2: that was it. We just supported her over two days
Speaker 2: in the park and it was iconic. I want to
Speaker 2: put this, Yeah it is.
Speaker 1: I don't think that's gonna fit. Is it gonna fit?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Wow? Okay, I want to turn it all the
Speaker 2: way down and that will just cook.
Speaker 1: How much longer?
Speaker 2: Maybe we could do like ten fifteen minutes, as.
Speaker 1: Long as it doesn't burn the But no, I'm trusting you.
Speaker 1: You're the chef, and I am dying to eat it.
Speaker 1: We're good with no lumps.
Speaker 2: We're good. No, there's no lumps in there.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, I saw you fish them out. So you're
Speaker 1: so you're to the Motown after Jasmine, your aunt tour
Speaker 1: with Adele, You're doing shows with Adele again. It's like,
Speaker 1: I don't know how you would feel, but I would
Speaker 1: be like I've arrived kind of.
Speaker 2: I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure how to feel. I mean,
Speaker 2: I felt really good because it was Adele and she
Speaker 2: had supported me like previously. When my EP came out,
Speaker 2: she was one of the first people to post about it,
Speaker 2: and I was like, I don't know how she found this,
Speaker 2: but it really aligned and yeah, I was I had
Speaker 2: a great time. That was a great show. I didn't
Speaker 2: get to meet her though, but it was just.
Speaker 1: That's what I was going. I was gonna say, when
Speaker 1: you're traveling with these artists art is there any room
Speaker 1: for like, hey, can you be my mentor ish.
Speaker 2: Or I mean, they like Judson Sullivan and Adele are
Speaker 2: the huge divas, so I think when I was like
Speaker 2: performing alongside them, there wasn't really much time for that anyway.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I would have loved to done that if
Speaker 2: there was time, but there wasn't really much time to
Speaker 2: do that. And when I was supporting Jadsmine as well,
Speaker 2: it was you're in like COVID and lockdown, so there
Speaker 2: was very strict rules and sixteen yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: and then you had the mask was it was very
Speaker 2: strict in that way. So yeah, we even had to
Speaker 2: stop at one point because she got sick unfortunately, and
Speaker 2: then we had to Yeah, we had to pause and
Speaker 2: then come back like maybe like a week or two later. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it was strict at that time.
Speaker 1: Who was handling your tour bookings? Is it your manager,
Speaker 1: is it the label?
Speaker 2: I think it was a bit of everybody. But I
Speaker 2: had an agent and my manager at this time as well.
Speaker 1: Okay, so you're like learning this industry while pursuing music
Speaker 1: because you're the artist, but you're also learning the business. Yes,
Speaker 1: and so you get off the tours. At what point
Speaker 1: do you have to reroute or separate from Motown Because
Speaker 1: I'm guessing there's a separation in here, right.
Speaker 2: I think at this time it's not necessarily a separation.
Speaker 2: I think it's more. Yeah, it was definitely more. I
Speaker 2: was in the UK a lot more, and at that
Speaker 2: time there was Motown UK and we're just figuring out
Speaker 2: figuring out Motown UK. It was brand new. So I
Speaker 2: had a team at Motown UK and they were just
Speaker 2: like trying to get me opportunity, trying to get me
Speaker 2: like out there in London a little bit more. So.
Speaker 2: It wasn't that wasn't like the departure. That was more
Speaker 2: like a pivot of teams when they were a little
Speaker 2: bit more responsible for the things that I was doing
Speaker 2: in London.
Speaker 1: So all your touring was in the UK.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, Janeine Sullivan was across America. Adele was in London,
Speaker 2: and yeah, everything in between that time was in London.
Speaker 2: It's amazing.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, okay, And then what kind of industry insights
Speaker 1: did you learn from that whole chapter?
Speaker 2: H Visibility Definitely keep going and just like even if
Speaker 2: there isn't like music ready at that time, just keep going,
Speaker 2: just keep being visible, like yeah, marketing, shutting yourself out there. Absolutely,
Speaker 2: that was a big thing because I think I got
Speaker 2: really I got really sad after the tour because it
Speaker 2: was like it was a lot, it was a lot.
Speaker 2: I also just got diagnosed with ADHD after the tour
Speaker 2: as well. Yeah twenty seven.
Speaker 1: This was a random diagnosis.
Speaker 2: No no, no, I went for it myself, private dignosis.
Speaker 2: But yeah, that was like it was a whole like.
Speaker 1: What made you sit look into that because I think.
Speaker 2: It was not I think I keep saying. I think
Speaker 2: it was something that I've always like had a feeling of,
Speaker 2: like an inkling of things were a little bit harder
Speaker 2: for me to.
Speaker 1: Like concentrate content.
Speaker 2: Concentrate like this content is focused, it's comprehend so like
Speaker 2: you might have to say something a little bit a
Speaker 2: few more times for me to really understand. Yeah, it's
Speaker 2: like for me to understand, for me to understand, but yeah,
Speaker 2: it's always been something that I've just.
Speaker 1: Felt and then one day you were like, that's it,
Speaker 1: We're going to solve the problem.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Man, I was like, either I'm really stupid or
Speaker 2: there's something going on. And it was like I was like, Okay,
Speaker 2: I'm relieved. Yeah I'm not smart.
Speaker 1: I'm not is it ADHD or eighty adhd? ADHD? I
Speaker 1: thought it was like when you can't sit still.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I have inattentive ADHD, which means like I
Speaker 2: could be looking at you. You can come like taking in
Speaker 2: what you're saying. I'm like, I don't know what's going
Speaker 2: on kind of thing. Really.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So what do they do the treat that? Is
Speaker 1: it riddling?
Speaker 2: Huh?
Speaker 1: Is it riddling? Isn't that like a drug that they
Speaker 1: give you if you have ADHD?
Speaker 2: Id I know?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't know what. No, I'm like, do they do
Speaker 1: they say, Okay, now that you have this, this is
Speaker 1: what you have to do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can have medication if that's what you want,
Speaker 2: but you don't have to.
Speaker 1: Have medic I feel like you're not You're not on medication. Okay,
Speaker 1: so you are, so they gave you something.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I did private so I had that option. But
Speaker 2: it's not like I don't need it every day. It's
Speaker 2: only when I need to really lock in and focus.
Speaker 1: So, like, if you're in the studio for like twenty
Speaker 1: four hours, is that.
Speaker 2: I would never be in a tent.
Speaker 1: I don't know. I would just assume that artists are
Speaker 1: in the studio locked in, you know, you hearing writing
Speaker 1: and music sessions.
Speaker 2: No, no, I get too distracted. I can't be in
Speaker 2: the study for twenty four hours. But sometimes it depends
Speaker 2: if it really depends on the day. I'm like, I
Speaker 2: need I need that extra bit of like focus on
Speaker 2: location to do stuff.
Speaker 1: So what's in a day in the life of Tiana?
Speaker 2: Oh, day in the life, Day in the life. Recently
Speaker 2: it's been it's different, it's shifted. But day in the
Speaker 2: life is a wake up. I walk my dogs plural, Yeah,
Speaker 2: two dogs. I had one, but then my girlfriend has
Speaker 2: another dog. She has a dog, so now we have too. Yeah,
Speaker 2: walk my dogs, come back, feed them, feed myself. I
Speaker 2: just moved to the states, like state side of New York.
Speaker 2: And I've been like doing sessions two and there, so
Speaker 2: sometimes I'll do a session come back home, cook watch TV.
Speaker 1: Yeah, why did you choose in New York?
Speaker 2: I felt like the closest thing to London outside of England.
Speaker 1: Not that I've ever been there, but I would imagine, oh, London,
Speaker 1: London there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it feels like the closest thing.
Speaker 1: Okay, And so you chose that over La. You didn't
Speaker 1: want the laid back You didn't want that laid back? No, no, no,
Speaker 1: no good pizza, no good Chinese.
Speaker 2: No. Yeah, I think La. I was considering it. It's
Speaker 2: just a little bit far, like it's really not far. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's a little bit far from England. It's eleven hours
Speaker 2: to get here. I don't feel like doing that.
Speaker 1: Fly How how far is the flight from New York?
Speaker 2: It's that five hours? That's it. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Oh I need to win. You go back, you know,
Speaker 1: I go back. You know what I'm saying. We do
Speaker 1: a little together. Okay, yes, okay, that's that short flight.
Speaker 2: Eleven hours is crazy.
Speaker 1: I didn't know that it was only five hours.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh I'm tripping.
Speaker 1: I didn't know that. Okay, So how would you describe
Speaker 1: November Scorpio.
Speaker 2: So November Scorpia is my debut album. It's just a
Speaker 2: love letter to myself, that's all, but also what I
Speaker 2: love letter to myself but also lovely what love letter?
Speaker 1: A love letter to yourself?
Speaker 2: Sorry, love letter not letter.
Speaker 1: That accent is so sexy and it's so beautiful. But
Speaker 1: I feel like I have a little ad. It's a
Speaker 1: love letter to yourself.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, love letter to myself. It's also a real
Speaker 2: like insight to how I love as a Scorpio, as
Speaker 2: someone that's growing and very self aware. So yeah, it
Speaker 2: was just me laying out how I've loved in the past,
Speaker 2: how I want to love, and how I like to
Speaker 2: feel loved.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I must say this delicately, but I
Speaker 1: think a lot of people are scared the scorpios because they, like,
Speaker 1: I know, for an Aquarius, I tell Allius Aquarius, a
Speaker 1: scorpio is the death to you. You will not survive
Speaker 1: a scorpio. And I honestly like, I have Aquarius friends
Speaker 1: and they've learned a lesson to They're like, yes, Scorpios
Speaker 1: or not, they're just not They're not good for aquariuses.
Speaker 1: I don't know. You guys, wait, Acuarius is a sign
Speaker 1: sign I think so, I don't know, but I know
Speaker 1: for sure that Aquarius and Scorpios, I don't know. We
Speaker 1: love our scorpios so hard that they are heartbreakers. Okay,
Speaker 1: every Aquarius I know that's messed with a Scorpio. They
Speaker 1: walk away hard.
Speaker 2: Wow. The thing is, I've never I've never doated Aquurus.
Speaker 2: I really don't run into Aquarus often, so maybe.
Speaker 1: Because there's they're they're running I was born in November.
Speaker 2: They're like, oh, yeah, don't even tell me what that's.
Speaker 2: But yeah, yeah, that's that's basically the premise of and.
Speaker 1: That's why you named it November Scorpios.
Speaker 2: Yeah. It's just a real like introspect, introspective album and
Speaker 2: just talking about myself, which I'm a novembiscopia.
Speaker 1: And did you write most of the project or all
Speaker 1: of it?
Speaker 2: Yeah? So I've there's songs that I've written just like
Speaker 2: solely by myself, but there's a lot of collaboration with
Speaker 2: writers and producers on this album.
Speaker 1: I heard Chance the rapper was co signing you.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: Oh, okay, I thought I heard that. What song on
Speaker 1: the project. Would you say, is like your favorite song?
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, it changes. It really does change.
Speaker 1: At the moment.
Speaker 2: I know you were going to say, no, it does,
Speaker 2: so it does. But I think I really really love
Speaker 2: energy right now. That's one of my favorites. I just yeah,
Speaker 2: I just really really love energy. I've been trying to
Speaker 2: like clock the up tempos for my music, and Energy
Speaker 2: was the one I was like, yeah, this is this
Speaker 2: is the up temper I needed. Yeah. Yeah, and this
Speaker 2: is our temper I was supposed to make.
Speaker 1: So yeah, was there when you write your songs, the
Speaker 1: songs that I guess, do you the songs that I
Speaker 1: guess flow the fastest to you, you know, like where
Speaker 1: you're just like banged down when you're in your emotional moments.
Speaker 2: No, not really, not really, not really emotional moments. I
Speaker 2: think I think it's a little bit harder for me
Speaker 2: to like like bang out songs that are like a
Speaker 2: little bit more vulnerable and a little bit more personal.
Speaker 2: But having said that, I have a song called Money,
Speaker 2: which was like, it's about like that, Yeah, you like
Speaker 2: that same, thank you? I love that song too. Money
Speaker 2: is basically, if you haven't heard it, it's about my
Speaker 2: relationship with money very relatable.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's very relatable.
Speaker 2: Check it out. I talk about when I had money,
Speaker 2: more money than I've ever seen before, and then just
Speaker 2: like knowing how to deal with it and then having
Speaker 2: that realization of oh, I can actually make money work
Speaker 2: for me. And then the final verse is about like
Speaker 2: just how where I want to be and how I
Speaker 2: want to treat money and my relationship with it, and yeah,
Speaker 2: just understanding that money comes and goes and giving myself
Speaker 2: the grace. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the older I get, the more I'm realizing that
Speaker 1: there's seasons, Right, there's seasons when you're up, and there's
Speaker 1: seasons when you're down.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think when you're up, though, when you experienced it up,
Speaker 1: let's talk about your up. Like when you've seen the
Speaker 1: most money you've.
Speaker 2: Ever seen, a lot of it was food. I spent
Speaker 2: a lot of money.
Speaker 1: That's that's a painful, sad reality to be so sad.
Speaker 2: I spent a lot of money on food. I learned
Speaker 2: a lot about food during that time.
Speaker 1: You were like looked in your account and you were like,
Speaker 1: where did the money go? I had this building and
Speaker 1: it's like Uber eats, Uber.
Speaker 2: Eats, it's going to restaurants and actually trying like good food.
Speaker 1: Oh oh, you're like a foodie.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm a foodie. Okay, absolutely, that's why I wanted
Speaker 2: to do this.
Speaker 1: I was like absolutely so wait so, but but you
Speaker 1: had the best cuisines, right, Yes, it was worth it.
Speaker 2: It was definitely worth I wouldn't take it back.
Speaker 1: Okay, but you didn't you didn't like hurt yourself in
Speaker 1: the process of the spending, like you didn't you mean
Speaker 1: fall short because you you looked up. You spent all
Speaker 1: the money on fine dining.
Speaker 2: No, I mean just being like being a major labeled
Speaker 2: artist and having an advance, like it's only gonna last
Speaker 2: you for so long. Yeah, like if you don't know
Speaker 2: how to like invest or, like keep the money around.
Speaker 2: And I said before, like it was some of the
Speaker 2: most it was the most money I've ever seen I'd
Speaker 2: ever seen at that time. So and I was like
Speaker 2: twenty three, yeah, twenty three year old and having all
Speaker 2: this money.
Speaker 1: Okay, there's no lumps. By the way, guys, she's doing
Speaker 1: a great job.
Speaker 2: This is the cinema stick that looks so good. Yeah,
Speaker 2: just no, no, no, it's good, it's good. It's good.
Speaker 1: You gotta eat it too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know how sweet you got kids.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, this is the o G classic. If
Speaker 1: I have my iPhone right now? Was it justin?
Speaker 2: Justin?
Speaker 1: Say something?
Speaker 2: Justin?
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, some had All right, we're gonna do a
Speaker 1: taste test. Even though you use the ball your spoons,
Speaker 1: you know, you know how it's done from the top
Speaker 1: the huh.
Speaker 2: I did it from the side because that's the coolest part.
Speaker 2: Yeah right here. Oh yeah, yeah, I know.
Speaker 1: Listen for anyone that questions my jamaking this.
Speaker 2: Now you're valid.
Speaker 1: I'm one hundred percent right. I'm a thorough bro. Okay,
Speaker 1: I want to taste test this. You're gonna sit down
Speaker 1: with me.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, here we go. You did
Speaker 2: it with a fork? Yeah, because my spoon is a
Speaker 2: bad I don't like it.
Speaker 1: It tastes fine, It tast fine.
Speaker 2: I don't know any more of this. No, I think
Speaker 2: you think I personally like it very like spicy, like
Speaker 2: well not meg and then more cinnamon.
Speaker 1: So her her porch came out exactly the way it's
Speaker 1: supposed to come out, perfectly sweet, perfect amount of cinnamon
Speaker 1: and no lumps.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna put this for a steaks. I don't know
Speaker 2: if you take pictures off stof Oh.
Speaker 1: Put it under the camera.
Speaker 2: See the cameras.
Speaker 1: I'll show that is the camera recording.
Speaker 2: Yes, oh show that. Okay, we do this.
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, Now you're trying to show out.
Speaker 2: Figure you know what.
Speaker 1: I don't know what you're talking about, because if you
Speaker 1: actually let it just sit in your mouth, it has
Speaker 1: a lot of spice in it.
Speaker 2: Maybe it needs more sugar.
Speaker 1: No, it's perfect, Tianna. I'm the judge.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh sorry, I'm the judge.
Speaker 1: It's perfect. The porridge came out perfect. So it's a
Speaker 1: home classic. Yeah, it comes in with me. Okay, it
Speaker 1: looks beautiful, it looks doney. We're gonna take pictures with
Speaker 1: yours because you're not gonna eat it because you're you're
Speaker 1: hating on your own dish.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 1: And so now now that you're at what point did you,
Speaker 1: I guess, come out to your mom?
Speaker 2: What point?
Speaker 1: At what point did you come out to your mom
Speaker 1: where she gets mad enough to like because she didn't
Speaker 1: know the whole time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, she didn't know the whole time. What point I
Speaker 2: think the point was? It was before like I was doing,
Speaker 2: like really became t Animation Animals signed to my town. Okay,
Speaker 2: but yeah, it was it was just it just got
Speaker 2: really toxic and then just I just had to I
Speaker 2: had to go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so this all happened before, So you were well
Speaker 1: confident into going into promoting yourself as to who you
Speaker 1: are as a whole person, Like, no, because you know,
Speaker 1: like there was a there was a point where people
Speaker 1: were either ashamed or didn't know if it would affect
Speaker 1: their record sales or their fan base if they were
Speaker 1: hundred percent.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, No, I think at that time I wasn't
Speaker 2: like fully confident in it. I was living my life,
Speaker 2: but I think I wasn't able to. I didn't know
Speaker 2: how to manage the two. I didn't really have solid
Speaker 2: examples or inspiration and how to be openly queer and
Speaker 2: make R and B. Now I do. I think there
Speaker 2: are a lot of people that I love and look
Speaker 2: up to that are queer and open and themselves and
Speaker 2: I too, am living in my truth fully.
Speaker 1: But you're extremely talented, Thank you, and November Scorpios amazing.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: So I feel like everyone, I think art at the
Speaker 1: end of the day speaks for itself, right, So, like
Speaker 1: if you hear.
Speaker 2: Them, is it?
Speaker 1: You're like, that's a win, right, So what's your hopes
Speaker 1: for November Scorpia.
Speaker 2: I hope that people listen to it, share it, and
Speaker 2: apply some of the lessons, some of the lyrics to
Speaker 2: their life. Keep it going, just keep this project alive. Yeah,
Speaker 2: live with it, sit with it, and just yeah, love it.
Speaker 1: And you're independent? Now, yes, what's the difference you're signed
Speaker 1: to an industry?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm with plus one okay.
Speaker 1: So what's the difference between now being with major and independent?
Speaker 2: Freedom? A lot more freedom, space, money.
Speaker 1: The money is better.
Speaker 2: No, so it's like you just have to make do
Speaker 2: there is money. Give thanks, but yes, you have to
Speaker 2: be a bit more creative with how you spend budget.
Speaker 1: And yeah, just be creative now being in the industry
Speaker 1: as long as you have. Do you feel like social
Speaker 1: media is controlling majority of the direction of where the
Speaker 1: industry is going at this point?
Speaker 2: Do I feel like social media?
Speaker 1: Do you feel pressure on the social media side?
Speaker 2: Do I feel pressure to be like active on socials? Hundred?
Speaker 1: It's like a full time job, isn't it. Do you
Speaker 1: like it?
Speaker 2: Don't love it? I don't love it? Actually, I hate it.
Speaker 2: It's a lot to think about. It's a lot to
Speaker 2: think about. I I don't desire to be seen all
Speaker 2: the time. I really don't. I understand that I have
Speaker 2: to because of my job, but yeah, I don't. If
Speaker 2: I could just like make my music put out there,
Speaker 2: people love it, and then go back into my sheld,
Speaker 2: and I would definitely do that. But I mean, social
Speaker 2: media is really good for promoting and promoting yourself and
Speaker 2: having other people across the world find you. So it's
Speaker 2: not a bad thing.
Speaker 1: I just I just am a little bit more like
Speaker 1: what's the word guarded or like reserved.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think social media it needs to be a
Speaker 2: bit more very Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think it's good, like you get to interact with
Speaker 1: the fans, but yeah, yeah, all right, Well, thank you
Speaker 1: so much for cooking. And guys, if you if Tiana
Speaker 1: ever cooks a porge at your house, just know that
Speaker 1: she's gonna make a mess of the kitchen. Okay, it's
Speaker 1: a mess. I mean there's porridge everywhere. It looks great,
Speaker 1: it tastes great. But thank you guys for tuning in.
Speaker 1: Make sure you check out November Scorpio out now, and
Speaker 1: then you can follow Tiana Major nine online on social
Speaker 1: media platforms and it's the number nine, right, yeah, Tiana
Speaker 1: major nine. All right, thanks guys for tuning in. Peace
Speaker 1: Out