It’s a rare pleasure to see a great East London singer in a great East London venue. But Tiana Major 9’s recent gig at the beautiful old Hoxton Hall was just that.
Tiana Major 9 is a Jazz singer-songwriter born and bred in Newham, and unlike lots of artists who only sound good through your headphones, she is excellent live as well.
Tiana’s stage presence is phenomenal. She makes the whole crowd feel good because you can tell she is feeling every word she sings. Her vocals on the night that I saw her were so powerful they gave me goose bumps.
Female music artists from London often get overlooked by mainstream media unless their genre is rap, which then forces them to look for listeners abroad, especially from the United States. An example of this is Ella Mai, an R&B singer from London who was forced to make it in the states first.
And Tiana also deserves more recognition over here. Even though jazz is her genre, she reminds me of R&B and Neo-Soul artists such as Lauryn Hill and Solange. One of her most popular songs – “Levee (Let it Break)” – will definitely remind you of Lauryn Hill, particularly during the smooth instrumental passages and the verse where she’s rapping. “Mr. Mysterious” reminds me of the earlier days in Solange’s career, when she performed songs such as “Lovers in the Parking Lot” with their upbeat instrumentals and soft vocals.
Other female Jazz/R&B artists from London who also deserve more recognition are Miraa May, Ray Blk and Ama Lou. All these women produce intelligent feel good music, and yet are overlooked in favour of female rappers who are often associated with controversy.
Even though these names aren’t that familiar to you at the moment, I predict that their careers will eventually take off in the way that they deserve, because talent always wins in the end.
