The queue outside Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory hums with anticipation, fans are buzzing about tonight’s headliner: Blu DeTiger, the New York bass prodigy who has carved her name into music’s zeitgeist. It’s the Australian leg of her tour, three intimate headline shows plus a stop at Changing Tides Festival, and all eyes are on her.
I head inside where DeTiger is hosting an intimate meet and greet with some fans. With her electric-blue bass in hand and a résumé most artists would kill for, she’s already achieved what many only dream of. She talks about her collaboration with Chappell Roan on the song ‘Hey You.’ She says that she wanted to write something “like Gorillaz, with a dirty and edgy sound.” The duo wrote the verses pretty quickly and DeTiger wrote the bass part in one go and didn’t come back to it. Roan supplied background vocals. De Tiger also worked with Alexander 23, and indie icon Uffie on her debut album All I Ever Want Is Everything. The project is equal parts emotional catharsis and bass-driven adrenaline, a bold statement from an artist unafraid to seize her moment.
At only 25, she’s played the fabled CBGB, shared stages with Olivia Rodrigo and Bleachers, and made waves on TikTok with her genre-blurring covers. Forbes put her on their 30 Under 30 list for music this year, but accolades aren’t what she’s here for. Her mission is simple: to make bass the heartbeat of pop culture.
Kicking off tonight’s show with infectious energy, Juno—fronted by the magnetic Kahlia Ferguson and the effortlessly cool Sam Woods—light up the stage with their feel-good alt-pop grooves.
When DeTiger strides onto the stage, the room explodes. Her brother, Rex DeTiger, locks into a pulsating groove on drums, while guitarist Donnie Laudicinia’s razor-sharp riffs slice through the thrum of anticipation. Together, they form a trio that is tight, dynamic, and undeniably electric.
With a swagger that’s equal parts NYC nightlife and art school cool, she works the stage like she owns it—because she does. DeTiger is a force of nature, all sass and swagger and effortless cool. Her setlist is a masterclass in pop ingenuity, packed with standout moments—like seamlessly slipping Icona Pop’s “I Love It” into one of her tracks, or a knockout cover of “Murder on the Dancefloor” that transforms the Art Factory into a pulsating dancefloor. But it’s her bass playing that truly steals the show—injecting a jazz-inflected groove into her pop anthems, she crafts a sound that’s entirely her own.
The media buzz around Blu as the pied piper of a new generation of bassists feels justified. She’s joined the ranks of female bass icons like Tina Weymouth, Gail Ann Dorsey, Kim Deal, and Kim Gordon.
By the end of the set, the crowd is drenched and exhilarated. Blu DeTiger has arrived, and she’s not just making waves—she’s creating a tsunami.
