TANGINA STONE TALKS PISCES

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

A lot of artists get placed into categories, but anyone trying to place you in one will find it difficult. As a black, lesbian woman, just as strong on your own as you are in a room with others, and with a sound that pulls from virtually every corner of genre there is to pull from?

We work in a challenging industry that sometimes tells stories about us and our careers that aren’t true, that can make us believe our work only matters if it’s meant for the consumption of others. It hasn’t always been easy to listen to myself or avoid the categories, the boxes, we can fall into if we’re not careful. Getting here has taken years of practice, failures, and an eternal commitment to growth, expansion, and radical self-acceptance. It’s still ongoing, I still have a lot of work to do to silence the voices that make me doubt myself and my ideas. 'Pisces' is a project born from winning a battle that I just sometimes win. I leaned into what makes me different. And shared only what was on my heart. Hoping it would resonate with others, even if only for a moment. All of the songs on the 'Pisces' album are so important to me because they represent my own cycle, on my journey to becoming myself.

What has it meant creatively, to be able to see the world entirely through your own eyes?

At one point in my career my focus was on making music that fit into the industry. I wanted to package myself and my work in a way that felt relevant to how the industry sounded, and felt at the time. But that was before, before I realized something like that wasn’t sustainable, before I knew that I and what I offered the world was enough. After realizing this, I began making music that challenges what the industry looks like, and made deliberate efforts to push back against the categorizing and the lack of space that’s been created for black artists, like myself.

Your mother gave you a first name, Tangina, that means “gift” and oh, did you claim ownership of that. I am glad you didn’t deprive yourself of being you, because it means we get the uniqueness of what you create?

I create to heal, to document my life, and to document my growth. I create to mark important moments, milestones, love stories, and insights. I create to connect with others. To normalize talking about the hard things, and to encourage love, presence, and being without judgment.

If your first album was a conversation about mental health, what conversation does this album have?

This album is about a cycle of transformation. Transformation, meaning the beginning and the end of a cycle, is what this was meant to be. Pisces, the fish, is the last sign of the zodiac, and I began writing this album during pisces-season, at the height of the pandemic, which marked the end of a cycle, a time we had been in. But also the beginning of a new one.

If one believes in horoscopes, the pisces are said to be the most emotional and empathetic people. That they are often the ones who are there for others. Who are people you’re grateful to have close to you?

I have so much love in my life. I am grateful for all of my friends, my partners, and the team that helps make my music possible. I have had a tough year so far and I wouldn’t have made it through without this beautiful support system I’ve been able to lean on.

Was this album tougher to make than the first?

It burned slowly. It built gradually. Making this album was a labour of love, where I gave myself the space to explore and play. It was only afterward that I tried to make sense of the more “experimental” aspects. There were many different iterations of this project. But everything revolved around the same concepts and feelings I was working through. It was very different from making the first album. 'Pisces' is me venting, which then became an album, whereas my first album was always meant to be one.

How do you balance all of the demands in your life right now?

I’m in the middle of a big move. Moving is hard, too. But I’m also working on a million projects. I’m refocusing on them and preparing to take some big career steps. It's a beautiful time, but it has been stressful as well. I actually haven't had much of a chance yet to really sit with the big feelings around 'Pisces' being released. I will take that time, soon.