London duo Tokyo Taboo are gearing up for the release of their debut album, '6th Street Psychosis' this November, unleashing 10 unique and ambitious tracks on the world in daring fashion.
Tokyo Taboo
We got the chance to chat to the duo to find out a little more about their music, inspirations and more. Read on to find out what they had to say…
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?
Mix The White Strips, No Doubt, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Deap Vally and you'll get close to us. Not sure what that would sound like? Have a listen!
What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?
Being a female-fronted band is really tough. Mainly because the industry is run by middle-aged men who want to audition you for their latest pop project. Some promoters also dislike anything female-fronted, as they feel like it's lacking credibility. If you look at festival line-ups, there are very few female-fronted bands on the bill. The music industry needs to be shaken up a bit!
How difficult then would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?
Harder than we ever thought it would be! There are so many bands out there and very few opportunities for original bands who don't want to go on a reality show.
How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?
We let very few people into the TT circle. Annoying perfectionists, we are! Really important to create something you are one hundred per cent happy with. Otherwise, what's the point?
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
Dolly has a tattoo sleeve in progress of dead musicians. We don't have very many new influences. You can learn a lot from looking at the icons of music history. Janis Joplin, Bowie, Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury…
If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?
Will.i.am or David Guetta? Haha, that would be a disaster! Any band are welcome, so long as it's not Coldplay.
Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.
We are such a busy couple that we have to schedule in time alone to do what normal couples do.
Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?
As long as we are playing shows and becoming better musicians, we are happy!
Where do you hope to be this time next year?
We would love to play a major festival in the UK! That's the one thing that would be on the TT bucket list.
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
We have shot some awesome music videos, so we can't wait to get those released. We have a video for every song on our debut album. We're also heading to LA to headline a music conference at the end of September. Can't wait for that!
Debut album '6th Street Psychosis' is officially released on November 25 via TT Records.