Vagabon
⤏ LÆTITIA TAMKO IN CONVERSATION WITH MARLENE LUCIANO
⤏ PHOTOS BY RIKKÍ WRIGHT | MAKE-UP BY ASHLEY JENSEN | STYLING BY MARLENE LUCIANO
⤏ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2018
MARLENE LUCIANO: It’s not common to see a Black girl doing her thing in the indie world. I think Santigold was like the first Black female that I remember checking out about ten years ago and now fast forward here you are! Do you feel a sense of responsibility to represent Black females now that you’ve been given a platform?
LÆTITIA TAMKO: I feel the most responsibility to be myself and I think that’s enough representation. Black people love all kinds of shit, and I don’t need to sell the idea of myself in the indie rock world. It’s self explanatory and so I just move around the world as such.
ML: You’ve been on the road a couple of times. At this point in your career, do you still have to explain to your family how you make a living?
LT: I’ve been touring consecutively for about the last three years, I actually kept it a secret from my family initially because I knew it would be hard to explain and understand. Now that I’ve gone around the world a bunch of times, everyone knows what I do and how I do it. The mystery only lies in, “How is this possible?”
“I find a calling in a lot of things.”
ML: You studied engineering so I think it’s safe to assume that your IQ is extremely high. Would this explain why you’re able to play most instruments for your own production? Or are you a secretly trained musician?
LT: I’m very openly NOT a trained musician, [laughs]. Just like with engineering, learning to produce my own records and play multiple instruments came from being driven to be amongst the best.
ML: You did the school thing with engineering — and now you are a full time musician, as you continue to evolve do you see yourself picking up another career at some point in your life? Maybe something that’s beyond music?
LT: I do. I find a calling in a lot of things. I want to write a book one day, I want to start a foundation benefiting children of immigrants to go to school for STEM programs, I want to do voice acting. Making music is something I will always do, but having other interests helps me balance it all and stay well rounded.
ML: Being able to put out music that continues to be well received, and also playing for audiences around the world sounds like you are living a dream. What would be one of your dreams that you’re still hoping to accomplish?
LT: The Grammys.
ML: Your voice is so soothing as if when you sing you are intending to heal. After you finish a show do you feel like you helped heal your audience? And how does your audience heal you?
LT: The people who come to my shows are the ones who heal me. They heal me of my anxiety, my fears and they remind me of myself. I’m lucky to get to see and be seen by those who find meaning in what I do.
ML: Being from NY, I’m heavily influenced by hip hop, but often attend indie artist shows and support indie DJs. I wanted to understand what else was out there and also take a break from “Top 40” radio. How do you find balance in your musical influences?
LT: I’m a hip hop/rap/pop fan before I’m a rock fan. I think as my career goes on I will continue to explore a certain time in my music interests by making records that fit the timeline. My last record was an indie rock record because I was going to and playing a lot of punk shows and it was a perfect time stamp in my time in the NYC punk scene. My next one will be inspired by whatever had me excited in the last three years.
ML: Also as a fellow New Yorker, I need to know: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you love pizza?
LT: Hard ten.
ML: This is off topic, but I heard you’re a long distance runner and I have to ask for your advice. I have enjoyed long distance running for about eight years, but have lost motivation in this past year. Every time I see people jogging it reminds me of how much I miss running, but for some reason I haven’t found it in me to just get up and go! What do you think I should do or try?
LT: My manager is a long distance runner and ran the marathon in Rome, so for his birthday, before the marathon, I gifted him this book, What I think About When I Think About Running by Haruki Murakami. I ended up getting a second copy and it helped me to get back out there and run again despite the intimidation of returning after a long pause.
I hope it helps you too!
ML: Who are you right now in three words?
LT: Driven, loving, emotional.
ML: And who do you hope to be in the future in three words?
LT: Driven, loving, less emotional.
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⤏ MARLENE LUCIANO (SHE/HER) IS A MULTI-FACETED TALENT WITH A FOCUS ON STYLE. A CHATTY LATINA FROM THE EAST COAST, MARLENE’S MAIN GOAL IS TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO BE THEMSELVES. HER MANTRA IS “DO OR DIE.”