Rising Dutch Artist Wantigga Releases His New Single “Motion” featuring On The Fence
Dutch artist Wantigga has released a new single titled “Motion” featuring Dutch Hip-Hop artist On The Fence. The new single serves as the first offering from his upcoming debut album due out later this year.
The song is perfectly arranged with lyrics floating beautifully over the synths, keys and drums found throughout the sensual cut. The intimacy the song portrays is difficult to ignore and is certainly a nod to the classics of the 90’s & 2000’s R&B scene that Wantigga grew up jamming to, properly accentuated by a European aesthetic.
The single is accompanied by a documentary style video shot entirely in Paris by visual artist and director Lisa Smidt. The Parisian connection comes from the organic relationship Wantigga has formed with French music label Roche Musique (FKJ, Darius) and the sound they have all mutually helped push; a sonic cocktail of Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Gospel and Electronic music.
The release of this album will be another gem in a musical catalog already full of them. An eclectic blend of multicultural influences in realms other than just sonically, which is the reason for this video and the visuals that will be following it.
We hopped on the computer to exchange some words in the form of a Q&A with the Dutch artist. A little something, something to give to his fans and those other music dorks out there. We talked the origin of his name, his new single, his upcoming album, his top 5 influences, upcoming shows & much more!
Keep your eyes on your timelines for more updates and releases from Wantigga going forward. Going to be a big year for him & it’s just getting started.
Wantigga Q&A
Just wanted to start off by saying thank you for sitting down & simply taking the time to do this with us. Honored you were down to talk with Early Bird & take time out of your busy schedule.
Early Bird: I have to ask because I’ve been wondering since day 1. ‘Wantigga’ is such an awesome name but I’m curious where it comes from??
Wantigga: Thanks! As a kid people called me Wantan (Tan is my last name and Wantan is a Chinese snack used it many dishes). I’m part Chinese so it’s kinda racist but okay. Years later I was sending some instrumentals to Phonté (Little brother). He was one of my favorite rappers and he gave himself a nickname “Phontigga”. When I got his recording back he shouted me out “It’s Phontigga and on the beat is Wantigga!” and so this name was born. This track was also my very first upload on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wantigga/in-the-336-phont-king-mez
Early Bird: I’m always curious about the influence’s artists draw for certain projects; whether it’s food, drugs, location, family, happy times, sad times, the weather, etc. So, naturally I’m curious to hear where you drew your inspirations from for this album?
Wantigga: For me it’s foremost travelling. Music brought me to so many beautiful places, brought me a lot of new friends and loads of inspiration for music. I’m always charged up with so much positive energy after I come back from a tour. I would love to see more of the world, in particular South America (never been there).
Early Bird: The first single just came out, titled “Motion” and it features this dope Dutch artist On The Fence. Why did you decide to release this record first and why did On The Fence fit your vision best for it? I mean the guy killed it haha hopefully you two have some more stored away in the vault…
Wantigga: I met On The Fence online and I saw him murder this Colors Session. He reached out to me and we recorded a couple of songs, Motion was the first song we did and it felt right to put this out first. I loved the ’00 vibe we made and it’s a good song to chill out to in the spring/summertime.
Early Bird: I was really excited to watch the video for the first single “Motion” that you released. And WOW it did NOT disappoint. Lisa Smidt did an incredible job along with everyone else who had a helping hand in the process. In the end, why did you decide to accompany the song with a visual & how was that entire process for you?
Wantigga: It’s so much work creating a video, but I feel obligated to put in the money and the time to tell the story I want to tell. We wanted to make a documentary style video and used real artists for the video. We even interviewed them about working in the music industry as an upcoming artist and put bits and pieces in the video. I have so much respect for Lisa and the team, we didn’t have a lot of resources, but we made this work!
Early Bird: Live performances are critical to the ascension of any artists. And because this project will certainly get you on the road in the coming months (hopefully to the US), how does this music translate to the stage and is there anything you have planned tour wise?
Wantigga: On stage, I always mix my own tracks with club edits I make (https://wantigga.bandcamp.com/album/club-remixes-edits-vol-1) to build up the energy and keep it original. As I play, I’m feeling free to play whatever genre I like, whether it’s hip-hop, house, afro or some rare joints I sampled years ago. This makes every set different and fun to experience. We’re planning tours in Europe, Canada and Asia. Let your local promoter know they have to book me!
Early Bird: Now I understand there are some more releases coming up, buuuut, without giving to much away, is it possible to let us in on any possible collaborations you have on the project? Your collaborations are always on point & consistently introduce me to new artists in the process.
Wantigga: Haha yeah, least thing I can say is that there will be more than 3 languages on the album and I’m singing as well.
Early Bird: I’m also curious to hear some of your biggest influences as far as other artists go. I hear so many different styles, time periods & genres throughout your music. Let’s get a top 5 list (in no particular order) of your biggest influences as far as artists go…
Wantigga: Alright, the things I listen to vary from week to week but some of my all-time biggest influences are: J Dilla (duh), Shafiq Husayn, George Duke, Pharrell Williams and Mura Masa.
Early Bird: The fans want to know when the next release is!!! Could you give us a hint of the next release date??
Wantigga: Very soon! I’m going to release bits and pieces of the album until it releases somewhere after summer. Expect some new, new singles in the next few months!