Interview with Tabby in Austin
Interview & photos by Christian Hernandez | See the show gallery here
March 26, 2023 — Tabby, coming in from Minnesota, is a creative and abrasive artist who began his career creating art on Youtube in the form of music reviews. He began taking music seriously after revealing some of his work at local open mics. In June 2017, he released his debut mixtape, White Trash, which showed his darker side and his quick lyricism. This was followed in 2018 by peachfuzz!, which was a complete 180 and instead focused and showcased his vulnerability, and tackled his ideas between masculinity and femininity. In 2019, he then put out an EP titled, Recored in My Car, which showed a change in sound and themes. Now, currently working on his next unnamed album, he is fresh on the road with his first tour. We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about music and his time as an artist.
Chris: So first off, Tabby, how are you doing man?
Tabby: Thank you, Hi, I’m good, I’m warm, I’m having tummy problems. But we’ll be good, it’ll be a good time.
Chris: So first tour, what’s it like?
Tabby: It’s been really really cool. The biggest takeaway is that days are finally feeling like days again. For the last year and a half, it felt like the year didn’t even exist. The first week of the tour, I was like “Damn, these are full 7 days that I got to experience.” It’s been awesome, you know, meeting people like you. Every night, hearing people singing my shit, I’ve never seen that before in my life. People I’ve never met singing my shit back to me, it’s been really really cool.
Chris: What are some of your favorite memories you have made as an artist?
Tabby: On the tour, there was this one night when we were at Taco Bell late at like 3 in the morning, and we put in a big ass order. Everyone in the van was super giggly because half the van got legal weed the night before in Illinois. We were just gut-laughing for an hour. It was one of my favorite moments on this tour. As an artist in general, I’ve hung out with Brockhampton. They’re super chill and amazing dudes. And being able to make connections online and stuff, I have such a supportive base. I’m an extroverted theater person, so it’s like as many people I know, the better.
Chris: I know that during the pandemic you were very open about mental illness, and you were out there telling everyone “Hey I’m going to therapy and it’s doing this for me” or just keeping people updated with how you are doing. Do you feel that being able to have that open honesty with your fans and having that connection makes it easier for you to put your work out?
Tabby: Oh yeah, 100%. I think I accidentally set myself up for that kind of opportunity to put stuff out without feeling awkward or nervous. My biggest thing when I started is that I don't want to seem like a different person to the people who are watching me. My effort is to make people feel when they watch me like they don’t have to put up anything. It’s easier to let go than to try and control who you are. That’s been my whole life’s thing…letting shit happen. Putting out music….letting shit happen. There’s not a single possibility that everyone likes what I make.
Chris: What recently has become your favorite type of media that you have gotten into?
Tabby: My favorite type of media that I had gotten into the most, I would say music. It’s where I made the most, again connections, and I feel the most freedom to do what I do best. If I’m gassing myself up a bit, I am a “jack of all trades” type of person. I can’t settle in one lane, I have to branch out. Music allows me to make the art for it, hopefully, make the beats for it. Singing, and performing live, it allows me to combine all these lanes into one thing. It’s been the most rewarding thing, the best risk I had taken.
Chris: What for you has been the best process you have found when making any of your art?
Tabby: Another great question. I think it’s basically allowing myself to create when I feel creative and never forcing it. Anytime I’m sitting there trying to get past writer's block, pushing myself. It’s sometimes work, but most of the time it’s me getting frustrated. It’s so much better for me to put it aside, try something different, and then go back to it another time. Never do it unless I can organically feel like I’m about to.
Chris: Let’s do a silly one, if you could add anyone to Smash, who are you adding?
Tabby: Crash Bandicoot, easily. I’m pissed he’s not there right now. He’s my dude. He’s my very first video game character and game that I super got into. Honestly, the core reason I got into design work and character illustrations was that I would take the instructions manual and redraw the characters from it because I loved the designs for them. Crash Bandicoot is literally the reason you’re wearing a t-shirt [he points at my t-shirt, it’s merch of Tabby which showcased a character he had designed]. I would go nuts with him, we’ve all been playing tons of smash.
Chris: Since you’re about to go into this show, what’s your process? Do you have anything before?
Tabby: I just fucking wing it. Like every time. I’ve done 8 years of improv so I just go. In some shows, I’ll breathe for like, 30 seconds, and then I’m good. Show nerves have left my body so many years ago. During the first 3 days of the tour, I was having a different kind of panic attack every show. The first being, I had not performed in so many years already. After that, the next two days were just my regular anxiety flaring up. But after that, the show has been so go go go, it’s like super beneficial because I am so in the present moment that I’m good to go.
Chris: Do you have any dream collaborations, in general, that you would love to do?
Tabby: Art and design wise I would still love to do something with HK from Brockhampton. It would be super dope to do something. Daniel Mackey, my close friend, he’s one of the best illustrators I’ve ever seen. If we’re talking pie in the sky, [Childish] Gambino, Tyler [the creator], one of them would be an insane moment. Even designing for Holiday, would be a dream. Also, Caucasian James, who went to my college, I didn’t know that. I want him in the background of one of my videos.
Chris: Coming up on the last questions, what has been the best piece of advice you have gotten?
Tabby: Anything my therapist has told me to get me to where I am today. Just a lot of letting go of control in a non-control freak way. Subconsciously, I try to maintain all this order and normalcy, and I don’t allow myself to feel…off. Honestly, all the little gems that he has dropped have made me think about myself. Shoutout Jeff. Also, Dom [from Brockhapton] is one of the wisest guys I have ever met. He’s really smart about human shit. He’s an actual wizard, an actual Gandalf. He’s in tune with humanity, he’s one of my biggest mental inspirations. I’ve learned a lot also from watching the people I care about too.
Chris: If you could do it all again, would you still take the path of an artist?
Tabby: Oh, 100%. It’s been the most rewarding thing. The only thing I would advise my past self better is finances. Like “plan that shit better bro!”. Every artist struggles financially, across the board, unless they're like an industrial plant or they have daddy’s credit card.
Chris: The term starving artist is there for a reason.
Tabby: Yup! Big ass true.
Chris: The last one I have for you, do you have any advice for anyone pursuing art?
Tabby: Just put it out. Music specifically is the most subjective art medium to ever exist. It’s always accessible all the time. People listen to music to cook, intently, when walking, everything. It’s a multifaceted media. Any way you say something, it will affect each person differently. No matter what it is. Dogshit music to us is someone’s favorite thing ever, you know? There’s no point in putting pressure on yourself. If you like it, people will like it. If you even pretend to have confidence, people will just assume you’re confident. People are way less judgmental than we think they are. In real life, no one’s gonna punch you. No one’s actually that mean, they use it [being online] as an outlet. It’s just a projection. And that’s across all of social media. That’s why TikTok is just stitched videos of people going “Well actually,” and no, just shut the fuck up. I just want to watch videos of cats. My biggest piece of advice, which I am still learning myself, is to let go of control and just let it be. Put it out in the world. Be okay with whatever reception you’re going to get. You’re going to get more better the more you put shit out. Take a risk, just do shit.
