by RAF KATIGBAK

On a sweltering Saturday night two weeks ago, Cher’s personal assistant approached Tiga Sontag. “Cher wanted me to tell you that she loves the music,” he cooed. Tiga, who was in the middle of obliterating the capacity crowd at a much-hyped Scissor Sisters concert, looked up and confirmed that Cher was indeed there, dancing on the opposite balcony, oozing complete Cher-ness. “It would mean so much to her if you waved at her,” continued the assistant. Tiga politely complied, and Cher in turn reciprocated. Tiga then continued with his business, blowing everyone’s socks off from behind the decks. This is just the kind of amazing, ludicrous, surreal, hilarious story that anyone who’s heard Tiga’s music would come to expect from the man.

That’s not to imply that Tiga’s music is in itself ludicrous, over the top or, God forbid, ironic (well, in some ways it is all these things). It’s really a testament to the fact that Montreal’s crown prince of electro-pop is quickly becoming a certified musical phenomenon. With his new, twisted dance-pop album Sexor (co-produced by dance-music luminaries Soulwax and Jesper Dahlback) set to launch in North America this week, and with over 60 gigs across the world in the next four months, Tiga’s trajectory towards global domination shows no signs of stopping.

Mirror: So I heard Cher’s now a big fan. That’s pretty insane.

Tiga: You know, honestly, it was actually pretty cool. It was ludicrous. There were a lot of people at the show. Karl Lagerfeld was there, who I would’ve liked to talk to. I’ve never met him. A lot of people I know have. But I met Kylie.

M: She’s pretty short, apparently.

T: She’s tiny, tiny, tiny—

M: But well proportioned, from what I hear.

T: I don’t know. She just seemed like a little person.

M: What, like a midget?

T: Well, not that fucked up, proportion-wise.

M: Oh, so no little sausage fingers like that guy from Willow. That’s good to know. Speaking of celebrities, your biggest hits have been cover songs—Corey Hart, Nelly, Public Enemy, and now on Sexor, you’ve got Nine Inch Nails and Talking Heads. Is it easier to distance yourself from criticism when singing other people’s songs?

T: The truth about the whole cover thing is that for me, it has never been a big deal. I don’t get any less satisfaction from a cover being hailed as good, and I don’t get any more consolation if people diss it because I didn’t write it. It’s lazier, sure—you don’t have to write the words yourself. But there have been so many songs from my favourite artists when I thought, “Oh my God, this guy’s a genius, how did he come up with this?” Then one day I would find the original song that was sampled—like Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” or even just LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge,” that’s a Killing Joke sample. Once I started to discover more of these, I figured there’s not really much of a difference. Everyone has influences. The question is, are you wearing it on your sleeve or are you going through the exercise of changing it, which is totally worthwhile?

Damn the details

M: So will you be playing out live with your new album?

T: No, not yet. Soon.

M: I’m surprised you’re not out there playing already. What are you afraid of?

T: You know, I never had a problem with the just-go-for-it attitude. I’m not all precious about what I do. For me, it’s a question of the basics, like, can I sing? It’s basic training. Also, it’d be totally different if I had a band. As it is, I’m kind of by myself—I mean, Soulwax have kind of offered. But right now, there’s no band structure, no live anything. Once I get a little bit of structure, then I’ll be ready.

M: Well, one thing you can hear from the newer songs is that there’s more confidence in your singing. Was that tough to work on?

T: There is definitely more confidence. The truth about my life in general for the past two years is that it’s much more about ideas than actual songs. I’m more comfortable because I’ve become realistic with who I am. I’m kind of easy on myself. The way I see it is to push my strengths. It’s the same as production. I’m never going to be an insane engineer, just as I’m never gonna be an incredibly technical singer. Instead, I play up my strengths, my willingness to try things, to have an open mind. It’s more important for me to keep that than details.

CD launch with Thomas Von Party at SAT
on Saturday, May 6, 9 p.m., $30

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