Blu DeTiger on how she's changing people’s perception of bass players

Blu DeTiger has already garnered hundreds of thousands of fans with her funk and disco-infused basslines, been crowned one of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2023 and released her very first signature guitar. So it should be no surprise that the modern bass icon says her sights are set higher than simply holding it down in a steady gig.

“The bass isn’t looked at as a ‘cool instrument’. It’s always seen as something in the background, or the ‘backbone’ of a band," DeTiger recently told Guitar.com. "I think I’m trying to shed a new light on it. People were very receptive to that online, so that’s always affirming.”

Her explosive bass videos on TikTok have continued to affirm her position. “You grow up and you play for other people, and you might start feeling insecure around other players in bands,” she explains.

“I think when I started putting myself out there and people started to tell me I was the shit and giving nice compliments, I realized, ‘Oh maybe this is something that people like.’ It gave me a confidence boost in my playing, and affirmation that what I was doing was important as it’s inspiring people.”

The viral bassist's Limited Player Plus x Blu DeTiger Jazz Bass is the latest in the line of successes she's been having.

In an interview with Bass Player earlier this year, she revealed that this release, and her relationship with Fender, have been brewing for a couple of years now.

“I’ve actually been working with Fender for a while now. They sent me a bass back when I was 17. I’ve also got a Jazz Bass from the Fender Custom Shop, which ended up being a very early prototype of my new signature model. That bass was a great jumping-off point.”

As to her thoughts on the final result? “It's a really unique bass," she asserted. “It has a chambered ash body, which makes it really light. The pickup configuration is also really interesting with the humbucker, which sounds like a built-in drive! It’s totally different from anything Fender's made in the past. We’re even sending one to Flea.”