Tama Gucci spills on his musical firsts, from Covid turning his life upside down to dreams of ballet dancing and more.

NYC-based and Miami-raised, Tama Gucci is the musician and electronic composer to have on your radar now.

 

Recently, the artist-on-the-rise shared his ‘Almost Blue’ EP, a record that uniquely reimagines the intersection of pop and R&B, set against drum and bass beats. It features the popular single “Challenge”, an anthem about the empowering nature of the dancefloor, but it also touches on Gucci’s personal life, pop culture and reality TV tropes.

 

A a regular collaborator with Anonymous Club, Tama Gucci (real name Kymani Floyd) took inspiration from everything from  reggae to dancehall and electronic music when creating the EP.  The process also allowed him to connect with his Jamaican roots by exploring the origins of the aforementioned genres.

 

Notion chatted with Tama Gucci about his musical firsts – from the first song he ever wrote to the first time he saw a celeb in real life and more. Dive in!

First song you ever made?

It was called “Boyfriend” and I was 12 years old going by K.floyd (my first initial and last name).

First song you released officially?

“Boyfriend” was the first song I released actually – my parents pushed me to do it lol.
First CD or record you owned?
‘Full Moon’ by Brandy! ICONIC and timeless. One of my favourite albums ever.

First time you realised you wanted to be an artist?

Well I always was singing listening to old recordings – I definitely was not always this skilled haha, but I knew that this was something I could see myself doing and naturally it just became something I dived into even more.

First gig and first festival you went to?

My first gig was in Wynwood, Miami, Florida and it was so awkward lol. People thought I was singing and the sound was terrible lol I’ll never forget it. And my first music festival was actually in Jamaica, I can’t remember the name but remember the huge sound system and huge crowds of people was so exciting me I was 10 .

First time you faced an obstacle in your career?

Definitely the pandemic. Covid really turned a lot of things upside down. It was hard to even feel encouraged to keep going but my love for music flipped everything back on track. I just had to remember what I was doing it for and it’s always to make honest and great music!

First instrument you owned?

Ukulele!

First time you felt like giving up?

7th grade in chorus class, I actually wanted to be a ballet dancer; I wanted to forget about music.

First time you felt starstruck?

When I saw Beanie Man at the airport with my mum going to Jamaica. I was so hyped, never saw a celebrity IRL until that moment lol.

First time you ticked off a bucket list goal?

I’ve made so many bucket lists that I’ve eventually ticked them off but the one that pops up to mind and the biggest is moving to NYC. That was always a goal of mine so when I finally made the move it was such a moment for me.

Listen to Tama Gucci's 'Almost Blue' EP below: