About this artist
Versatile Californian singer/songwriter, rapper, and producer Tate Tucker combines genres to create a soulful hybrid that highlights his smooth, languid flow and often-ethereal singing. Rising from the Los Angeles underground, he made a breakthrough in 2016 with his single “Just Wanna.” A steady stream of singles carried him into 2019 when he released “Breezy” and the Shangri LA EP.
Born and raised in Santa Monica, Tucker grew up in the entertainment industry: his mother worked for Virgin Records and his father was an actor and acting coach. In elementary school, he took his first steps onto a musical path, studying drumming with Kay Carlson. It wasn’t until college — while he was studying politics at Georgetown University — that Tucker had his big life-changing moment: while in his hip-hop sociology class, he got the chance to freestyle in front of his idol, rapper Lupe Fiasco. The positive feedback and support convinced Tucker to pursue his dreams full time. He built a bedroom studio and began recording tracks, which ranged from conscious hip-hop to pop-friendly rap.
In 2016, he scored a viral hit with breakthrough single “Just Wanna.” From there, Tucker expanded his audience with opening slots for Big Sean and Post Malone. He also issued additional singles “Low,” “Capital,” and “Wannabe,” with each track differing from the last in vocal delivery and production style.
In early 2017, Tucker lost his father and experienced other minor setbacks, which inspired him to travel the world on a soul-searching mission to find himself. His journey inspired his next single, “Trips,” and also informed 2018 track “Stride.” Signing with Harvest Records, Tucker began a new era in 2019 with “Breezy,” produced by Tim Anderson (Billie Eilish, Banks) and WaveIQ (Jaden Smith, GoldLink). The sun-washed R&B jam appeared on his EP, Shangri LA, which was released that May. ~ Neil Z. Yeung