Vagabon

Laetitia Tamko, better known by her stage name Vagabon, is a Cameroonian-American autodidact multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and music producer based in New York City.

Vagabon
Vagabon performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameLaetitia Tamko
Born (1994-10-25) October 25, 1994
Yaoundé, Cameroon
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • Guitar
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Bass
  • Samples
Years active2014–present
Labels
Websitevagabonvagabon.com

Biography

Early life

Laetitia Tamko was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon. At age 13 her family relocated to New York so her mother could attend law school.[1] Having come from a French-speaking country, Tamko learned to speak English and was soon able to attend Westchester High School. Tamko later attended City College of New York, and graduated from the Grove School of Engineering in 2015.[2]

Career

At age 17, Tamko's parents bought her a Fender acoustic guitar from Costco. She taught herself to play by watching instructional DVDs.[3] In 2014 she started uploading her music to Bandcamp under the pseudonym Vagabon.[2] In addition to vocals and guitar, Tamko played drums, keyboard, and synth on her 2017 album Infinite Worlds.[4] In 2018 she was invited to open for Courtney Barnett on her North American summer tour.[5]

Her self-titled second album (Nonesuch, 2019) is self-produced and explores new sounds. It features digital sounds and synth strings alongside her delicate acoustic guitar. Most of the songs are written and played by the artist herself. 'We reserve the right to be full when we’re on our own', she sings on her song "Every Woman".[6] Released as a single and official video which can be seen on her website, the song is a young feminist's manifesto. The album also represents a move beyond the indie-rock scene, the shift in sound a "rejection of being pigeonholed."[7]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs
  • Persian Garden (Miscrerant, 2014)
  • Vagabon on Audiotree Live (Audiotree Music, 2017)
gollark: You're too inactive.
gollark: > What shit does gollark say that gets parroted? Weird stuff about bees?Essentially.
gollark: I didn't steal any thunder, I stole the *lightning*.
gollark: Hard to tell what, human social interactions are fiddly and complex.
gollark: Yes, I don't think the server would unexist, but definitely *some* things would happen.

References
  1. Thompson, Katherine Cusumano (February 22, 2017). "Girl of the Moment: Laetitia Tamko, AKA Vagabon, Has This Indie Rock Star Thing Under Control". W Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  2. Gore, Sydney (February 24, 2017). "Vagabon belongs to 'Infinite Worlds'". Nylon Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  3. Lim, Audrea (April 27, 2016). "Freak-Folk Rising: Vagabon's Laetitia Tamko Tames Her Demons in Real Time". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. "Review: Vagabon, 'Infinite Worlds'". NPR.org. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  5. "Paste Magazine". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  6. "Laetitia Tamko leaps into new sounds and new horizons". pitchfork.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  7. "'There Will Be No Darkness': Laetitia Tamko On The Making Of 'Vagabon'". National Public Radio. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  8. Strauss, Matthew (August 23, 2019). "Vagabon Changes Name of New Album, Announces New Release Date". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
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