Interview by Preston Frazier
Paris-born singer-songwriter Tiwayo returns with Outsider, an intimate and deeply soulful album shaped by family, loss, artistic perseverance, and the enduring influence of American blues, gospel, and Southern soul.
Released April 10, 2026, Outsider was produced by Black Pumas co-founder Adrián Quesada and recorded with an impressive Austin-based ensemble featuring drummer Jay Mumford, bassist Terin Moswen Ector, keyboardist Joshy Soul and string player Alexis Buffum. Doyle Bramhall II contributes guitar to two tracks, while Kendra Morris joins Tiwayo for the duet “Unchained Lovers.”
Tiwayo spoke with Slang of Ages about relinquishing control in the studio, finding the right range for his weathered voice and honoring his parents through music.
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Preston Frazier: Outsider is a wonderful album. It follows Desert Dream, but this is actually your third album, correct?
Tiwayo: Yes, it’s my third. My first album, The Gypsy Soul of Tiwayo, was released in 2019. Then I made Desert Dream, a more concept-driven album that I recorded in my home studio during COVID. With Outsider, I wanted to get out and play again.
Preston Frazier: You produced and engineered Desert Dream and played most of the instruments. For Outsider, you changed your approach. How did you connect with Adrián Quesada?
Tiwayo: I was working on demos and digging into my favorite soul albums. As I listened, I began to realize how important the team was. So many of the soul records we love were team efforts.
I decided that I needed to find the best possible team for this album, beginning with a great producer. Adrián was at the top of my list, so I reached out and sent him a few demos. He told me the music sounded great and suggested that we talk about it. A few months later, I was in Austin recording the album.
Preston Frazier: Did the sound you envisioned change once you began recording in Texas?
Tiwayo: It changed a lot, but in a good way. My songs usually begin with guitar and vocals, but I love digging into arrangements. I arrived with very solid demos. The structures, harmonies, and most of the important elements were already there, but what I was missing was a complete vision for the sound.
The first thing Adrián brought to the record was an amazing group of musicians. They had listened to the demos, but we really discovered the music by playing together in the studio. The demos became almost like scores that the musicians could interpret. Adrián and the other players created the sound of the album.
Preston Frazier: Desert Dream is stylistically different, but the musicianship is remarkably consistent, especially considering that you played nearly everything yourself.
Tiwayo: Desert Dream came from a very different time. We were all isolated from one another during COVID. My first album for Blue Note France had also been a big adventure and challenge, so with Desert Dream, I wanted to lead the entire process myself.
Afterward, I realized that doing everything alone was almost pointless. My mindset changed. I discovered how much I enjoy the collective nature of making music. You bring your ideas into the room, and everyone does something slightly different with them. That is where the magic happens. I don’t want to make records any other way now.
Preston Frazier: That interaction among the musicians is evident throughout Outsider. How long did you spend recording it?
Tiwayo: I spent two years preparing the album and two weeks recording it in Austin. The first week was dedicated to the basic tracks: bass, drums, keyboards, and guitars. We played together and recorded 13 songs.
The second week was devoted to overdubs, strings, backing vocals, additional guitars, and lead vocals.
Preston Frazier: The album opens with “I’ve Got to Travel Alone.” How did that song develop?
Tiwayo: While making this album, I wanted to emphasize my two main inspirations: soul and blues. There is a tradition known as soul-blues, particularly associated with Memphis in the 1960s.
One of my favorite soul singers is O.V. Wright. He was an amazing singer with a lot of grit, and his music combined soul and blues. “I’ve Got to Travel Alone” was inspired by his style and by the recordings made at Royal Studios in Memphis. Willie Mitchell’s production was all over the composition.
Lyrically, the song is about the journey between my second album and this one. I experienced some difficult times. I left Paris and moved to the countryside, became a father and tried to survive as an artist during COVID. At the same time, my father passed away. All those parts of my life came together in the song.
Preston Frazier: Did any of the compositions date back to the sessions for Desert Dream?
Tiwayo: Not really. There was a definite shift between the albums. My first record was driven more by drums and bass, with a strong soul influence. For Desert Dream, I wanted to move away from that. I wanted to hear the voice and guitar within something very dreamy.
Afterward, I realized that my music is better when there is some action in it. I returned to that rhythmic foundation, but with a different mindset. I wanted this album to be as good as the soul records I love, and I worked in that direction from the beginning.
Preston Frazier: “Sunshine Lady” introduces a stylistic change.
Tiwayo: It is a perfect example of the musicians’ beautiful playing. The song was already there—the melody, harmony and essence of the groove were in the demo—but it needed to be played by a real band.
Jay Mumford is an amazing drummer, and he created that magical drum part. Terin Moswen Ector played bass, and he is a fantastic musician as well. My demo was good, but their playing took the song to another level.
Preston Frazier: Has your vocal approach changed since Desert Dream?
Tiwayo: Absolutely. I mostly learned to sing by performing in different situations. Like many singers, I spent a long time trying to sing too high.
With Outsider, I tried to find the right keys for my voice. I lowered my range slightly and found a place where I could be comfortable enough to deliver the message while still remaining rhythmic and expressive. I worked a great deal on my vocals for this album.
Preston Frazier: “Daddy Was Born With the Blues” is one of the album’s emotional high points. Tell us about that song.
Tiwayo: My father introduced me to this music. I grew up listening to the blues because of him. It was very important in his life and in our family, and he passed that love on to me.
Although we lived in France in a very French environment, American, especially Black American, music was part of my childhood every day. When my father passed away, I wanted to write about that transmission.
The blues was a language to him and a beautiful art form. He listened to everything from country blues and electric blues to jazz. Thanks to him, I was introduced to all of it.
The arrangement is deeply rooted in Memphis soul, with a beautiful string part. Doyle Bramhall II’s appearance was a surprise. Before I arrived in Austin, I told Adrián that it would be great to have an outstanding Austin blues guitarist on the album. We eventually forgot about the idea.
Then one day Adrián came to me and said, “Doyle is in town. He likes the music, and he’s ready to come to the studio.” He came in that Friday, and it was amazing.
Preston Frazier: You’re an accomplished guitarist, and Adrián certainly is as well, but what Doyle adds to “Daddy Was Born With the Blues” is extraordinary.
Tiwayo: I agree.
Preston Frazier: What inspired “My House Is Your Home”?
Tiwayo: It is literally about my house. My partner and I moved to the French countryside five years ago, around the time our son, Noah, was born.
It marked a major transition for us. I watched my son take his first steps there and experienced all these new family moments. Becoming a father made me a better person and brought me so much joy. The song is made from those first memories in the house where we now live.
Preston Frazier: “Up for Soul” brings a faster tempo and a great groove.
Tiwayo: That song arrived late in the process. At a certain point, I felt that the album was missing a faster groove.
I started with the feel of a one-chord vamp and then spent the day listening to Sly Stone. The song came directly out of that listening session. I was fascinated by those funky and sometimes unusual chord progressions, moving between minor and major in unexpected ways.
The satirical lyric also reflects Sly Stone’s influence. I’m making fun of myself a little in the song.
Preston Frazier: “Electric Spanish” is another stylistic departure. How did it come about?
Tiwayo: I wanted to bring Latin soul into the album because I have Spanish roots on my mother’s side. Adrián and I shared that interest.
I am also a huge Donny Hathaway fan, and the song grew partly from “The Ghetto.” Percussion is central to it. It works particularly well live, and I love performing it. Recording the musicians playing congas and building that groove was a real pleasure.
Preston Frazier: Kendra Morris joins you on “Unchained Lovers.” How did that collaboration happen?
Tiwayo: That came during the final stages of the album. Most of the record was already complete, but I wanted a duet with a female vocalist.
I had loved Kendra’s music since her first album. As I had with Adrián, I sent her the song and asked if she would be interested in singing on it. She thought it sounded great and recorded her vocals in her apartment.
When she sent the tracks back, I opened the files and was amazed. She did a beautiful job. We only needed to make a few small changes, and then it was finished. I sent the song back to Adrián in Austin so he could complete the mix.
I later met Kendra in New York City. We walked around the city and filmed some material together. She is a great artist and an amazing person.
Preston Frazier: Did you originally conceive “Unchained Lovers” as a duet?
Tiwayo: Not really. We have a version without the female lead, and it already works well. But Kendra brought it to another level.
Preston Frazier: Tell us about “Dark Skies.”
Tiwayo: I’ve been connected to gospel music since I was young, thanks to both my father and my mother. It is a musical color that has always spoken to me, and I wanted to write something in that direction.
The song addresses difficult moments and a certain relationship with faith; how you can build something out of hardship. It also makes me think about my son. I began writing it with just voice and guitar when he was still a baby.
Like several songs on the album, it came out of that transitional period in my life: moving from the city to the country, becoming a father and losing my father.
Preston Frazier: “Dark Skies” leads naturally into “Mama Gave Me the Will.”
Tiwayo: That song is about my mother, who passed away when I was a child. I only have a few memories and images of her. She loved rock and other kinds of music.
The song is built from those memories, including moments when people gathered and celebrated at our home. Again, it is about the idea of transmission.
It is a funky counterpart to “Daddy Was Born With the Blues,” but the two songs approach the subject in very different ways.
Preston Frazier: “Love of My Life” brings another stylistic shift.
Tiwayo: It was inspired by the style of George Jackson, a soul singer and songwriter whom I love. His music is pure and beautiful.
“Love of My Life” is a simple song about the love I have for my partner. George Jackson had a way of describing the simplest things beautifully, and I tried to bring that sensibility to my description of a loving relationship.
Preston Frazier: “Peace Makers” brings the album full circle.
Tiwayo: I wanted another uptempo song that would close the album with a positive message. It also needed to work in a live setting because this record was made to be played onstage.
Once again, the musicians took the demo to another level. Jay’s drumming was great, and Adrián encouraged me to play more guitar on the track. It has a little Gary Clark Jr. influence in it. Adrián pushed me in that direction, and I think it works.
Preston Frazier: Have you begun touring behind Outsider?
Tiwayo: I’m currently touring the album in Europe, mainly in France. I hope to tour more extensively throughout Europe and come to America in 2027.
I have more shows scheduled for late 2026, including a seven-date tour of Spain. That makes me very happy because I have never had the opportunity to do a proper Spanish tour.
I really want to bring Outsider to America and see what happens. I need a specific visa, however, and that can be a long process.
Preston Frazier: Were any additional songs recorded that did not make the album?
Tiwayo: Yes, we recorded two more songs, and they should be released later in 2026, probably around September or October. One is called “Good One for Loving Man,” and it features Doyle Bramhall II. The other is called “Austin, Austin, Austin.”
Preston Frazier: The songs, performances, production, and vocals on Outsider are all wonderful. I recently bought Desert Dream as well, and now I need to find your first album.
Tiwayo: You might enjoy the first record. Desert Dream is a concept album and something very different. I recorded my first album in Valdosta, southern Georgia.
Preston Frazier: What are your favorite albums?
Tiwayo: Here’s my list today-
OV Wright – The Bottom Line
Albert King – I wanna get Funky
George Jackson – In Memphis
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul
Al Green – I’m Still in Love with You
Thank you for taking the time for this interview.
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Outsider was released April 10, 2026, via Record Kicks. The album is available digitally and in physical formats through Tiwayo’s Bandcamp page and other major music retailers.