Tommy Cash on Eminem, t.A.T.u. and his first band
NSFW/Triggers: No. A single mention of skulls for Creepy Tipi festival.
Author: NME
Date: 17th of June 2022
Language: English
Tommy: Uh, I love to perform, I’m very good at it, I say. Like, very. It’s sad that you can’t bet money on performing. But yeah, very good.
Tommy: Hey, this is Tommy Cash, and this is Firsts for NME.
First CD you ever bought?
Tommy: I think Eminem cassette, Eminem LP cassette. Again, like, uh, Eminem was, is, icon. You know? He was everywhere. I liked everything about that.
First artist you fell in love with?
Tommy: I think I fell in love with… first artist called t.A.T.u. Y’know, it was special at the time. Basically. They were, um, shocking, you know? Like, “two school girls”, kissing in the rain and All the Things She Said and cool sound. It was straight bangers. Top Spotify, I think, listening still. [Laughs]
First tattoo you ever got?
Tommy: First- er, first tattoo I ever got was a tattoo of my birth year, that’s 1991 on my feet. Arrr, I think it was like, seven or eight years ago.
First text you sent this morning?
Tommy: First text I sent this morning was.. ahh.. “look at this, now you got competition”.
INT: What competition? Tell me, that’s it?
Tommy: I can’t tell you. But those who know, know that it’s intriguing.
First job?
Tommy: Uhm, my first job was, ah, as a server in a coffee spot just bringing coffees and foods to people. I mean, ah, the worst customer is the customer who thinks he’s over the worker. I think. The customer who forgets that, uh, we’re still all equal.
First band you were in?
Tommy: First bands I were? I was never into, in a band. But ah, there was a duo, kinda started rapping with my homeboy Eddie. It was called Abracadabra, and we started rapping together, basically. Recording on his, uh, you know, two… two year old… year old microphone, the computer one, plastic one, so. It was called Abracadabra.
First gig you went to?
TN: A gig means a concert.
Tommy: So basically, when I was a small boy, there was those, uh, gigs that made for kids whose parents weren’t that wealthy, and basically there were those American-made, I think, like, Christmas concerts, when like, kids got gifts also, and I think this is what was my first concert, but I, I guess there was like, some random covers or something.
First time you heard your song on the radio?
Tommy: Ah? First time when I heard my song on the radio? Okay. Uh, somewhere in the car, I guess. It was cute, but, hah. It was cute.
INT: What is a moment you had where you’re like, oh my god, this is amazing?
Tommy: I have every day. I had sandwich this morning, or in the morning, previous morning and it was amazing moment in my life. Some(times) the sandwich can be that good.
First festival you played?
Tommy: Okay. First festival I remember that I performed at was this, ah, little underground festival called Creepy Tipi, I think it’s in Hungary. They bring all these, like, cool underground artists all the time together, and it’s… there’s like a church, like hundreds real human skulls in… ah, in it, and it’s crazy. Yeah, but Creepy Tipi. Shout out to Creepy Tipi.
First festival you went to?
Tommy: First festival I went to was, ah, Positive Festival… and I didn’t get in.
INT: Why didn’t you get in?
Tommy: I can’t tell you. Maybe it’s illegal. But still, it’s, uh. They haven’t asked me to play… but they don’t know about it… The time I headline, I will talk about on stage. It will be a problem. It will be a riot.
First thing you do when you get off stage?
Tommy: We usually, like, say thanks to each other, kind of like, hug or just [fist bumps] do like this, you know? We talk about the gig, pop the champagne. I love to perform, I’m very good at it, I say. Like, very. It’s sad that you can’t bet money on performing. But yeah, very good.
First thing you do after a new release?
Tommy: Okay, first thing? What I feel first thing when I release the song? Arh. I’ll feel… I feel free. Usually I feel free that my idea is out there and now I can be just glad, you know?
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Tommy Cash | In Conversation
NSFW/Triggers: Yes. Mentions of sex, stripping and unsafe show stunts. Smoking. Mention of horror producers.
Author: NME
Date: 15th of February, 2019
Language: English
Tommy: And I literally lit the cigarette and she was smoking through her private parts. And that changed my world.
INT: Okay, so you're watching NME and we are here with the man, Tommy Cash.
Tommy: Tommy, hey.
INT: Welcome, sir, I mean you literally landed about a few hours ago.
Tommy: Yes.
INT: From Estonia.
Tommy: Yes.
INT: That's right. And you came straight here, where you've been, ah. But, can you describe the NME cover to... [mumbles]
Tommy: Um... I don't know, we're just doing my cold things, you know?
INT: Doing your cold things. [laughs]
Tommy: Yeah, just being me.
INT: So we got the cross the correct way up, but I mean you know, it's sweet, we saw flips at it at one point.
Tommy: Yeah. Yeah.
INT: Did you...
Tommy: I mean, we can go, go another way.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: Whatever, yeah.
INT: Did you might turn any [?]- any spirits, any poltergeists or anything pop up doing shoots?
Tommy: No! No, not really.
INT: Okay.
Tommy: Yeah, I hold everything away.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: I never seen any ghosts in my life.
INT: Not me neither, but yeah, I still like to believe.
Tommy: Yeah, but I'm sure there's some, some stuff going on.
INT: You wouldn't come back in homes if you came back as a ghost?
Tommy: Argh, everyone.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: I mean- like, some important people, I think. I would try to inspire some artists to do some stuff I would like them to do though, you know?
INT: Okay.
Tommy: Like, I believe in like, signs and weird stuff. If something happens, then "oh it's a sign", you know, like? I feel like I should go like "this".
INT: Oh okay.
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: So possible, you're being haunted by the ghosts.
Tommy: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. Ghost of Jim Morrison, I... Okay, ghost of JJJ, Janus, Jim and Jimmy.
INT and Tommy: [Laugh]
Tommy: There's like whole-
INT: When you're asleep, really [?]
Tommy: Yeah, yeah.
INT: So alright. What was Jim Morrison proton used for, is that where this music comes from, the other, yeah?
Tommy: Yeah, definitely. I, I just read his book in two days.
INT: Wow.
Tommy: Yeah, like. I love him. He been my role model for a long time.
INT: Now, these two died at 27, you're 26 now?
Tommy: No, i'm 27.
INT: Oh my god. You, you want to be really careful this year.
Tommy: I know. I actually was thinking about it a couple days ago that it's ah, it's yeah. It's, it's very dangerous, tempting, and uh, you know?
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: You know? 'Cause it's a, it's a, yeah, you know? They're like, "this is the year". This is the year, but ah... Yeah. If, if I would die this year, it would be like, you know, like, just making everything known to anyone, everyone, you know?
INT: Yeah. I think you can do that without, you know, "leaving" us, so, but as a princible, you get to get to be correct.
Tommy: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that's the... Yeah, that's the easy way, I, yeah...
INT: I'll not know though, so you, you put out your debut album last year.
Tommy: Yes.
INT: It's really kind of gathering, ground people kind of getting into it.
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: It's... ah. Can you describe the world of Tommy Cash, though? It's a world that includes art, fashion, uh, imagery, uhm, money-
Tommy: Horses.
INT: Horses?
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: Sometimes though, explain the horses if we cannot...
Tommy: Yeah. Yeah, Tommy Cash world, uhm... it's not a easy world, though. It's not a normal world. I mean, we, we love to get twisty, get more into stuff, explore, try to break the walls and you know? Build something new.
INT: Definitely. I was into these... that you kind of said you're not a mainstream artist, you're pointedly not a mainstream artist.
Tommy: Yes.
INT: So who are you for? You for outsiders, are you... anyone who's interested...?
Tommy: Yo, yeah, I'm definitely for the outsiders, I mean uhh... I'll- yeah. Argh, yeah, outsiders, yeah, like. Weird kids. The art people, you know? Fashion people. Actually, you know? I'm for everyone and for no-one.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: In the end, I'm just for myself.
INT: So what happens if you accidentally have a big hit single and then all of a sudden you get kind of like, you know...
Tommy: Arrrh, you know? This is kind of sucks because, yeah I feel like very, very bad for artists who had their big song and everything else is not like, everyone is like, "yeah oh, you had this song, where is the same song?", and I'm pretty happy that I haven't had that yet, so I can kind of grow as a artist.
INT: It's best said over here, you are fairly unique proposition, as Estonian rapper, singer, of...
Tommy: Yeah, yeah.
INT: Well, there is a big scene over there?
Tommy: ... No. No.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: And... and then, yeah I've never been kind of tied to where I'm from, you know? I've been, like, the isolated kid and this is what made me kind of my own world
INT: So did you grow up kind of dreaming about, I mean, America? There's a trap influence to your music a lot of it, which is a big American-
Tommy: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Like some American culture is... we're all inspired by American culture in trap, yeah.
INT: But I did read somewhere that you were getting kind of sick of trap, you thought...
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: You go in and out of it.
Tommy: In and out. In and out.
INT: Pheuw [Laughs] What's the next thing, then?
Tommy: Yo, no! Ah, you know, like... You know like, trap? There's like trap and there's still like hip-hop, you know? I'm very into, like, listening to old stuff right now, like Wu-Tang and Nas O-Matic. I kind of love that energy. But I still love trap, you know? This is what made me. I'm very, like- with a very hardcore like- like, ah- arh, with a hip-hop background, so... uhm eah, I still like hip-hop.
INT: It's great. A lot of people, especially with this hood on, a lot of people be thinking I know that face from somewhere.
Tommy: What?
INT: The, your video which was hugely viral uh... for a reason.
Tommy: Which one?
INT: [Spreads his legs and rocks them]
Tommy: Ahhh, ahhh.
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: I thought you will say I'm a famous crimelord.
INT and Tommy: [Laugh]
INT: Did that video get you in any trouble? It certainly got you noticed.
Tommy: No. No.
INT: ... No?
Tommy: ... No. [Laughs shyly and smiles]
INT: [Laughs] Can you sa- you... I... what... I think... [mumbles] the great thing about art, is? [Asks him what the great thing about art is]
Tommy: I think it was, eh, in the right time when everything with... when... when... everything got everyone into trouble, you know what I'm saying?
INT: Right, oh, okay, yeah, yeah.
Tommy: If it, it would come out like right now... then maybe, I would get into trouble.
INT: Well then, there's nothing funny, I mean, it's just very, it's very shocking, is it? But you know, there's actually nothing...
Tommy: Is it?
INT: There's nothing really- [mumbles] sort of-
Tommy: Yeah! Yeah!
INT: There's actually... [mumbles]
Tommy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
INT: Can, um. Can you pick a part, how a part of your world is constructed by you, you know? Because I thought that was a lot of people's first experience of-
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: Of you, was, you...
Tommy: You know, I love Tarantino, eh, but... I love Tarantino.
INT: So that your d' Niro thing/scene.
Tommy: I love a lot of Lars von Trier, you know. But I don't think there's anything bad to have some shock in... in your work. Like, this is what I love to see from the artists I love, so. I, I only do that 'cause of me.
INT: And um, you got the show [?] on March 1st? March 1st, yes, in Electric Ballroom.
Tommy: Yes. And actually, I'm on tour, it's not only like one show.
INT: Right, okay.
Tommy: Yeah. So I have like 34 shows, like...
INT: You're not gonna run the UK as well.
Tommy: No, in UK it's only London. I think.
INT: Okay, Um, what can people expect from your live performances?
Tommy: Arh.. You know-
INT: It's not a kind of... [mumbles] you don't just stand there like Liam Gallagher and go in one spot, do ya?
Tommy: No. It's little bit like Ping Pong show.
INT: [Wheezes]
Tommy: Actually, I thought to call this tour like Ping Pong show tour because it's like Ping Pong show kinda has, have like, you know like, 20, 20, 25 different things they do, right?
INT: Oh, okay. Like never... [mumbles]
Tommy: Yeah. Like pulling, pulling, ah... Actually, funny story: Couple days ago, I was at one Ping Pong show and there was like, a lady, arr. She had two cigarettes, then she put two cigarettes into her VGG.
INT: [Wheezes]
Tommy: And I was excited as fuck. Like, this is at a, that was like a strip club, right? It's like a strip club, like that 20-30 people. And like girls dancing on poles and there's like the show and she like, putting like two cigerattes inside her and she had a lighter and they're like "You come! Take the lighter!" and I literally lit the cigarettes and she was smoking through her private parts, and that changed my world!
INT: [Laughs]
Tommy: That! That really, like! Literally, like! This! [Claps] Another thing is like, another lady came out! And she was like! She was extr... they saw me, that I'm like the literally, the happiest person in the club! Because like! You know, like! I think people come like CEO or a freak show, but I'm like, so inspired, you know! Like, they don't do! They don't know that like! This is the, this is is so weird! This is real, there's no CGI! And she takes a, and she took a parrot out. Out of the... out.
INT: A live... parrot.
Tommy: Parrot! [Shouts]
INT: Wow. So how long did the-
Tommy: And it just went on, bam, bam, bam! And I was just sitting there, happy! Happy and inspired!
INT: Where was this.
Tommy: Er... It was in Thai. Thailand.
INT: In Thailand, in Thailand, right.
Tommy: Yeah.
INT: And so you wanna call your [?] after this. What are you going to be producing-
Tommy: Oh- Well, actually, no. Actually, that's the thing. Er, like, I feel every my song is experience, you know. It's not just lie I'm saying just staying with like a microphone singing the tracks. I feel like every song is a weird energy, nothing that you've seen before.
INT: When you look at the crowd, you wanna see people looking back at you in the way you looked at that lady producing that parrot. For myself.
Tommy: Yeah [Softly] Yeah. Yes.
INT: Okay. And actually that's complete, don't try that at home, um, sort of thing.
Tommy: Don't try it! It's crazy 'cause she was smoking in it... it's not like she took a couple of puffs and that's it! She keep, kept on smoking, smoking, smoking till it was the end! [Shouts]
INT: [Wheezes]
Tommy: And in the end! [Shouts] she gave me the cigarettes, and what I did.
INT: You kept it.
Tommy: I kept it, smoke it.
INT: [Wheezes]
Tommy: And everyone was like woooo! [Shouts] and I was like, you know what! You know what! You know, what was crazy. Yeah, so crazy.
INT: Well, I'm not now. Um, thank you very much [wheezes] Tommy Cash.
Tommy: Ping-Pong show tour. Coming soon. [Wheeze] Yes.
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