Before they could even so much as point a finger, Tamsin Stephens has beaten nepo baby accusers at their own game: by claiming to be the granddaughter of Leonard Cohen. In actual fact, the Wigan-based musician’s family ties to the industry go no further than her dad blasting Nirvana in the car.
Releasing music under the moniker TTSSFU – an acronym she vows to keep a secret – Stephens’ ultra-modern brand of alt pop has sprung to the attention of fans and rock icons alike. We caught up to chat about her accidental foray into shoegaze, her tumultuous relationship with live performing, and what we can expect from TTSSFU in 2026.
You had a huge year in 2025. What were your personal highlights?
So much happened. It’s weird how I deal with things; I don’t realise they’re happening, then later when I’m hanging about at Wigan train station it’ll hit me and I’ll be like, that was actually insane. I’ve been thinking a lot about supporting Kim Deal. It’s crazy to me. The life she’s lived and what she’s done is revolutionary in a musical sense. She was the nicest, chillest person ever, and when we were chatting I was acting chill because I didn’t realise how mental it was at the time. Then after the tour I just went back home to Wigan, like, what the hell?
I wonder if Kim Deal has ever been to Wigan.
I hope not; it’s a scary place. But I’m still living at my family home there; it’s essentially my studio. Every time I come home, I start sketching out ideas.
You started off making music in your bedroom, and now you’re signed to Partisan. How has being signed to a label influenced your music, and have you felt any pressures to fulfil new expectations?
I’m really lucky with my label; they’re so patient with me. Before, I was scared of collaboration because I’m a complete control freak. I was terrified when I started in case they wanted to change my lo-fi sound, but they’re on my side about everything. Working with Chris at Partisan has opened up a world of opportunity for me. His work ethic is great, and he never tries to change anything; he focuses on what we both like, and helps me make that as big as possible.
Congrats on your new single ‘Upstairs.’ You’ve said that it’s about a man you became completely obsessed with – how did writing the song help you process those feelings?
It’s so funny. I literally met this man once.
We’ve all been there.
I met him when I was out for my sister’s birthday in YES bar. Something strange happened that night. I became so obsessed. He’s genuinely the most interesting person I’ve ever met; he’s like an alien. At the time, I would talk over and over about him to my friend and it was driving her mad. She’d end up screaming at me because I went absolutely insane.
I got really into cumgirl8 at the time and really wanted to do a song that sounds like theirs production-wise. I was like, what can I write about? Maybe this absolute obsession I have with this random person.
My mum asked who it was about the other day, and when I told her she was horrified.
Will you tell him?
If he reads this, he will know. I have a feeling he already does because I posted something about the song on Instagram and he liked it. I hope he doesn’t find it offensive in any way.
I’d be flattered if someone wrote a song about me after meeting me once. How are things progressing with your debut album?
After my EP ‘Blown,’ I wrote a synth-pop album and showed it to my label. ‘Upstairs’ was actually on it. I wasn’t going to make it a TTSSFU release, but I’m piecing together things that are lying about on my laptop and playing around with the idea. It will be my first project where I haven’t written and recorded everything in the same time frame, but doing the whole thing differently makes me more comfortable; there’s less pressure to get the sound consistent.
What was it that drew you to make shoegaze music? It’s a genre so firmly rooted in the ‘80s and early ‘90s with bands like my bloody valentine and Slowdive, but seems to be really resonating with Gen Z.
I’m a total fake shoegazer. The first time I listenedto mbv, I didn’t get it at all. I listened to the pink album [‘loveless’] – the one you see on T-shirts and stuff – and was like, I can’t tell what’s going on. Even though I didn’t get it, I watched Youtube videos about how they created the vacuum sounds and stuff, and I found it really interesting. From there, I found other bands like Slowdive and Beach House who are still in that world but not quite as intense. I started listening to it all the time and became attached to it. From that I learnt you could put reverb on your vocal, and that became a way to disguise what I was on about in songs. I just found singing so embarrassing at that point, like if my family listened to it or anything.
What sort of music were you into before your shoegaze enlightenment?
As a kid, I was completely obsessed with the Beatles, then I got into Gorillaz at about 12. My sister is 4 years older than me; she was proper goth and into all sorts of stuff I didn’t like. But I remember hearing ‘Nevermind’ and getting so attached to it. Me and my dad would listen to it in the car. That’s when I really started getting into music and wanting to write it, but I couldn’t write with enough emotional depth for a long time because I was so young and hadn’t really been through anything. You can’t fake emotion at all. I’ve only been able to write stuff that’s more raw and gritty since I got into my 20s and I’ve actually lived a bit.
At what point did it become clear you could make a career out of music?
I used to play in a band called Duvet. The lead singer Grace is one of my best friends, but I started to get jealous of how free she was on stage. Watching her express herself, I was like, I really want to do this. At the same time, I was putting stuff out on Soundcloud as TTSSFU, and a few people would ask why I didn’t do TTSSFU live. In my brain I’d go, I can’t do that, i
I’m not bold enough to be a frontwoman. I was so nervous and had so much stage fright. I used to go on stage just to play guitar and feel like I was going to be sick, meanwhile, Grace would be screaming in people’s faces and all sorts. So I took a lot of inspiration from her and pushed myself to do it. When my single ‘I Hope You Die’ got a lot of attention, I was like, I need to sort myself out and do a show. A lot of my friends helped me get enough confidence. I would perform to my old guitarist Paddy in a practice room, just me and him, because I couldn’t bear singing in front of even, like, four people. After the first show, I started getting a lot of emails and thought, this might actually work out now. It was pretty mental.
Do you still get nervous before performing live?
Not as much; it’s been like exposure therapy. I was watching videos of me supporting Lime Garden at Scala in 2024. At the time I thought I’d nailed it and was quite confident, but watching it back I can tell I was so nervous. It’s trial and error. I’ll do things on stage and then be like, that was so embarrassing, I’ll never do that again. I feel like I’ve created a recipe for calculating what to do next based on how I’m feeling. These days I go into a bit of a zone before going on stage. I try not to talk to anyone. I don’t like people asking me if I’m okay because I want to go completely numb.
How was your first recent headline tour across the UK and Europe?
Really good. We got to tour with Lonnie Gunn; her and her band are the most awesome people ever. They’re all extremely talented. Lonnie is an amazing frontwoman; she’s just so cool and nice, it was a really friendly vibe. Then we had Maxwell Tanner on the Manchester night. I really love his stuff, he does it all on his own. It was such a cool tour. Everyone was happy, my band were great, and we were all feeling a lot better about actually playing the songs. We feel like we’re getting somewhere when playing live
I’m thinking about who’s going to support on this year’s tour. I really want Dee Rae to do it; they’re a cool artist and guitarist, and a really good friend of mine. I love it when the support is someone I think is incredibly talented. You know someone is good when you watch their set every night and don’t get sick of it.
What else are you going to do differently on your next tour?
I’m deciding whether I’m still going to wear that wig or not.
Who’s your dream artist to support on tour?
I’ve already opened for John Maus, which was on my bucket list. I’d love to support Kim Gordon, and probably The Strokes. I’m completely obsessed with Julian Casablancas. He’s my biggest fashion icon. I met him when The Voidz supported Idles. I was wearing a jacket with the American flag on – I wear it a lot – and he was like, “I think I have that jacket.” It was so cool.
You’re playing at Mad Cool festival in Madrid this summer. How does performing at festivals compare to your own shows?
I feel more free at outdoor festivals. My guitarist Harrison and I were saying we feel cool when the sun’s out. We love stuff like that, but indoor festivals not so much; the movement of them feels really chaotic and incredibly stressful. You don’t have as much time to just sit and have a beer.
I’m really excited to see David Byrne and Pulp at Mad Cool. I really look up to Jarvis Cocker. Hopefully the sets don’t clash.
It would be a pretty big flex to say you missed David Byrne because you were playing your own set.
I’d literally cry. I wouldn’t do it, I’d get someone else to stand in.
