Biig Piig drops new track ‘Picking Up’ (ft. Deb Never), BBC Sound of 2023

Biig Piig has today dropped brand new track ‘Picking Up’, featuring US star Deb Never and available now on RCA. Having just been selected for the prestigious BBC Sound of 2023, it’s the latest preview of Biig Piig’s much-anticipated debut mixtape Bubblegum, which will see a release on January 20th and also features latest single ‘This Is What They Meant’ (currently B-listed at Radio 1), suitably-explosive viral hit ‘Kerosene’, and more from Biig Piig’s most dynamic project to date. Previewing ‘Picking Up’ during her recent, immediately sold-out London and Dublin residencies – where Biig Piig brought out Deb at Hoxton Hall – Biig Piig’s Bubblegum headline tour is on sale now, with shows such as London’s Brixton Electric already selling out months upfront.

‘Picking Up’ throws you head-first into the feral frenzy of adolescence, and that endless pursuit of serotonin. It was conceived by Biig Piig, frequent NiNE8 collaborator Mac Wetha and Deb Never whilst hanging out in London, but reflects, in part, on Biig Piig’s fish-out-of-water experience locked down in America throughout the pandemic. “Picking Up’ is about wanting to run, get outside of your body, or go and punch something…anything to get the feeling out,” says Biig Piig. “I just love Deb and her energy: the track itself is heavy, but we had a lot of fun making a song about following anxiety and chaos.” Deb, meanwhile, adds: “I’ve been a fan of Biig Piig for a while now so it holds dear to me that we created something special, especially with Mac Wetha, who is a close friend and who produced on the track. I’m elated to be a part of this song.”

Bubblegum adds a new chapter to  Biig Piig’s incredible story thus far, channeling her innately adventurous spirit (musically, geographically, and emotionally) into her most colourful, confessional and surreal body of work thus far. Recorded between Los Angeles, New York and London, the mixtape explores themes of self-discovery, loneliness and longing as experienced by one singular artist’s life-long embrace of the unknown. “Bubblegum is sweet and nice to look at, but it’s sticky,” Biig Piig comments, introducing the concept. “I like the innocence, but was drawn to the texture — balloony, elastic, stretchy. And it bursts, too. That’s what the tape felt like.” Across Bubblegum, pockets of quiet contemplation are punctured by moments of chaos – from  ‘Picking Up’ to the combustible lust of ‘Kerosene’ – and revelation: latest single ‘This Is What They Meant’, for instance, is about experiencing a new city, and yourself, through another’s eyes. What’s emerged is a time-capsule for anyone coming of age, ultimately symbolising Biig Piig’s growth as an artist and young woman.

Today, Biig Piig is able to chronicle her journey into 2023 – and adulthood generally – with rarified clarity. It’s a wild path that has already seen the Irish (via West London and Malaga) artist earn a devoted audience, with over 200 million streams, co-signs ranging from Billie Eilish and the late Virgil Abloh to Lil Nas X, and tours alongside the likes of Glass Animals and Jungle. Recently, Biig Piig has also released tracks alongside the likes of NiNE8, Lava La Rue, Mac Wetha ft. Lord Apex and Blu DeTiger, all the whilst finessing her own debut mixtape. Blending heady club sounds, complex interiority and an occasional dance with demons both figurative and literal, Bubblegum chronicles an intense, at times isolated period of self-examination – but like all Biig Piig’s work, it’s ultimately bound by the potential of human connection. Though the bubble of the artwork (also unveiled today) seems bound to burst, Biig Piig has proved she won’t be broken, and in fact can only grow bigger and stronger with each breath.

Bubblegum – Tracklist:

‘Only One’
‘Liquorice’
‘Kerosene’
‘This Is What They Meant’
‘Ghosting’
‘Picking Up’ (ft. Deb Never)
‘In the Dark’

Biig Piig – Live Dates:

27.02.23 || New York || The Mercury Lounge
01.03.23 || San Francisco || Popscene at Rickshaw Stop
02.03.23 || Los Angeles || The Echo
10.03.23 || Paris || La Maronquinerie
12.03.23 || Amsterdam || Melkweg OZ
14.03.23 || Berlin || Säälchern
16.03.23 || Cologne || Luxor
17.03.23 || Brussels || Botanique
19.03.23 || Glasgow || King Tuts (SOLD OUT)
20.03.23 || Manchester || Gorilla
21.03.23 || Bristol || Thekla (SOLD OUT)
23.03.23 || London || Brixton Electric (SOLD OUT)
25.03.23 || Limerick || Dolan’s
26.03.23 || Cork || Cyprus Avenue
28.03.23 || Dublin || Academy