Does twenty years seem like yesterday?
Tizy Bone: “Yes, clearly. We see each other again young. We were still children. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. We have both good and bad memories of this time. But, that’s life, that’s how it is. We keep the best and throw away the bad.”
How does this period differ from today?
Tizy Bone: “It’s day and night. It has nothing to do. Twenty years ago, it took coal to make itself known, to make a name for itself. You had to spend hours in the studio, know how to sing, have talent. Today everything is different, to become a star you just need a phone.”
There were many of you on the French hip-hop scene. There was notably Willy Denzey. Were you in competition with him?
Az: “There was competition and there always will be, but it wasn’t bad competition. We did things that had nothing to do with each other. We were just on the same niche. Willy Denzey has his audience and we have ours.”
And let’s talk about your audience. It’s not limited to those nostalgic for the 2000s.
Az: “No way ! We are often on tour and we find 90% of the new generation there. There is a very young audience who follows us. So the record was important. Parents left something physical for their children and it opened the doors to another audience for us.”
What are your favorite songs to perform on stage?
Tizy Bone: “Me, I like to sing Sexy for me. It’s my favorite title. I was actually sad that it didn’t come out first. Personally, I would have left Hey Ho! secondly but hey we can’t fight against the record companies. Eventually, Hey Ho! came out before and it’s still a good thing. Throughout our lives, people will talk to us about this title!”
What is your relationship with Belgium?
Tizy Bone: “We come there often. We know Liège, Mons, Brussels, Charleroi. We also remember the 24 Hours Vélo de Louvain-la-Neuve. Then, it must be said: the Belgian public is one of the best audiences.”
Are there any Belgian artists with whom you would like to share a song?
Tizy Bone: “Damso, Stromae, Hamza or even Benny B who we know very well!”
Where does the name “Tragedy” come from?
Tizy Bone: “From the Bee Gees song and it was especially chosen to ward off bad luck. The proof is that we continue to film twenty years later.”
Your duo has changed since the very beginning. Did the departure of Silky Shaï have an impact on the essence of the group?
Tizy Bone: “No not at all. We often mistake Az for this person. I think a lot of people didn’t even notice the change.”
Az, did you have difficulty finding a place for yourself in this group which had already enjoyed success?
Az: “Few people know this but I knew Tizy Bone even before the formation of Tragédie. We worked together on several songs. This arrival in the group therefore happened very naturally. We didn’t even ask ourselves any questions.”
What’s the craziest thing fans have done for you?
”Throwing panties and bras at us when we were on stage. This was the case not very long ago in Marseille.” (laughs)
Tragedy at the 2000s Evening at LouvExpo on June 29. Info and reservations on https://my.weezevent.com/
