No Full Stops, Just Semicolons: Biig Piig Interviewed

When is the right time to release a debut album? It’s a question with no single answer—one that varies wildly from artist to artist. For some, it’s a calling from a higher power; for others, an inner certainty that the moment has arrived. For Biig Piig, eight years after her first single, the long-awaited’ 11:11′ came as a sign—literally.

Rooted in the idea of finding peace after a period of flux, ’11:11′ takes its name from angel numbers, a numerological symbol of reflection and cosmic alignment. Fittingly, the album chronicles Biig Piig’s journey over the past few years, both personally and musically. From her early days in the London-based DIY collective NiNE8, where she honed her alt-hip-hop sound, to the genre-blurring mix of R&B, dance, neo-soul, and indie that shaped her previous releases, ’11:11′ marks her arrival in a confessional alt-pop space—self-assured and fully realised.

Infused with the energy of club culture, the album moves through different dimensions—falling in love, feeling lost, chasing highs, and coming down. It shifts from the sweaty, sexy pulse of tracks like ‘Decimal’ to the melancholic euphoria of ‘Ponytail’, before settling into the more introspective, late-night glow of ‘One Way Ticket’. Binding it all together are Biig Piig’s signature breathy vocals, exuding a cool confidence and world-weariness beyond her 26 years.

At its core, ’11:11′ is about time—how it moves, how it stills, and how time is a necessity to let the music breathe. And while Biig Piig describes the album as a moment of self-discovery, its release is not an endpoint but a new beginning—not a full stop but a semicolon.

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Do you have a specific moment when you saw 11:11 or have felt its significance in your life?

Several times in the last few years, throughout the process of making the album as well. I feel like things are so fast-moving, and you don’t really get a second to breathe. Whenever I caught those numbers, it was a moment to be like, okay, let’s register what’s going on; take a second think about people I love and the things that happened and try to connect with them somehow through the meditation that you do with it. It felt like a moment of reflection, definitely, but also a moment of peace in a very chaotic time.

How do you ground yourself? Do you have any specific techniques when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need to get back in touch with yourself?

When it comes to [performing] live, I’m still working out. I usually disassociate [laughs]. I love having a ritual beforehand, because it definitely does put you in a mindset and really chills you out. So having frankincense as an oil that you use while saying a prayer before, and also, connecting to people that I love in my life. We sing a song all together, which is so nice. Just making sure that you’re experiencing the joy of what’s going on and not letting the stress overshadow it.

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You’ve described this record as a big reflection on the last few years. What were the most defining moments that shaped this album?

It was made between Paris and London, so there were a lot of moments between those two. In studio Motorbass, there were moments that were really defining. I remember going in and just falling in love with the space, and being like, there’s no way that you’d want to do anything but stay there all day writing. It was an amazing space, and there’s so much history in it. It takes you into a different world, and time goes by really, really quickly. I had a lot of gorgeous memories there. And also being in Montmatre and walking around and having glasses of wine and really romanticising life. The people were so open and welcoming and passionate about what they did. Very much a living-in-the-moment kind of feeling. I think that inspired me a lot when I was writing there. 

There were a lot of moments back in London as well. A lot in the studio, but also a lot when taking the music away and sitting with it and living with it for a while, because sometimes you’re writing so much, without too much thought about what you’re touching on, and then you could find tracks, like, how I found ‘One Way Ticket’ afterward. It’s a track that really helped me in a time, and it’s really gorgeous when I see that still be a part of the process where music will still hold you and still get you through things, and still be a friend when you feel like a bit lost.

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You’ve said this album represents making peace with change rather than trying to outrun it. Was there a specific turning point that led you to that mindset?

There were definitely a lot of shifts – in love, in life, and just personally, I think. There was a lot of growing that I did in the last couple of years as well. Things that maybe I’d run away from before I’d had to face a bit more. 

You’ve spoken about how club culture influenced the album. What is it about nightlife that inspires your songwriting?

I love nighttime. It’s my favourite thing ever. I love solo adventures out in the night, especially in the city; how the city opens up in a different way. And people do too, especially in the club environment, on the dance floor. I think it brings such a safe space to be vulnerable and open and adventurous and playful. The city comes to life for me. Making the record, there was a lot that I wanted to embody. “Decimal” was definitely one where I really wanted to capture that feeling of pure ecstasy, but also, how does that feel? And how do we best try and put that in the track when it comes to the drop? But then also thinking, how do I want to bring it to a live environment and feel it out on stage and cultivate that same feeling that I get when I’m in a space? I love it. 

Life transforms under night. A totally different side of people comes out. It’s definitely a freer side; a more artistic side, perhaps.

And also the feral instinct! Honestly, I feel like the moon does something too. I feel like it’s all connected, genuinely.

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What’s the best night out you’ve ever had – at least recently? The kind that could inspire a song like ‘Cynical’?

I’m thinking about the time I spent writing the album. There were a lot of nights out. There was one night when I first went to Montmartre, and I was walking around, go out and explore after the session. It felt so good. I sat down and I met a busker. He started playing music, we started jamming, and there was a bunch of people that we met that sat down as well. We all started singing, and we were like, let’s go on an adventure. He was like, I live around here. So he showed us around all these places, and we met this woman, and she was like, “Come back to my house!” And so we ended up having a big dance party at her house. She was this amazing diva. When you can experience a city through someone’s eyes and everything just flows like that, it’s the best. And for an introduction to the city like that, and for that part of the city, that was one of my favorite times around the album.

You’ve moved around quite a lot, living in Cork, Marbella, Los Angeles and London. Do you feel that you’ve got more of an innate ability to find your feet when you go to a new city?

Yeah, I think so. I love meeting people. I think the saddest thing about life is you won’t get to meet everyone. I love going to different places and just being dropped in it. 

Are you a type A or a type B person?

I’m a type B girl [laughs]! Run out of f*cking laundry on the second day out there, like f*ck, I’ve got no socks. 

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The album comes with eleven short films written by and starring yourself that explore different dimensions of the songs. How did you approach translating the music into visual storytelling?

I’ve worked with some really good directors on it, Claryn Chong, who’s amazing, did the first batch. I really wanted to be able to display the emotions on the songs through different characters. When all eleven are put together, it will be a short story. It was really fun to write those. Claryn Chong did the first four episodes, and then we moved on to Freddie Cattaneo for all the ones remaining. It all came together pretty late into it, but it’s been amazing. The actors are amazing. There’s a childhood friend of mine in it as well who’s an incredible actor. It’s special for me to be able to be like, Oh my god, I can’t believe we’re both in London and we’re doing creative things. It’s just so not what we expected we’d ever be doing. I love visual stories. Whenever I write things in the studio, it’s super visual. I love displaying that, being able to play with making that feel more tangible, I guess.

Is there one of the five characters in the short films that relate to most?

I think all of them for different reasons, but I guess the one that I’ve more recently felt very close to has been Sarah’s character, whose character is experiencing what it means to come to terms with a loss and working through things and finding hope after a darker time. Finding female friendship really important and grounding, as well as coming to terms with being able to let go and not feel guilty about it. There’s a lot of emotions in her character that I feel like I’ve really touched on recently.

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The album taps into fantasy and imagination at different points, like on the track ‘Favourite Girl’. How do you balance storytelling between real-life experience and pure escapism? Because in music, as with any art form, I feel like there’s always going to be a certain aspect of yourself retained in the work, no matter how conceptual it may be.

One hundred per cent. I feel like it always comes from a place, right? Music is like a translation of the emotions that you’re going through. That’s the way I’ve seen it. Exactly what you’re saying, it doesn’t matter how extreme the concept, how very out of this world is, it will still come from an emotional place. I think the balance for me, I’m still working it out, to be honest, because I like dipping into both worlds. I like having the stuff that feels like escaping into a different reality – I mean, I guess they’re both still a world that you create. One just feels more like real life than the other. 

What’s one lyric from ’11:11′ that best sums up where you’re at right now?

Maybe “Brighter Day”‘s chorus. I really like that as a whole theme for [the album], which is hopeful; it’s looking on to the next stage of life. “I watch you fade away / I’m no stranger to change / Just hoping that tomorrow might bring a brighter day”.

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Lastly, you’ve always embraced reinvention, both in life and music. Do you think Biig Piig is still evolving, or does ’11:11′ feel like a homecoming?

It’s hard to say. I think only because I never know. I feel like it’s exactly what it’s meant to be and where I’m at right now. But that’s not to say that the next stage won’t be different. I never want to put a full stop on it, because I just love to see where else it will take me.

No full stops, just semicolons.

That’s gorge. That should be the slogan. That’s sick.

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’11:11′ is out now.

Words: Aimee Phillips // @aimeephillips94
Photography: Connie Burke // @picsbyconniee

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