Tiga moves with the kind of clarity that only comes after time has done its work. With HOTLIFE, his first studio album in over a decade, the Montreal icon sharpens everything that has defined him into something focused, instinctive, and fully alive. The record pulls from the tension he’s always carried, where underground energy and pop language collide and reshape each other, track after track. There’s a sense of ease running through it, like someone fully in their moment, something he acknowledges himself: “Personally, I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Yesterday, we published an article on METAL exploring the world around HOTLIFE. Still, we had been holding onto something for a moment like this. We spoke with Tiga a few weeks before the album’s release, while the countdown was still unfolding, when everything was already in place but not yet out in the open. “This album is a symbol of feeling great again,” he told us. “Being excited about music, about life, about the world.” That feeling carries through every part of the project.
There’s a different kind of clarity behind it too, one that comes from having nothing to prove. “I went through a period where I wasn’t sure if I’d still be making music,” he says. “So this album is a symbol of feeling great again.”
How are you doing today, and where are you answering us from?
I’m doing very well. I’m in Montreal.
We’re just a few weeks away from the release of HOTLIFE. How are you experiencing this countdown compared to other moments in your career?
It feels similar to others, but this has been a longer and more organised rollout, spread out over a longer period of time. I feel good about that. The team did a really good job. It feels great to release music again and to release a lot of music. I love it.
This is your first studio album in over a decade. After all this time, what made now feel like the right moment to fully commit to an album again?
Time goes very quickly; it doesn’t really move the way it used to. Sometimes a decade feels quick, but a lot happened in that time. It was kind of a strange decade. I usually release an album when the music is done, when I’m excited about it, when I feel like I have a new sound. Albums for me are like chapters in life. When you have a chapter written, you release it.
You opened the year with HOT WIFE, a collaboration with Boys Noize. What did it feel like to release new music together after so many years of shared history?
I love Alex. He’s got a fantastic vibe. It’s a track we made a little while ago, and we both have a similar approach — we’re still kind of innocent in a way, like kids just having fun. When a track is ready, we put it out. There isn’t some big master plan. It’s a pleasure, because I don’t know that many people like that anymore, and Alex is still like that.
You’ve spoken openly about your long friendship with Alex and how you’ve grown together through different scenes and eras of electronic music. What does that kind of long-term bond unlock creatively?
Friendship is very important to me. The vibe with a person is everything; I only really work with people I like. We talk a lot and make jokes, and that connection makes you feel comfortable and confident. You can try stupid ideas without worrying about the other person’s opinion. Alex and I trust each other. We’ve seen scenes come and go. There’s a certain strength in that, like we’ve already seen everything happen, so we’re just chilling.
When you announced HOTLIFE and shared that the album was finally finished, there was a strong sense of relief and joy in your words. What did reaching that moment represent for you?
There was definitely relief and joy. I went through a period where I wasn’t sure if I’d still be making music, if I still had the desire, the ability, or even if I was healthy enough. So this album is a symbol of feeling great again — being excited about music, about life, about the world. It feels really good. It honestly feels better than my previous albums, because it feels like I overcame more to get it done.
Looking back on the album’s development, was the process guided more by instinct or by a clear vision from the beginning?
Definitely instinct. I’m not a big planner. I get moments of clarity when I’m working on a track, like very powerful twenty-minute bursts, but overall, everything is instinct. I really believe in instinct and taste. The more you strip things down and understand what you truly love, the more you can follow that in a pure, streamlined way. Life and creation come down to decisions: Do I love this enough to put it out? To defend it? To leave everything else behind? Now I’m very ruthless with that. As you get older, your taste refines. My goal is to be like an ancient hunter, just picking up tiny signals and following them purely on instinct.
Some of the music on HOTLIFE has lived with you for a long time. How do you know when something is truly finished?
Sometimes you know because you play it out and it works, and that’s enough. For me, it’s about whether the feeling is captured. If you capture a feeling, that’s 90% of it. But timing is also important. Some tracks didn’t feel right before, but they feel right now. Like ECSTASY SURROUNDS ME, I made it a long time ago, but now I’m more comfortable putting that kind of sound out. So sometimes it’s not about finishing; it’s about timing.
ECSTASY SURROUNDS ME has been out for a little while now, after years of anticipation. How did it feel to finally let that song live outside your own world?
It felt really, really good. It’s my favourite song on the album. I’m very proud of it, and it felt right to finally release it at the right time.
You’ve said that this track brought you closer to the artist you want to be. Can you tell us more about it?
It’s a very honest record. There’s something about using a bigger, more romantic, more upfront voice, really putting your personality forward. That track feels much more “me” than something like Go Dancing. Some tracks I think are good or effective, but ECSTASY SURROUNDS ME — I think it’s genuinely cool. It’s the kind of record I’d confidently play for someone like David Bowie.
Collaboration plays an important role in HOTLIFE. What do other artists bring out in you that you don’t access when working alone?
I don’t really get much done alone unless I’m forced to. I like environments where you have to react quickly, like conversations, jokes, and live moments. Under pressure, your brain connects ideas in ways you don’t fully understand, but you trust it. Collaboration creates that energy. It’s a back-and-forth, a kind of conspiracy between two people. It keeps things fresh and stops you from repeating yourself. Also, I think it’s important to fill your brain with high-quality things — music, films, ideas — so when those connections happen, you’re drawing from something meaningful.
When you look back at your career, do you feel more freedom today than before?
Now I feel 100% freedom. Maybe before it was 90%. I’ve always felt a lot of freedom making music, but in life now, I feel completely free. And I’m very proud of that. It feels fucking great.
In retrospect, are there two or three moments that feel truly defining for you, where you sensed that something was shifting?
I don’t really like to look back that much. There’s too much of it. But Sunglasses at Night was a big one. There was some magic and luck there that launched things. And when I was really young, going to parties for the first time, that feeling was so powerful it changed my life. Also, the people I met were huge turning points: Meeting Dave, Steph (Soulwax) and Jesper Dahlbäck, those relationships shifted everything.
You closed last year with several performances across Europe. Did those shows influence the mindset or emotional temperature you carried into the final phase of the album?
Not specifically. I’ve been doing shows since I was seventeen. Shows always give you energy, ideas, and feedback; they help shape your sound, but there’s nothing specific from recently that changed things.
How has the beginning of this year felt for you, both creatively and personally?
It’s been incredible. Personally, I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Creatively, I move in cycles. Sometimes it’s dry, sometimes you’re killing it, and right now I’m in a really good zone.
Looks like you had a wonderful time in São Paulo and Buenos Aires recently! What is it about the vibe there that you feel resonates between you and the crowd?
Yeah, I had an amazing time. The crowds there really connect with my music. We have a strong relationship. I don’t go that often, so it feels special. Argentinians really love to party, and Brazilians are just really cool. I think there’s also a shared sense of romance; I’ve always connected strongly with Latin countries.
When you imagine people engaging with HOTLIFE, what excites you more: seeing it work in a club, or knowing someone is listening to it alone?
The idea of someone choosing to listen to it alone is really special. There are millions of songs, so if someone picks yours, that means something. Music can be like your best friend. My favourite songs have been with me my whole life. So if my music becomes that for someone, that’s very meaningful.
After decades of shaping scenes, spaces and sounds, what still keeps you curious about electronic music today?
I don’t like to analyse it too much. It’s like a fire; it starts when you’re young, and you have to take care of it. Sometimes it burns strong, sometimes it fades, but you protect it. Curiosity is really just the hunt — finding one great new record, one new idea. That’s always enough to keep going.
After everything this project represents, what’s the first thing you want to do as a person, not as an artist?
Honestly, I’m already doing what I want. But soon, I want it to be summer, and I want to swim in the ocean. That’s it.
