Khatumu Tuscherer, TD ’24, sat down in my tiny attic room to have her makeup done and chat before her 17o1 Records debut on Howe Street this November. Khat says she usually goes for a dark eyeliner and a red lipstick because it’s an easy grunge look—I think she just pulls it off so well. We chatted as I applied her look for the night, but as you read, it is pivotal that you do NOT imagine the application of foundation. Covering the singer-songwriter’s freckles would be a crime. Khat is wearing a black leather jacket and a white button-up with a long black tie, untucked over jeans. It is like she stole your dad’s work clothes and is wearing them far better than he does. Sorry, dad.
JG: So, how did it all start? Did you sing in high school, or as a kid, or with your parents?
KT: I feel like I really wanted creative things like that as a kid. My mom’s an immigrant from Sierra Leone. My dad is from Wisconsin. Growing up, they would never, ever like to sing or do anything musical. And for some reason, my parents would never want to draw. And I was like, Why? Why can’t you draw?
JG: Do you like to draw?
KT: Yeah, like, in the same way that all little kids like to draw—to doodle or whatever. And I always remember feeling like, damn, I wish I could do something artsy with my parents. It’s such a good way to express so much.
JG: So you never sang or anything before college? How did it really start?
KT: I actually got into music over COVID! Believe it or not, I didn’t do music in high school. Nothing at all. Like I would sing in the shower, and I could stay on pitch. And my first year, I was in TD, and I shared a wall with sophomores. Some girl came up to me in the dining hall. And she’s like, “Are you in a room I-whatever? I can hear you from my bedroom.” And I was like, “Oh, I’m so sorry if I’m being loud.” She was like, “No, no, no, you should try out for this folk thing that I’m in. It’s called TUIB (Tangled Up In Blue),” And I was like, “I don’t actually sing.” But she gave me information about their recruitment concert. I remember I left after one song.
JG: Were you a folk fan before?
KT: No, I had never even heard of folk music. I didn’t even know what that was. And then over COVID, I started playing guitar a little bit. And then we got back junior year. I didn’t take time off [during the 2020-2021 school year]. And I was like, what was that thing that girl was talking about? I went and it basically changed my life. Now music is a huge part of my life, and it wasn’t at all before. And it’s all because of Francesca Dezza Parada (TD ’23)! She’s like a hug. She’s so for the people.
JG: Had you tried out for things in the past?
KT: No. I tried out for TUIB and for the Whiffenpoofs, and that was it.
JG: Oh my god. Have you ever had to deal with stage anxiety or stage fright?
KT: No. I’ve never had to deal with that, really. The only time is when I feel like I’m not prepared. Well, actually, now that I’m writing songs, it is kind of different. Sometimes they’re kind of dark. And I want to be able to say what I’m thinking, but I wrote a song and it was like, super dark. But I don’t feel that way 99% of the time, you know? But my friend listened to it, and he said, “How are you? Are you okay?” And I was fine, but then I thought maybe I shouldn’t sing it.
JG: Well, everyone has their sad playlists.
KT: Of course! Of course!
JG: What’s your playlist-making style?
KT: I have a lot of mood-based playlists. I have one called Oldies, and it’s like 200 songs, and it’s all of the old songs from my childhood that I have amassed over the years. I went on a date with somebody the other day, and he told me that the day before was the first time he ever made a playlist. And to me, that was just such a crazy fact!
JG: Yeah, I have like 100 playlists.
KT: Me, too. I have some I can’t even look at anymore, like if I go through a breakup or something… devastating. I add photos, little descriptions, just everything to my Spotify playlists. Sometimes it’s a little bit toxic. I have one ex who I just know looks at my Spotify, so if I know I want to be toxic, I can just @ him in the description… I’m not a toxic person I promise!
JG: It’s something about Spotify, dude. It’s so easy on there.
KT: Yeah, it’s not even that toxic. I’ll just put a description like, “You really broke my heart…”
JG: Typing passive-aggressively in that description box like, “That time at the park with the sunset!!”
KT: [Laughing] Yes, exactly, that’s like the upper echelon of me being toxic… just, “I hope he sees this!” That’s my little secret for the Herald…
JG: How has this whole 17o1 process been for you to start? When did you get involved with 17o1?
KT: I saw them on cross-campus early in the year. And I was like, wow, it would be so sick to be a part of a record label. Like, I write a ton of my own songs. And I’ve recently started using TikTok. I used to be really anti-that stuff. But it really is such a great way to promote yourself. It’s kind of terrifying. And having strangers in your life… I mean it’s really cool. But it’s also scary. For example, I just posted something. And because I just linked my Instagram to my TikTok, two people DMed me being like, “Oh my god, I love your music.” I was like, “This is so surreal!” But with 17o1, I just got involved because I thought it’d be a really fun experience. I have a manager, which is insane. And a stylist!
JG: Did the stylist pick out this fit for you?
KT: No, well, this is from my closet, but he was basically vetoing certain things. They did a run to Savers yesterday, and he picked up some really cool stuff for other people. I should have said that I wanted that too.
JG: It’s a great outfit! Those are the sickest earrings.
Large, ornate silver earrings swing back and forth from her ears, semi-circle tips poking out from between her braids.
KT: Thank you! I got them in India, during the Whiffenpoofs tour… the girl whose house we were staying at, her grandmother was great and gave all of the ladies earrings.
JG: So what have you been up to with 17o1 in the background? People know about this performance, but what’s been going on that people might not know?
KT: We basically have one commitment to 17o1, which is that we have to release a song per semester for them under their label. But it’s not really pressure… they get in the studio and they want you to do really well. It really feels like family. They don’t want any money from any of the stuff we’re doing… they just want to help us. And so next semester, since I’m a senior, I have booked out a ton of studio space. And I’m just going to record a ton of my songs that I have written in my journal since the start of COVID. And I’m so excited. For example, I sang at Yale Spring Fling Tiny Desk, and I wanted an upright bassist. So I just texted Sage, who’s one of the executive team members, and within an hour, she had found me Yale’s best upright bassist. I was blown away. It was so fun to play together, just to have that…
JG: What has been your favorite part of this whole record label process?
KT: I’ve been meeting so many people that I’ve wanted to meet, if that makes sense. Like, for example, there’s a guy called Truth Templeton, which is an awesome name, for one thing. And we have now started a band! We don’t have a name yet. I went to a Shades concert last year and I saw Truth sing with so much emotion. I was like, “He slayed! I love him! But he’s a first year, am I even gonna be able to meet him?” And now we’re friends, and we spend so much time together. So wonderful.
JG: Do you have a current friend crush like that right now? Pick one. You don’t have to say a name, but pick someone you don’t know that well yet, but you want to. What is your imagined version of that person like?
KT: I love this question. So interesting. I think they’re… weird, in the best way. I imagine you walk into their house and they have a lot of interesting artifacts, like, instead of a chair, it’s something that functions as a chair but isn’t one. A ton of quirky stuff like that. I love that kind of stuff. For example, at my friend John’s house, instead of having party lights, he went to a consignment shop and bought a real traffic light, like a literal traffic light. It’s just in his house and it’s so huge and it lights up. I love it.
Khat’s performance on Howe Street went on to be interrupted by the arrival of the New Haven Police. She was so good that it was illegal.
