Writing the first drafts
Before founding my reggae-ska cover band Conguitos, I started writing new songs, but struggled to find a female singer for them. Then my friend Fred, the drummer for Blasted Mechanism, said, “If you write the music and can also sing, why don’t you become the singer and start your own solo project?” and I replied, “Nah… I’m a drummer, not a singer.” Eventually, with Conguitos, I bit the bullet and became a singer. How ironic…
From draft to recording
Although Conguitos was playing live frequently, I decided I wanted to try singing my own songs, instead of playing other artists’ music. I set up my drum kit, a bass, a guitar, a microphone, and recorded a very rough demo with 7 songs, including an acoustic version of Sublime’s version of Smoke Two Joints.
The magical day when everything changed forever!
I always carried 3 or 4 of those demo CDs with me wherever I went. Then, one day in mid-2005, while playing as a guest drummer with a band at a festival, I met the well-known Portuguese radio host Henrique Amaro and asked him, “Can I give you my CD and see what you think?”
He accepted the CD and, a few weeks later, called to ask if he could play the songs on his radio show at Antena 3, to which I said YES, of course! At the time, I was already working on my official first release, “EP 05”, which featured 5 of the 7 songs from the demo.
Listen to “EP 05” on all platforms
By the end of 2005, my song I’m 25 was the 23rd most played song on Antena 3’s yearly top 50, even though it only started playing around June, surpassing famous artists like Madonna, Robbie Williams, and many others. This was a significant achievement for me, as it proved that my work had quality and meaning.
Following this super important support from Henrique, other opportunities emerged, including interviews for MTV Portugal, more radio and TV stations, newspapers, and magazines, and even having that song I’m 25 featured on the popular TV show Morangos com Açúcar.
Initial lineup (for live shows only)
- Tiago - Lead vocals, drums
- Nuno Lucas - Bass
- Henrique - Guitar
Second lineup (for live shows only)
- Tiago - Lead vocals
- Nuno Lucas - Bass
- Henrique - Guitar
- Joca - Drums
Abbey Road Studios - An experience I will never forget!
After a very promising year, 2006 began with great news: one day, while relaxing at home, I received a phone call from an international number. Assuming it was my then-girlfriend Anne (from Germany), I answered. On the other side, someone told me I had won some kind of prize. It took me a moment to realize that I had won the “Stay True” European contest, promoted by the famous clothing brand Levi’s. I was in total shock at the prize: nearly $5,000 in cash, and a week in London, England, with flight and hotel included. 2 days at a rehearsal studio (I ended up just using one of those days), 4 days at Abbey Road Studios to record my song Life is Going Down, and on the 7th day, a professional photo shoot.
Left to right: John, Mirek, Anne, and I in the lobby of Abbey Road Studios, London.
Listen to “Life is Going Down” on all platforms
Fixed lineup (for live shows only)
- Tiago - Lead vocals
- Miguel Neves - Bass
Guest musicians on different live shows
- Kae / Isaac - Drums
- Mark Cain - Saxophone
- Gaspar / Henrique Cristo / Tó - Guitar
- Joana Leal - Backing vocals
California, here I go!
By the end of 2006, tired of trying to find my place in Portugal, I decided to pack my bags and fly to San Jose in California, USA. It was my first time in the US and I instantly knew that was home for me. I had never felt so comfortable anywhere as I did in the US.
I played a few shows as Sir Giant and joined a No Doubt tribute band called Rocksteady as their drummer. It was an amazing experience, because I was in a country I loved, in an amazing state, playing in a band that covered one of my favorite bands!
While I was there, I started writing some songs that would then become my full-length album Expectations & Illusions.
Back to Portugal
After my 3 months in California, I unfortunately had to come back to Portugal. That didn’t stop me, though. I kept working on music, and kept trying to find ways to build my career. I started working with a big booking agency that also had a recording studio, called Praça das Flores, and that’s where I recorded my song New Day, New Life featuring Glen Pfaff as the guest singer, straight from California.
Listen to “New Day, New Life, feat. Glen Pfaff” on all platforms
Unfortunately, things with Praça das Flores ended up not moving forward, due to the difficulty of finding a good and reliable band to play with me live. That led me to change my sound and approach to music.
The first shift in sound
A while after releasing New Day, New Life, I started listening to a lot of dancehall music. This sparked my passion for music created with synths and drum machines, leading me to release my full-length album Expectations & Illusions in 2010. The album was primarily a dancehall record with some reggae songs mixed in.
For the live shows, I would sing over backing tracks while having a dancer on stage, Inês Silva.
Listen to “Expectations & Illusions” on all platforms
Since I was already passionate about music with synths and drum machines, it was easy for me to start exploring a genre I used to dislike as a teenager: electronic music. This time, I found it incredibly interesting due to its liberating production style. Unlike other genres where unconventional sounds are often criticized, electronic music celebrates what’s new and “weird”. Needless to say, my love for electronic music grew exponentially. I was now able to create and perform music entirely on my own, free from creativity limitations!
New York, a complete shift, and the “death” of Sir Giant
When I moved to New York in 2012, I still released some music as Sir Giant, this time fully committed to electronic music, but after a while I felt it didn’t make any sense to use the same name while making music that was completely different from what I originally created. I decided to officially announce that Sir Giant was a project of the past, and started a new electronic music project called Zypher, which eventually became 3ple (pronounced “Triple”).
The revival - I’m Still Here!
In 2023, I decided it was time to revive Sir Giant, this time going back to the original sound: reggae-rock-ska. That’s when I started working on my EP Still Here. The name for the EP came from this idea that people thought I was no longer making music as Sir Giant or even music at all. This was my message to them: I’m Still Here!
Celebrating 20 years of Sir Giant with EP 25
2025/2026 was the celebration of 20 years of Sir Giant, and to commemorate that, I started working on my EP 25. The concept was simple: I wanted to create a “clone” of my first release, EP 05.
Everything about this new EP was somehow a close copy of the first EP. It all started with the name: the first EP was released in 2005, so EP 05. The new release, also an EP, was called EP 25 to celebrate the 20 years which were celebrated in 2025. Nothing complex or deep. That was the goal.
The cover artwork was also similar to the one in EP 05, enough for people to see the similarities.
When it comes to the songs, it also mimics the EP 05:
- 5 songs
- The themes of the songs are very similar to the first ones
- The chord progressions and most of the songs’ structures are identical
- I even sampled some parts from the original songs and use them in the new ones
My goal with this EP was to really celebrate 20 years of that magical moment in my life and career back in 2005, not with something completely new, but also not something exactly the same. You can hear the similarities, while at the same time recognize that they are completely new songs, with their own soul.