
Quick Facts
Biography
Brendan Tuckerman (born 20 March 1985), who performs as Tuka, is an Australian hip hop artist from the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. He is a member of Thundamentals and a previous member of Rumpunch and Connect 4. He is also a solo artist, having released three studio albums, and he co-produces his original music. He supported Horrorshow on their "Listen Close" tour and in late 2015 toured Australia and the US on his first headline tour to support his third album Life Death Time Eternal (10 July 2015). He felt this album was less introspective. It peaked at number 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Early life
Brendan Tuckerman was born on 20 March 1986 in Medlow Bath, Blue Mountains.
Personal life
Tuckerman was a victim of child abuse as a child and frequently witnessed his mother's boyfriend abuse his mother. Both his father and his mother's boyfriend suffered from alcoholism.
In an interview with Triple J, he discussed his childhood and:
"I don't really know my father that well, I just know that looking back, my mother may have been stuck in a cycle... through no fault of her own consciously, so I don't hold anything against her for that.
When things did get violent, it wasn't as brutal as I imagine a lot of people go through, but it's still kind of traumatic watching your mother not in power.
Basically, I moved out as soon as I could, age 17 or 18. I moved down to the city. I guess I was escaping it, but at the time I said I was following a music career."
Additionally, Tuckerman states that witnessing his father and his mother's boyfriend struggle with alcoholism ultimately led to having personal struggles with alcohol himself:
"It took awhile for me to learn a healthy relationship with alcohol. So, I don't really drink anymore. I do as a musician when I go out for a gig, but my relationship to[sic] alcohol is black and white."
Musical style and influences
Tuckerman cites Wu-Tang Clan as a musical influence. Additionally, Tuckerman has described acts such as Urthboy and Ozi Batla of The Herd as "super inspiring".
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS | ||
Will Rap for Tuka |
| — |
Feedback Loop |
| 92 |
Life Death Time Eternal |
| 6 |
Nothing in Common But Us |
| To be released |
Extended plays
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS | ||
Alive Death Time Eternal Sessions (Live) |
| 80 |
Singles
As lead artist
Title | Year | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Just to Feel Wanted" | 2012 | Feedback Loop | |||
"Die a Happy Man" (featuring Jane Tyrell) | |||||
"Too Soon" | 2013 | ||||
"Nirvana" | 2015 | Life Death Time Eternal | |||
"Tattoo" | |||||
"My Star" | |||||
"Naked Heart" | 2018 | Non-album single | |||
"F*ck You Pay Me" | 2019 | Nothing in Common But Us | |||
"Selling Me Out" | |||||
"Trailer Trash" | |||||
"Dickheads" (featuring Alex the Astronaut) | 2020 | Non-album single | |||
"January 1st" | Nothing in Common But Us | ||||
"Wish I Knew" | |||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
As featured artist
Title | Year | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Christmas Number 1" ("Triple J and Friends") | 2013 | Non-album single | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Music videos
Title | Year | Director(s) |
---|---|---|
"Time & Space" | 2012 | Dean Wells |
"Die a Happy Man" (featuring Jane Tyrell) | Primo Creative | |
"Christmas Number 1" (Triple J & Friends) | 2013 | None |
"Nirvana" | 2015 | Oh Yeah Wow |
"Yeah Right" | Tuka & Sean McDermott | |
"Tattoo" | Adam Callen | |
"My Star" | Harry Hunter & Mike Williamson |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"We've Arrived" (Chasm featuring Jeswon, Tuka, Skryptcha, Scott Burns, Rinse & Dialectrix) | 2012 | This Is How We Never Die |
"Tipping Point" (Surburban Dark featuring Tuka & Elemont) | 2013 | Second Front |
"Waste Your Time" (Remix) (Horrorshow featuring Tuka) | 2014 | Nice Guys Finish Last (B-side) |
"House of the Rising Sun" (alt-J featuring Tuka) | 2018 | Reduxer |