Precious Renee Tucker talks to her piano

“I missed two piano lessons the other day and I feel really bad about it,” Precious Renee Tucker admits while shirking a smile.

Few would fault her for it, though. Instead of teaching her students' lessons, the Arkansas-based pianist, composer and nascent internet creator was playing for fans and industry tastemakers at the Holy Trinity Church in London, just weeks after she'd taken time off to perform at an event for Solange Knowles in New York City. “My piano students are [being so] understanding as I go through so much change,” she says.

“Change” is quite the understatement. Just a few months ago, Renee Tucker was working as a server and teacher before videos of her playing piano and four keyboards at once went viral on TikTok and Instagram. Since then, she's been invited to play Knowles' most recent Saint Heron book event in New York City, an intimate show for designer Telfar Clemons, plus that aforementioned performance in London, where she appeared as part of an organ installation. Her crowd of online adorers has grown to include Amaarae, keiyaA, Kelsey Lu, Zack Fox, and Kelela, among others, all of whom frequently comment on her Instagram to express their gratitude for her sharing her craft.

Renee Tucker's piano creations are often performed at home while surrounded by at least three keyboards. They're wide ranging in genre and deeply emotive, rotating between classical performance, Witch House, and free jazz. She fell in love with the instrument at church, but spent most of her adolescence focused on playing the clarinet. Still, nothing ever superseded her first musical love, her relationship to which she describes as “talking to the piano.”

“Piano is my best friend, the love of my life, or just my favorite person to talk to,” she says. “With piano, I feel like I can be completely honest.”

Ahead, meet the rising piano visionary as she talks about her whirlwind ascendance, using fashion as an inspiration for her music, and how Solange’s music helped her to “walk with [her] head up.”

The FADER: How did you begin playing the piano?

Precious Renee Tucker: I grew up as an only child. I have two older siblings, but there's a bit of an age difference, so I didn't grow up with them. I had a lot of time in Arkansas to dream. I was always in the living room replaying The Princess Diaries on DVD. I went to church every Sunday, which is where I was introduced to piano and organ. I would sing in the choir next to my mom. I was supposed to be paying attention to the choir director, but my earliest memory is just staring at our church pianist's or organist's hands. I was just so in love with the power that they had — even if I couldn't put it into words.

As soon as I could get piano lessons with our church pianist, I did. And then I joined the band wind symphony in junior high and played clarinet. I fell in love with clarinet. I started out very classical, [but]I've always loved really intense music like EDM and metal. I had a lot of intense feelings that I wanted to get out through piano, but I hadn't had any classical repertoire built up. I just got into the habit of recording myself, exploring and telling the piano about my day and working my way up to a classical piece. I would post those videos mainly just because I like to hear things on loop, so TikTok and Instagram Reels are really great for that. I didn't expect to [get so much attention]. I still don't really know what's going on, but everybody's been very kind.

As you were getting into metal and exploring these other styles of playing, was anyone dissuading you from going down this stylistic path?

Thankfully, our arts department in Arkansas was very well supported by the community. Being in the North Side Grizzly Band really meant something; it had the same weight as being a football or basketball player. I've always been surrounded by music and by people encouraging me to do music. There's even conversations I've had with my dad four or five years ago where I was like, "Okay, I'm going to get into real estate." He was like, "Well, what about piano?” My mom will be like, "Have you played piano in a while?" I've always resisted it a little bit. "What if I don't play well, or what if I'm not good enough? What if I'm not a real pianist?” I was kind of the last one to give in to everything that's been happening.

You said you “talk to piano.” Can you unpack that idea for me?

There are emotions that I haven't found a way to say in words, but piano tells me about myself. I can't lie to the piano. I learn about myself through piano when I listen back to what I play.

I always teach my students in my piano anatomy class that we always want to skip to novels as creatives. But what are novels? Novels are a collection of pages, paragraphs, sentences, words and spaces. If you ever find yourself experiencing friction with expressing yourself through piano, then you just take note of what your nervous system is doing. When we have good dreams, our nervous system is the most at rest. It's pleased with us. It's hydrated. When we're dehydrated or if our posture isn't right while we're sitting or sleeping, then maybe we'll have a bad dream where our nervous system is trying to wake us up. So if you settle your nervous system or find a way to make piano be the thing that settles your nervous system or regulates your nervous system, then you can start to dream a little bit on the instrument.

Your style of composition and playing is so singular. Are there any artists you saw as an artistic North Star as you were developing your style?

Solange’s music really adjusted my posture and helped me to walk with my head up and start to fall in love with myself. Solange is so excited to be herself. Through her music, I assume that she has so much fun when she's just by herself. And I have so much fun when I'm by myself. In terms of inspiration for experimental composition, I Iove Cooper-Moore and Sun Ra.

What was it like to have Solange personally invite you to collaborate with Saint Heron?

I was so nervous. I didn't want to dehumanize her, or have a reaction where I'm projecting so much on to her. I know she’s another human making music and I know she makes mistakes too. I tried to hide it from her, but I definitely cried when I got the email and cried after the event [with her]. I just couldn't believe it was her when I saw her.

I'm thankful that I have built such a friendship with piano to where I do feel a little bit invincible. Not to say I play perfectly or that there's no room for me to grow, but I love piano and I'm always excited to play piano. That's been the easiest part. Really it's just the admin behind the scenes and wanting to make a good impression on everyone [that’s been hard]. But I still feel comfortable with myself and I'm okay if I fail. I want to show my piano students that I fail too, that I have all the same fears that they do and it doesn't make me that much more valid as a pianist.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @preciousreneetucker

How did you discover fashion and your sense of style?

Growing up as a young black girl going to a black church in a predominantly white area, I developed a sense of shame for my body. Every Sunday you wear your stockings and there can't be a run in them. And you wear a slip underneath your skirt, but it can't be hanging. And you have to have everything covered and buttoned up. Your hair got pressed early Sunday morning by your mom, and you're hoping you don't sweat it out. You have to make sure every strand is in place or somebody will come up and say something to you and reprimand you.

For the longest time, I wore whatever covered my body or fit the rules of school or what was appropriate at the time. Fashion helped me take a break from the shame or redefine the shame or use the shame as a compass. If I have shoulder pads on, I can do anything. I experimented with different silhouettes and just found what works.

Was there one video you posted that specifically changed your life?

It has to be “Earth's Creation.” I meant to make that song a lot simpler than it turned out to be. What I produced was kind of a miracle because I didn't plan to do that. Something just came over me. At the time I had just set some fresh boundaries. And so I was like, Okay, if I'm the villain. This is my theme song. [Singing] Here Precious comes. She has boundaries and she doesn't feel bad about it.