Yellow Wiggle Tsehay Hawkins Talks to TV Grapevine
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-How does it feel to be a part of The Wiggles 100th album?
It feels amazing to be a part of The Wiggles 100th album. Over 30 years of wiggly music has been made and for The Wiggles to hit such an incredible milestone AND to be a part of their legacy is pretty cool!
-How would you describe Wiggle and Learn? (album and series)
Wiggle and Learn is a wonderful educational series on YouTube which explores the fundamentals of early childhood, encourages little ones to get moving and makes learning fun and entertaining.
-What made you decide to become a Wiggle?
I never thought in my life that being a wiggle would be an opportunity, but it’s the best job ever!! Becoming a member came quite organically and I think what was so appealing is that I get to do what I love (dance, sing, act) – while entertaining & inspiring the best kind of audience… children!
-Did you ever think that The Wiggles would have such a huge impact on society? How does it feel to be a part of that movement?
The Wiggles are quite an iconic children’s band, so going from growing up watching The Wiggles to actually being a wiggle – honestly feels surreal!
-Why do you think The Wiggles have such appeal to the younger audience?
Well from my point of view, I can relate to the little ones, as I vividly remember being a major wiggles fan as a child. I think what really appealed to me was the bright colours, the larger than life characters and TV sets, the energy and of course the dancing & rock style music – but for children!!
-How do you think The Wiggles have evolved over the years? (before/after you have been a part of it)
Well the OG Wiggles all had amazing talent when it came to songwriting & artistry, but the music all stemmed from their knowledge in early childhood education! The Wiggles have kept that same approach to learning, but have been able to adapt and really move with the times. From adding the first female Wiggle, to expanding the lineup to eight Wiggles – they really have evolved! The Wiggle are now gender balanced – 4 women & 4 men. We are all from very different backgrounds, have different talents and personalities! What I’ve found is that representation is super important, especially in media for children. As a person of colour seeing someone you can relate to on TV, that looks like you, can inspire you to achieve your dreams and feel more included/accepted in society! We have seen that translate through our audience, with much more diverse groups coming to watch our shows! For children, if you see it – you can be it!
-What do you think the future holds for The Wiggles?
I think that The Wiggles are definitely growing and expanding in music style & dancing styles as well! We are growing into a more modern group, especially with the release of our new DJ album “The Wiggles Sound System: Rave of Innocence”. Myself and John like to dance more street style, so I feel that we a bring more of cool feel to wiggles! So you can definitely look forward to some more trendy wiggly vibes.
-Are you working on any other projects?
In the wiggle world we have started getting ready to film a another season of our TV series – Ready Steady Wiggle!
-Tell me a fun fact about yourself.
Making TikTok’s and listening to music is my favourite past time.
-What else are you watching these days?
I love re-watching Stranger Things!! & any kind of movie musical 🙂
