The Ting Tings is made up of Jules De Martino, who plays drums, guitar, and piano, and provides lead vocals, and Katie White, who plays guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, and cowbell, and provides vocals.  White had been a member of of a girl group punk trio called TKO.

The Ting Tings

I think we're a pop band but for some reason – and we really didn't set out to orchestrate it – the cool brigade got involved and decided we were cool. We keep telling them we're not, but they've decided we're cool.

The Beginning

The Ting Tings is made up of Jules De Martino, who plays drums, guitar, and piano, and provides lead vocals, and Katie White, who plays guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, and cowbell, and provides vocals.  White had been a member of of a girl group punk trio called TKO.  De Martino had written some of the songs for the group. The two came across one another after the demise of TKO, and formed a trio with another musician called Dear Eskimo.  The endeavor was short-lived.

The two stayed in touch and eventually formed The Ting Tings.   Once they had put together three songs, they scheduled a free-beer concert at The Mill, a musicians-only commune in Salford, England.  They gave several performances, funded by donations, until their tickets became the most sought after entertainment commodity in the area.

Becoming Successful

In 2007, The Ting Tings released four singles, including That's Not My Name, which went straight to #1 in the UK. They were getting consistent radio play and building a fan base through airtime and online music downloads.  When they finally released an album, We Started Nothing, in 2008, their fans were ready and greeted the album with open arms.  It also went straight to #1 in the UK, where most of their following was.

By 2008, the band had built a name in England and Australia, but also in the United States.  They performed in the iTunes Live London Festival, and the performance was released as a digital EP available for mp3 download.  They performed remixes of last material at the MTV Music Awards in 2008 as well.  Their single, Shut Up and Let Me Go, won Best UK Video.

At the Top

No one was as surprised as The Ting Tings were to find themselves in demand.  However, that was the case, and in 2009, they launched a concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, and announced plans to tour the United States in the spring.  In May of 2009, The Ting Tings won the Ivor Novello Award, an award given in London to recognize outstanding songwriting and performance.  In December, they were nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards.

Their next album, Kunst, is due out this year.  They are currently on tour with Pink, so production on the album will have to wait until the tour is over.  Rumors indicate that collaboration from rapper Jay-Z and hip hop artist Rihanna may be included on this new album.  

Did you know . . .

1. The name of The Ting Tings' new album, Kunst, due out this spring is German for “art.”

2. The name, Ting Ting, is the first name of Chinese girl with home Katie had worked.  Katie thought it sounded fun, and learned that Ting Ting is also a Mandarin term for “band stand.”

3. Katie designs and creates her own clothes.

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