Home can be a complicated concept for many artists – especially ones who have moved around as much as Biig Piig. Born in Ireland, and having grown up between here, Spain, and eventually London, she’s in the process of relocating once again, after spending recent years in Los Angeles.

“I think I had an identity crisis for most of my life!” she laughs, over coffee in a Dublin hotel. “But it makes you realise that other cultures aren’t that different from each other. Everyone just wants to feel at home. Moving around a lot, that sense of home was a little bit destructured, like, ‘Am I from here? Or am I from here – because people keep telling me I’m from the other place?’ But on the whole, I take all of it. A mixed bag!”

Nonetheless, the artist also known as Jess Smyth tells me there’s always a special sense of homecoming when she plays shows on these shores – such as her two intimate nights at The Sound House in Dublin, which I’ve caught up with her right in the middle of.

“It just feels like a proper celebration – I’ve got cousins coming to it and everything,” she says. “I love it, when you can capture the energy in a room, and see everyone’s faces, all the way to the back.”

Biig Piig at The Sound House, Dublin. Thursday 9th of November 2022. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The shows cap off another action-packed year for the rapidly rising, genre-blending star, which has included a string of acclaimed singles and collaborations; major tours; over 61.5 million streams on Spotify; and having her track ‘FUN’ featured on the FIFA 23 soundtrack. Initially gaining traction online back in 2017, with a sound that combines mass appeal with a groundbreaking edge, she’s spent recent years garnering international acclaim, particularly following the release of her 2021 EP, The Sky Is Bleeding. And there’s even more excitement on the way, with her debut mixtape, Bubblegum, set to arrive next month.

The past 12 months have also featured plenty of moments of personal growth for the 24-year-old, and a newfound confidence she largely attributes to her support slots: “Having to go in front of crowds that definitely don’t want to hear you, and having to convince them to listen...”

But since the reopening of live music following the pandemic, important conversations have been re-sparked about the impact touring can have on an artist – something Jess is conscious of.

“I’ve definitely done tours where I’ve not looked after myself, and suffered for it,” she says. “So the more I go into it, the more conscious I am. Especially when you’re doing it non-stop. It’s quite a chaotic job in itself, so you need to find something to ground yourself with.

“I’ve had some incredible times, but at this point I’m like, ‘Yeah, I can’t party as much as I used to!’” she laughs. “Even if it’s after a show, and you’ve got shows the next day, maybe don’t go on a big session – just go home! You can be grateful for it, and happy about it, but not have to chase the night with it. Take a shower, watch a movie, and wind down!”

Recent years have also seen Biig Piig adjusting to life in LA, which she admits can be just as “intense” as it’s portrayed in the movies.

“It literally is like that, in the best way and the worst way,” she tells me. “There’s two sides to it. It’s got that undercurrent of an energy where anything could happen, and that’s something that can really drive creativity. I learned a lot being out there. But it’s mad expensive, and I’m ready to move back to London now, to be honest. You’d miss friends and family, and the place that made you who you are.”

But her travels have also informed her sound on Bubblegum, as she draws direct inspiration from a sense of place.

“Listening back to the sounds on this mixtape, I can hear the influence of when I wrote in New York, or LA, or London,” she reveals. “They’ve just got a feeling about them. The ones in LA are a lot more dreamy, whereas London feels more hit-the-ground-running and fast-paced. New York feels like an in-between of those.”

Jess first moved to London as a teenager with her family, where she soon found a community of like-minded creatives, including her fellow members of the NiNE8 collective.

“It can be so lonely when you move anywhere,” she reflects. “I don’t think age even matters, because you get there, and if you don’t know anyone, it just sucks. So music was definitely the gateway into a community.”

Her immersion in the city’s music scene started at a young age, on the open mic circuit.

“My dad brought me to one when I was 15 for the first time, and then I met a bunch of musicians,” she says. “Because I was so young, they kind of took me under their wing. It was like a family thing.”

But not all her interactions were so positive in a scene that, certainly at the time, was often extremely male-dominated.

“There definitely were a lot of older guys, and loads of guys with guitars who were like, ‘15’s nearly 16!’” she says, wincing. “You’d just be like, ‘Eww – stop.’”

These days, she’s happy to see the Irish music community thriving in London.

“There’s a few of them that I catch every now and then, when I’m back,” she says. “I definitely try to see Kev [Smith, aka Kojaque], and Yenkee’s out there as well. There’s a huge Irish scene, which is really cool to see.”

She made a special appearance on Kojaque’s Town’s Dead album last year, lending her voice to ‘Wickid Tongues’, after a night of drinking...

“I can’t even remember what we did that night, but we ended up back at his, or maybe it was his friend’s house,” she recalls. “And we were just having jams over beats. He was like, ‘Listen to this track.’ And I was like, ‘This is… give me the mic!’

“And God, I literally couldn’t listen to it for like three months!” she laughs.

Among her musical highlights of 2022 is another Irish artist and Kojaque collaborator.

“The Maverick Sabre album was incredible,” she says of Don’t Forget To Look Up. “I listened to that a lot – especially ‘Get By’, that’s such a banger.”

Biig Piig by Elif Gonen.

And some of her own personal highlights of the year?

“Finishing the mixtape!” she smiles. “And I feel like I’ve grown up a lot this year. I feel more settled in myself, and I know myself better. I’m just being a bit more honest with myself, and less scared of things in general!

“Also, having my mom come to a show – and walking out and seeing her literally right in the middle, dead centre!” she adds. “She was really happy about it. That was a moment that meant a lot.

“When I did the Other Voices thing, apparently my family had the screen up at home, and had a bunch of people come over and watch it. I love those moments so much. But they’re constantly working and doing their own thing, so whenever they think about shows or music, I don’t think they understand it fully. But they know that I’m doing what I love, and I’m able to support myself. So they’re over the moon.”

• Bubblegum is out on January 20. Biig Piig plays Kasbah Social Club, Limerick (March 25); Cyprus Avenue, Cork (26); and The Academy, Dublin (28). See her full list of live dates at biig-piig.com