Artist Profile: Tavia
This Thursday at Resident will be the A Walk in the Madness EP Release show with a performance by Tavia and support from Leah Capelle and Annabel Lee. We had a chance to chat with Tavia on her journey. Get tickets to the show on Eventbrite & check out her playlist on Spotify!
The A Walk in the Madness EP came together as if it had a life of its own. As if the project knew what it needed to be before even I did. Here’s what I mean. I started collecting songs from my archives in the Summer of 2018 with the vague idea of recording my favorite ones and just putting something into the world. It had been a year since my last produced EP was released and it sort of just felt like it was time. I didn’t have much vision for the project other than to hopefully get some TV placements out of it and make a few dollars. This EP knew itself before I knew did. I’m just grateful to be in the process of uncovering it. - Tavia
01. What was the inspiration behind it?
Musically, we were very inspired by the Graceland album by Paul Simon, and weaved tribal chants and percussion throughout the EP. Something about African tribal music has always riveted me. It's so grounding and deeply human.
02. Who are some musicians you aspire to? Any specific genres?
My favorite guitar player and songwriter is Ben Howard, and I aspire to him in many ways - in fact, the way the melody mirrors the acoustic guitar in Share It All was modeled after him. With Ben though, the thing I always come back to is how patient his music is - that is something I highly respect. Some other songwriters I aspire to are Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Maren Morris, Meghan Trainor, and Ed Sheeran.
03. What is your favorite part about Los Angeles? Any specific spots you love going to or hanging out in?
I've recently started spending more time in Pasadena and I absolutely LOVE it. Coming from Sacramento (which is called the "City of Trees"), I sometimes underestimate the power of greenery on my soul. Exploring hiking trails or even just driving across the 134 at dusk have become some of my favorite things to do.