Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tavia Rhodes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tavia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My debut album ‘HER SAY’ has been the most meaningful project I’ve worked on in my life. It is the culmination of over a decade of work. It has been a true labor of love and is a fulfillment of a promise I made to myself in my late 20’s when the desire emerged from deep within to write my own music.

At the time, I had never written my own songs before. I had spent my life singing other people’s music; I was a backup singer in a couple of Seattle bands, a session singer, and I’d sang in a few cover bands.

When this desire to write my own songs emerged, the specific dream was to produce a record. To produce a collection of songs and get them heard.

I remember that moment clearly, sitting on my green couch from IKEA in my one-bedroom Seattle apartment. I was journaling—a trusted tool that often helps me unearth feelings and secret truths—and writing circles around the thoughts that were trying to make themselves known. Finally, I said it. “I want to make an album.” With those words, tears streamed from my eyes. I had never admitted this to myself before. I had told myself that I was happy singing covers and being a backup singer. I had convinced myself that pursuing music wholeheartedly was a waste of time. I was listening to the fears that it wouldn’t be good enough. That I wouldn’t be good enough.

Though I admitted this desire to myself that day, it took months and years to own it. I told people in whispers at first. I batted off comments from a few who said, “don’t quit your day job.” I tried to talk myself out of it many times. But it just kept coming back.

Speaking of jobs, the reality is, supporting myself financially and standing on my own two feet has been a major focus in my life, as it is for many modern-day feminists with intergenerational trauma. My mother was dependent on my father financially and saying it took a toll on her is an understatement. As a young girl I remember witnessing this dynamic and committing to myself that I would never rely on someone else financially. And so began what feels like a lifetime of prioritizing money making and financial stability. Even today, I have a demanding full-time job and clients on the side while squeezing my creative life in wherever it can fit.

But back to the story.

And so began my toiling to becoming a songwriter. I started writing. I started learning guitar. Then piano. I started collaborating with other musicians to help me fill out my songs with chords and instrumentation. I started dreaming of one day being able to call myself an “artist” and mean it.

In 2014 I took some leaps in that direction. I quit my day job with the intention of focusing on music. I started my own non-profit consulting business so I could have more control over my workday and schedule to create space for songwriting. But hustling for money became even more intense in self-employment than it was when I was getting a regular paycheck. In 2016 I decided to take space from this grind and went to France for five weeks with the intention of focusing on my musical life. I was also going through a divorce at the time so there was a lot shifting in my life. France, here I come!

I packed up my guitar, journals, and folders full of lyrics, and hopped on a plane. While I was there those short five weeks, my creative life flourished. I finished songs, I wrote new ones, and I played my first open mics. I thought the album title might be “Une Histoire du Corps” or something else in French.

I came home and the battle between my financial and creative life resumed. I ended up going back to a regular 9 to 5 shortly after that trip and I continued battling the voices of Resistance (check out Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art” to learn why Resistance warrants a capital R).

But something kept me going.

Somewhere along the way, the desire to make an album became a promise. I even wrote it down on a small piece of paper that I keep in a jar on my altar: “I promise I will make you a record.” Even when my piano was under a sheet during the creative wasteland of the pandemic, I would hear the promise calling to me.

Fast forward a few years and it’s 2021, and my 40th birthday. I still don’t have an album. At this point the album has become a dull ache in my side. But that’s when something shifted. Upon reflection I realized the part of music-making that comes easiest to me is live performance, and I decided to form a band. I called up some of the best musicians I know and asked them to join. To my dismay and delight, they said yes! Once the band was in the room together, my songs came to life. We started rehearsing, finished a bunch of my songs, and three months later we played our first show at the Sunset Tavern. I was on cloud nine. The momentum of the band unlocked things for me.

After a few years with the band I knew my songs were ready. I was finally ready. Almost three years to the day from that first show, I launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund my debut album! We ran a five week campaign and we raised more than the goal. 117 people backed the project. After the campaign wrapped, we hit the ground running. Since then, the last year has been a whirlwind of all the things that go into making a record. Booking the studio. Finishing the songs. Dreaming up an album name. Creating the visual identity and artwork. And all the rest.

So here we are, and I’ve finally made my first album. It has been A LOT but it has also been a time of deep fulfillment and alignment. I’m still working my tail off, balancing my creative life and work life, and it’s not easy. But I can’t wait to say to that part of myself who made that promise all those years ago: “we did it.”

‘HER SAY’ comes out on October 17 with a release party to follow on October 24 at Madame Lou’s in Seattle. I’m happy to say that many of my band members have stuck around since that first show. It will be a true dream-fulfilled to get up on that stage together and play the full album, start to finish, for an audience of friends, family, and fans.

I don’t know what’s on the other side of this. But I do know that nurturing my creative life has been both the hardest and most joyous thing I have done in life thus far. And I now have no doubt that I am an “artist.”

I have so much gratitude for the many people who have carried this dream with me through the years; my family and chosen family, best friends, current and former bandmates, musical collaborators, music educators, and project doulas. And of course, thank you to my 117 Kickstarter Backers, and the special humans who inspired many of the songs on the album.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a singer-songwriter based in Seattle, WA. A vocalist and performer, my music is a dynamic example of what happens when precise musical training meets the raw, passionate edge of creative instinct.   

I am a truth-teller, and my compositions are as versatile as my own vocal range, slipping gracefully between contemplative folksiness, soulful melodies, and soaring revelations. Grappling with and embracing themes of grief, love, and breaking free, my songs represent a seismic shift in the soul.   

2019 was my debut year as a solo artist with the release of my first single, ‘Her Eyes.’ Since then, I have released two more singles and frequent stages in and around Seattle with my full band of drums, bass, keys, guitar, and a trio of female vocals.  

In October 2024 I launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for my debut album. The campaign was a huge success and here we are not one year later and ‘HER SAY’ is on its way.  

‘HER SAY’ is a coming-of-age confessional. It tells the story of a woman breaking free and coming home to herself and her own sense of belonging. ‘HER SAY’ came to life at Seattle’s world-renowned Temple of the Trees recording studio, crafted with grammy-winning producer Bradley Laina, my band, and a handful of guest artists. The result is a soul-folk-rock journey that some describe as ethereal indie rock. Each track is a world of its own, rich with emotion and steeped in empathy. There are road songs, ballads, pop melodies, and quiet epiphanies: all held together by my voice and vision.  

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is honoring my inner life. For me, writing music is how I connect, how I understand myself, and how I come to know and express my longings. It is a pathway to my soul and spirit. I have learned over the years that it is always with me, if I just pause and notice. Being connected to my creative life feels as essential as drinking water. Without it, there is a thirst.

My favorite part of songwriting is when a song is first being born. When I’m getting that first inkling. That first melody. The first lyrics. There’s so much magic and curiosity and play in those first impulses.

My songs are a salve. A balm. A remedy. In my life. And I hope they can be that for others. As they see themselves and their own stories in my words and in my melodies.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mother died too young. She was 52 years old and died suddenly after years of suffering from mental health challenges, trauma, and difficult life circumstances. I had a front row seat to her life and though I witnessed her struggle, I also knew the many wishes, hopes, and longings she had for her life that didn’t come to be.

In many ways my mother is my muse. Since her death I have often felt that my life is in tribute to her. Her life and death created a hunger in me to go after what I want, sometimes relentlessly. To be independent. To self-actualize. To chase my dreams.

Carl Jung said, “the greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents.” Maybe the work ahead is to free myself from that burden. But for now, I’m going to keep getting after it. For me and for her.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.taviarhodesmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taviarhodesmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taviarhodesmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tavia-rhodes/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taviarhodes8218
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/taviarhodesmusic

Image Credits

Brad Curran, Rachel Simpson, Ted Zee