We recently connected with Tianna Davis and have shared our conversation below.

Tianna , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started learning how to do all of my crafts during my childhood. With dance, my mother enrolled me in my first class when I was six years old. Throughout my childhood, I learned multiple dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, pointe, and modern. I also trained on a dance scholarship at American Heritage School under the direction of Renee Monique Brown. In the summers of 2013-2015, I attended the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Summer Intensive, and I attended the Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive in 2016. All of these programs taught me how to communicate stories through movement. I wouldn’t be who I am today without dance.

I started playing the piano by ear when I was five years old, and by the time I was ten, I was writing music. At this time, I also began taking voice lessons. When I was a kid, my parents played the songs of Usher, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Keyshia Cole, and other R&B/Pop music greats in the car. But the artist that impacted me the most was Alicia Keys. I was inspired by her rawness and her conquest towards individuality. Today, I have composed and written two musicals. And I am now a composer with the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

In my childhood, I was also acting at school and performing in musicals. Acting served as a spiritual outlet for me. Connecting to characters and sharing myself with an audience became a therapeutic release. In 2022, I graduated from Point Park University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a Dance Minor (modern dance). It was there that I learned everything about musical structure. I also furthered my knowledge of acting, singing, dancing, and performing. I have taken everything I have learned from that program, and I have implemented it into everything that I do.

I feel that there is nothing I could have done to speed up my learning process. If anything, it took time to implement everything that I learned. It takes time for everything to sink into your mind and become second nature. And when what you learned becomes second nature, it leaves room for you to learn even more information. And with practice, you can make that natural as well.

The obstacles that stood in the way of learning more were definitely people around me or myself. In some cases, there are people that do not have your best interest in mind. Or it is that I am doubting myself and holding myself back. From what I have learned, it is best to believe in yourself and focus on the end goal. I have a gift and I would rather share it with the world and make people happy instead of selling myself short.

Tianna , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am 23 years old, and I am a proud Caribbean-American born to a mother from St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. and a father from Trinidad. Growing up in Broward County, Florida and New York City, I was immersed in a rich culture. I am a dancer, composer, actor, singer, lyricist, choreographer, model, and everything in between. I thrive on individuality, and I believe that being a leader is very important. I want to tell stories that are never told, and I want to tell stories that are rarely given a spotlight. I want to have my own voice, and I will use that voice to impact the world. I am a recent graduate of Point Park University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance. And as of October, I permanently moved to New York City to chase my dreams.

During my time in college, I played Sula in “Little Children Dream of God” and I was the understudy for Anna in “Spring Awakening.” I have also performed as Anita in West Side Story at Inside Out Theatre, and I was the understudy for Ivy in “On the Town at American Heritage School. I recently performed at 54 Below as part of the Black Writer Showcase.

As a writer, I have arranged music for “Step Show: The Musical” by Maxine Lyle and “Kings of Delancey Lane” by Anna Hanson. I was the Assistant Music director for “Pippin” (Point Park University), and I was the Music Director and arranger for “Choreography Lab” (Point Park University). At this time, I have written two musicals. “Look in the Mirror” is a two-act musical about how society views race and domestic abusive relationships. And “Masked: The Musical” is a two-act musical about conformity and how anti-blackness is viewed in the BIPOC community through a diverse private school. Ava, a black student and Avi, an Indian student fall in love. But they get push back from their families and their school for being together. They must defeat the system that is tearing apart their relationship, and bring everyone together in the process.

Two songs from “Masked: The Musical” were recently featured as part of the Black Writer Showcase at 54 Below. And this musical with have a staged reading at part of the New Works Festival with the Milky Way Theatre Company. It will take place on January 12th, 2022 at Theatre 71.

What sets me apart from others is that I am very determined, and I am always striving to be the best that I can be. I love to work with ideas that are outside the norm. I want to highlight people and stories that are hidden in plain sight. I also want to succeed in all avenues; whether it be musical theatre, TV/Film, print modeling, writing, etc. And with hard work and faith, I know that it all will be possible.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As a black Caribbean-American woman, I always felt out of place growing up. I was surrounded by a diverse group of people during my childhood, but I always felt like I could not fit in. Yes, I am technically African-American as well, but there are things about African-American culture that I do not always understand. I grew up in a household filled with Caribbean culture, so I could not always relate to my peers. When I was writing my original work “Masked: The Musical,” I realized that a lot of my friends with different backgrounds had similar experiences. As people of color, we are put into these boxes that define the way that we are supposed to be and how we are supposed to act in the world. And I realized that during my childhood, I did not fit into that box that I was trying so desperately to find. I am my own definition of black in America. And with my work, I want everyone, regarding of race, ethnicity, gender, etc. to feel like that can forge their own path of identity.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is being able to educate and move an audience. Of course entertaining the audience is key, but being able to shed light on important stories is even more important. Recently, two of my original songs were performed as part of the Black Writer Showcase at 54 Below. I felt so honored to have contributed to the joy that the audience felt that night. Seeing people relate to what they are watching or comment on how they learned something new is the best feeling. Knowing that a made a difference in someone’s life is all I need to know that I accomplished something amazing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiannadavisartist.com
• Instagram: tiannashania

Image Credits
Tony Moux, Drew Elhamalawy, Grace Ruiz