Towa Bird has always been a rockstar. Creating her first band at just fourteen years of age, Towa fed her passions by performing at dive bars and festivals in Hong Kong whilst taking inspiration from legendary artists like Hendrix, Joan Jett and Prince.
In January of 2020, Towa Bird downloaded tik tok and uploaded a clip of herself playing “R U Mine?” from the Arctic Monkeys on electric guitar in her bedroom. She woke up the next morning with a fandom that seemed to have grown up overnight.
Now with three singles released and an upcoming album named “American Hero”, she’s getting ready to go on tour with Renée Rap and Alexander 23 this fall. She can’t wait to celebrate halloween in New York and performed life Bills, a new song in which she’s able to let down her iconic guitar for a moment and run around the stage.
Healthline was able to sit down with the gaysian rockstar and ask her a couple of questions on identity, the meditative power of music, and the role of social media in the careers of artists.
What is the story behind the name for your debut album, “American Hero”?
Yeah, that’s a great question. So, a lot of the songs on the album were written in this transitional period of my life: moving from the UK to the Us, learning how to acclimate with American culture and coming to terms with myself kind of as an immigrant, as an alien in this country. As well as the fact that my girlfriend is also american and a lot of the songs are to do with our relationship, I draw a lot of inspiration from our relationship.
So you are seeing a lot of vulnerability and a lot of heart that I’m putting out there which is kind of the opposite of a Hero. And I’m not American, so the title is completely ironic. Like when I think of american heroes I think of people like Chris Pratt and you know… literally Captain America - tall, strong, white guys- which again isn’t me. It initially started as a joke but the more and more I developed this project it just stuck.
So American Hero is supposed to be a little subversive.
How does your music serve as a medium for exploring complex themes like identity and queer love?
I think it is just such a beautiful form of expression, to be able to songwrite and create and to take from real life stories and experiences and then make that into a piece of art. Like I think that is such a high form of privilege, for me to be able to have.
It really solidifies feelings, because when I experience something, to be able to write it into a song really helps me create my mindset around that experience and it helps me put a lens over what actually happened and be able to introspect and reflect upon it.
Songwriting is a wonderful way to learn about yourself, learn how you feel and learn how you respond.
Your guitar solos are so fun and amazing, and I loved the one in Boomerang. Are we going to see more across the album?
Yeah, one hundred percent. I feel like it wouldn’t be a Towa song without a fuck of guitar moment that is just like a little bit arrogant and cocky. I mean, I have so much fun recording those silly little solos, so I’m just trying to sprinkle them throughout the record.
Do you have any experiences of trying to do a crazy solo and felt like giving up?
All the time, constantly. I quit guitar for like four years ‘cause I didn’t want to do it. It is like a relationship and you have to put in the hours and you have to put in the time or else it is not gonna serve either of you. It’s a lifelong relationship and it definitely is really really arduous at some points but I love it. I’ve put so much time into it.
What was it that initially drew you to guitar?
I think my dad was a huge influence. He had a guitar sitting around, that was just sort of like a piece of furniture collecting dust and had like three strings on it. It was sort of listening to the music that he was listening to, so I listen to it too, with you know guitar solos which I don’t think you hear that much of in pop these days.
I would listen to the guitar solos and be like, “Mhmm, those are pretty cool. Can I try and do that?” And eventually just like playing around with my dad’s guitar and then getting one for christmas for my own. Just trying stuff out, and trying to emulate the sounds of the records that I was hearing.
A big portion of your popularity comes from Tik Tok; how does the platform relate to your life as an artist and how do you choose an aesthetic for your visuals?
Tiktok and I have a tumultuous relationship, we’ve been through a lot together. I think it's a wonderful place to promote your music, like it's really cool to be able to have access to that platform as a new artist. I’m thinking about bands back in the day, like all the people I grew up listening to, they didn’t have tiktok, they didn’t have access to a massive audience. But at the same time, it is kind of difficult, I won’t lie to you. Tiktok can be tedious sometimes.
But, you know, it's okay. I always think about it; in my job, now, Tiktok is one of the things that I look least forward to. I would rather write songs that make a tiktok, I would rather play life than make a tiktok. But, at the same time, I work in bars and pubs in London where I literally had to clean vomit. And I’m like, if making a tiktok is one of the worst parts of my job then this is a fucking dream. This is crazy, you know.
What do you hope listeners take away from the new album?
I hope that they have fun listening to it. There’s a lot of really high tempo, fun and dancing songs. Kind of like Wild Heart and Boomerang. And then there’s like honest and vulnerable songs.
I hope that there’s a song for everyone on there. I want people to listen to it and have fun and think about themselves and reflect upon their life.
Commentaires