“Punk is Black AF”: A Conversation With Tayow
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 6 Minutes
Over holiday break, I, much like many other college students who grew up in a rather boring area of the Midwest, found myself scrolling through Tiktok more than I usually do - which is saying a lot since I’m the head of social media here on top of writing and editing duties. This added screen time wasn’t all for nothing, though, because I found an artist who is undoubtedly one of the coolest individuals I’ve ever come across both from a musical standpoint and a personal one.
TAYOW, an acronym for The Architect Of Your Own World. Based in Toronto, Canada, TAYOW is a self proclaimed multi-hyphenate artist who recently dropped an EP titled Democrazy. I had the honor of chatting with her to discuss the EP, this project, and more.
TAYOW photographed by @magnezitation on InstagramYour newest release, Democrazy, is inherently political and couldn’t have come out at a more relevant time than now. Can you speak on what drove you to write these songs and what they mean to you?
The songs are really a by-product of a lot of conversations I was having with my dad leading up to 2020. He and I wrote the project together, we started working on the first iterations of it during the pandemic with SLWJMZ. In our Trinidadian culture, it's very common for artists to use their music to call out politicians, oppressive systems and corruption. So, I knew I wanted to make more music that was more obviously influenced by my culture and the songs just came out over the course of the year. They mean the world to me for two reasons, for one I created them with my dad and two they are a great introduction to who I am, what I believe in, and where I come from.
Democrazy tends to take listeners through a very multifaceted journey of styles. Can you share what drove you to approach it in such a complex manner?
To be honest, I just love music and I don't believe in boxing myself into one genre. I had recently changed my artist name and I wanted to come out the gate letting people know that I don't just do one style. I'd prefer to be associated with a feeling instead of a genre. When we were first starting the project, we took the approach that the story will write itself and it definitely did! Once it came time to sequence the project, I really wanted to approach it like a movie with a beginning, middle and end and since the songs are actually the soundtrack to an accompanying graphic novel we are currently writing (coming out in 2026!), it helped me guide those decisions!
Who are your biggest influences that helped shape the sound present in the EP?
Since this EP was more of a "coming home" project, I spent a lot of my time revisiting artists that I grew up with like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Shadow, Gil-Scott Harris, Curtis Mayfield and Nina Simone. I also revisited and more intentionally studied artists like Death, Fela Kuti, Miriam Makemba, Ebo Taylor, Ali Farka Toure and Orchestra Baobab. For my dad, I think he would say It’s more for him the sounds of the Caribbean where everything is played. And the lyrics of the Black Stalin and other singers around the Caribbean that made intelligent socially conscious music.
Groundhog Day in particular really stuck out to me due to its punk-like attitude in the lyrics, vocals, and instrumentals. Can you provide some insight on what sparked this rebellious anthem?
Do you know Groundhog Day is my favourite song on the project?! I actually love rock. I grew up listening to all sub-genres of rock through my dad's love of rock. So, when the two of us were co-producing our demos with SLWJMZ, throwing in a curveball like Groundhog day was a no brainer! The whole premise of the song is an "F It" attitude and a cheeky way of imagining what "Groundhog day" the movie would look like for a black woman in our society.
The part of it being punk-like was really just because why not? The whole project is Black AF and If you know the history of punk and how black its roots are, it's really a no brainer. Punk is black AF! Also, with how dense the project is with social commentary, I wanted to end the project with some release and it just feels amazing to scream on a track.
Side note/fun fact: I listed Death as one of the artists I was listening to during the conception of this project. If you don't know them, they are one of the first punk bands, a group of African American brothers from Detroit! Way before the Sex Pistols and The Ramones, Death was making punk rock music and were almost erased from history if it wasn't for one of the bandmates' son pushing to keep their legacy alive.
You are a DIY artist who is also a woman of color: Can you shed some light on the reality of the music industry with this taken into consideration?
I'd love to just let other black women and women of color know this: If you are looking to be a music artist, commit fully and trust in your vision. People will always have an idea of who they think you should be. That's why you should know your vision and know that it may change but make sure that if it does change it’s because you want it to. Your identity as an artist should be strong enough and secure enough that you can filter people’s feedback and know what to keep and what to let go of. It's not easy to be in the industry and to see that the decision makers, more often than not, do not look like you or even understand where you come from. That's why it's important to maintain your integrity and to know who you are!
Did you always know you were going to be a musician? What or who introduced you to the magic of music and live performance?
No! I actually was planning to use my Environmental Governance degree and go into Sustainability Consulting or Corporate Social Responsibility. I always loved writing and singing but I hadn't considered it as a real career because of everything you hear growing up about being an artist or even just how hard it is to be "successful". But then after I graduated, I took a leap of faith and attended a non-traditional theatre program called Watah Theatre School (which is now the Black Theatre School), where the goal wasn't actually teaching theatre, it was more encouraging every artist's self-actualization. I was able to get a taste of what I love to do, which is perform and tell stories. That set me on track to continue taking the performing arts more seriously and I've met some very encouraging and supportive mentors along the way. One of which is Waleed Abdulahamid, who is my music director and supported the music direction of all the live elements on this project!
Are there any other things outside of music that inspire you (films, literature, people, etc.)?
I'm of course inspired by the beauty of Allah and all his creations. It's very grounding for me. I'm very inspired by natural phenomenons and nature as a whole. I love learning more about the animal world and drawing parallels to us as humans. I'm also inspired by the way we are as people and History as well. I like to think about why we do what we do, why some people think the way they think or act the way they act. In terms of art, I love to craft, I love reading and over-analyzing what I read.
Who are some artists you’ve had on repeat lately?
Okay last month and in no particular order or genre I would say Monaleo, Kokoroko, Olivia Dean, Afternoon Bike Ride, Rico Nasty, Annahstasia, and Junior Kelly
Circling back to the political nature of Democrazy: why do you feel it’s important to speak up about certain topics through art in specific? Why is it your medium of choice?
There are two quotes that perfectly summarize why I feel it's important. One from Nina Simone who said "An artist's duty is to reflect the times" and when Ceramic artist Joan Takayama-Ogawa said "Artists must be leaders and leaders must be artists". I think it's important because art is accessible. It's an easy way to spark conversation to more complex or nuanced conversation. For me, being creative comes naturally to me and right now music is my medium of choice but as a multi-hypenate artist I love to experiment and play with other disciplines as well like theatre, writing, handcrafts, or photography.
What do you hope to accomplish with your music?
Not just my music but with any artistic endeavor I do, my biggest goal is to express myself and to make things that would impress my younger self! After that, I hope to use my music as a catalyst for bigger conversations, whether it be touching on socio-political topics or being vulnerable and documenting my own healing journey. There is so much to be said, with this human experience and I hope to add to the conversation in my own little way.
