Creating on Concrete: Four Female Artists’ Journeys in Urban Landscapes
Think of an artist as a flower, and their metropolis as an ecosystem. Every flower blooms differently- or some not at all- in abnormal gardens and climates. But when a seed is planted in a comfy spot with just enough water and its very own beam of sunlight, something beautiful might begin to grow- in terms of our metaphor, this could be equivalent to you discovering your next favorite artist.
Each urban landscape has cultivated its unique musical ecosystem, sprinkling a little piece of itself in artists who choose to create there. I explored the relationship between the artist and a place, seeking some insight into the age-old question: how does each city shape the music and the artists who live there. I spoke to four up-and-coming female artists working in some of the biggest cities in the U.S. to try and understand how their surroundings have impacted their music.
Molly Grace: The Pop Soul in the Heart of Country
Molly Grace got her first guitar when she was 10. After learning four basic chords, she decided she was going to live out her “Taylor Swift dreams,” as one does. 13 years later, she moved to Nashville to develop her songwriting skills at Belmont University and make a name for herself as a queer artist writing non-country music. Nashville- THE city of country and Christians- is an interesting choice of place for someone like Molly Grace, but she uses her differences to her advantage.
“It’s helped a little bit that I do pop-soul because in a place surrounded by country writers, I stand out,” said Molly Grace, who takes inspiration from artists like Lawrence and Remi Wolf.
A Bostonian at heart, Molly Grace feels the edge and bite of the city she grew up around created an interesting dynamic for her and her artistry moving to Nashville. “I really like the pace of life in Nashville, and the people are so kind,” she said.
Nashville’s southern charm puts an alternate spin on what’s often seen as a harsh, cut-throat industry. Molly Grace has learned that, on the contrary, Nashville is big on giving people chances. “I feel like in other music communities you have to show a little clout to get in the door, but in Nashville a lot of places will just give you the shot,” she said.
Nashville is a place where many musicians can thrive, but being an artist in a city with intense political views can bring on many challenges. “I’m a woman and also queer- which makes me a double whammy!” Molly Grace jokes.
“Sometimes I do have to think about my audience when I’m performing in Nashville, when I sing songs that are explicitly about my girlfriend. That was something I didn’t have to think about in the Northeast,” she said. “But there are really strong LGBTQ+ organizations in Nashville. I feel like there are a lot of movements to amplify women's voices in particular because it is kind of a boy’s club, especially in the country music scene.”
As an artist living in a place surrounded by other artists, Molly Grace expresses the importance of defining one’s own, unique sound. In order for her to do this, Molly Grace had to work through what she calls her “pop complex.”
“When I first came to Nashville, I was very focused on getting in a niche, but my sound leaned pop,” said Molly Grace. “There’s a misconception that pop music is not legitimate because sometimes it’s simple sounding. I used to think maybe my chords weren’t complex enough, but eventually I realized the simplicity of a short, catchy melody is the most difficult thing about it.”
The short catchy melody is something that Nashville musicians are great at pinning, which can be intimidating for those artists on the come-up. “I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to follow a lane here, but then realized that I could create my own,” said Molly Grace.
“When people talk of the music industry it’s so elusive and mysterious, but I think once you’re a part of it there are so many spots to fit in. When you’re making music there is no limit to how many artists someone wants to listen to or how many songs they’ll add to a playlist.
“Here, I’m really not competing with anybody because there’s space for all of us. Since living in Nashville, I’ve gained more confidence in making music my career.”
Listen to Molly Grace here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/21rtlXPLkzcyDnYycn4QXH?si=ZvKRFoGGQ8iazC36ZEx1HA
Tia Tia: A Jersey girl in LA
Home to Hollywood and all things entertainment, many artists and songwriters end up in Los Angeles, including Tia Tia.
Tia Tia (“name so nice ya gotta say it twice”) is a full time songwriter who has worked on some of today’s biggest hits, including tracks from Justin Bieber, Ava Max, Sabrina Carpenter, John Legend, Saweetie, and more.
Tia Tia’s story actually begins 3,000 miles east of LA, in New Jersey, where she grew up close to the hustle and bustle of New York City. Maybe it was the quick pace of where she grew up, or maybe just her eagerness to create, but Tia Tia tried out a few different places before landing in the city of stars.
Tia Tia attended songwriting camp in Boston, and then chose to hone in on her skills in Nashville. “I didn’t want to be a country artist but Nashville artists are so good at crafting songs, so I wanted to start there.” Tia Tia said she wouldn’t have had the confidence to make it in LA without her Nashville foundation.
“Coming to LA was like being thrown into an ocean of artists, but it’s up to you whether you sink or swim,” she said. “People here are really down to give you a chance, but then you have to prove yourself.”
When Tia Tia first moved to LA, she had no music out and no songs cut, but that didn’t stop her from sharing voice memos of unfinished songs to other writers, who were quickly impressed.
“Someone sent one of my songs to someone, who sent it to someone, who sent it to Adam Lavine, who then said he wanted to cut it,” said Tia Tia. “Every cut I’ve had came from being in LA- even my first country cut!”
Although LA has the general reputation of being a more laid back city, those in music still feel the constant pressure to produce work. “In LA everybody is working all the time so you kind of feel that pressure to work all the time,” said Tia Tia. “I think people definitely see the industry as cut-throat, but if I start looking outward I start becoming unhappy, and I think I write my best music when I’m in a good place, so I don’t allow myself to go there that much.”
Tia Tia is extremely focused on her own journey, while appreciating that there is room for collaboration. She attributes much of her songwriting success to having the experience of writing in LA. “Without LA, I wouldn’t have the 10,000 hours I have now writing and working with people at the top of their game, inspiring me and pushing me to be better and to write songs that make me feel proud.”
Tia Tia has taken advantage of working with and experiencing different kinds of people, music and cultures living in LA. “I always just want to make something great, whether it’s my idea or your idea,” she said.
“I think it’s really inspiring how there’s so much room for everyone,” she continued. “As an artist you can be from anywhere, but for me, it took LA- the 10,000 hours of working here and just grinding and writing every day.
“I just think no other city had quite worked for me because it wasn’t supposed to. I think I always would have made my way here, to LA.”
Listen to Tia Tia here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fbIkBK4DW2IPnlKk9MLWS?si=UI_HUJ9qTwKH_x2O3VnyiA
Nellie: From the Block
Only a native New Yorker could have the same kind of hustle as Nellie- an ethics researcher at Columbia University by day and determined musician at night, busking on sidewalks, attending open mics, working the merch booth at Bowery Ballroom, and performing with Sofar Sounds. “All of my hours outside of work right now are dedicated to music,” said Nellie.
Nellie now lives in Brooklyn, but grew up in Yonkers where her Dad was a songwriter and bass player in a Spanish band. Nellie had music in her bones, but just started teaching herself how to play the guitar and performing on her own a few years ago.
“Because I grew up here I'm intrinsically New York-esk, but I found my voice in Boston,” said Nellie. “I was volunteering for Sofar Sounds and meeting a lot of different artists and trying to get more comfortable performing and playing, collaborating with kids from Berklee and friends from Sofar.
“I was always focused on singing and songwriting, then I realized I don’t want to rely on someone else to play guitar for me at a gig, so that’s when it all got real.”
As she grows as an artist in a major city, Nellie’s philosophy is simply to stay true to herself and her own style, which oozes NYC. “You never really know what I’m going to put out,” said Nellie. “I have three songs out right now; one is very folk, one pop, one indie-rock.
“For a long time I was always trying to be someone else, but in NY you can be whoever you want and either no one gives a fuck or people connect with you.”
In a city like New York, connections come along in many different ways. “Once I was busking and saw some guy watching me with a guitar, so I invited him to play with me,” said Nellie. “We played a bunch of Beatles and Bob Dylan songs at the park, and then I ended up opening for him at Rockwood Music Hall.”
Nellie works hard to expand her network and community constantly. “People just want to connect and collaborate because we all want to do the same thing,” she said. Nellie gains most of her listeners from her gigs with Sofar Sounds, but finds herself connecting with people in every corner of the city, even when she is not wearing her guitar across her shoulder.
Naturally, people gravitate towards the cool girl behind the merch counter at Bowery for conversations surrounding music and merch. “I embroider bucket hats while I’m there and sometimes concert goers ask what I’m making and then look me up,” said Nellie. “I don’t think that a community like this is something you get in a lot of other places.”
Nellie has also been able to connect with other Latin-indie artists here, something she expressed as being slightly new for her. “Being Hispanic, being Latina, and growing up in a predominantly white area, I wasn’t very much interested in any aspect of my culture until I met people with different backgrounds,” she said. “I grew up here, but in a catholic school bubble, so really being out here in the city has allowed me to grow and connect with a lot of other Latin-indie artists.”
No matter what city you’re in, it’s difficult to dodge the struggles that come with being a female artist. “Every time I do a show all of the male audio engineers are like, ‘here comes another girl with a guitar,’” said Nellie. “Obviously the music industry is male dominated, but the younger generation is more mindful of making sure people are comfortable to create whatever they want.”
“Here, I’m making music for myself and nobody else. People who like it will gravitate towards it and those who don’t, won’t. I won’t try to curate for an audience, but just see who joins for the ride.”
Listen to Nellie here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/40TEg2MKZFUq6DVQIlwIGe?si=7nc5E2ZyQ-iK0QjgpBdH_g
Naika: The Floater
Naika identifies as a TCK, or third culture kid, raised in a culture other than her parents’. “I grew up nomadically, moving every few years,” said Naika. Growing up Naika traveled from Africa to the south pacific, to France, Montreal, Miami, Boston and LA, discovering parts of herself and her musical style along the way.
As a child Naika participated in her school plays, simply because that was the furthest reach she had. “It wasn’t very advanced or elaborate,” she assures, “but then I started taking piano lessons and writing music when I was 14, living in South Africa.”
The bleeding of cultures from across the globe quickly became apparent to Naika. “I was really into Disney Channel- Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez- but at home I was listening to world music, whether that was music from Kenya, Latin/hispanic music, sometimes French music,” she said. “We didn’t listen to western music beyond that.”
Naika began to discover not only western music but her own sound as well when she got to Berklee College of Music. “I discovered Prince and Whitney Houston when I got to college,” she said. “I did feel like I had a bit of a disadvantage coming to music school not knowing these people.”
Naika took her time to adjust and spent her first couple of years at Berklee listening and observing. At the back end of her college years she began to put what she learned to work and didn’t waste any time. For her first show ever Naika put together a 12-piece band together for an hour long performance in Boston.
“What I loved at the school more than anything was the international aspect,” said Naika. “There were all types of cultural representation, and that’s something I strive to incorporate in what I do. It’s who I am, it’s how I grew up.”
Naika moved to Los Angeles after college. “It was always my dream… a distant dream from the other side of the world,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to be an entertainer and always looked at LA with starry eyes. I don’t really know another city in the world where everybody is here to make their dreams come true.” Naika stays inspired, surrounding herself with people who are hungry to make their dreams happen no matter what city they’re in.
“It’s interesting to go to different places and see the same industry work in a completely different way,” said Naika.
Naika grew up an only child who always felt slightly cocooned and sheltered- she still describes herself as being shy, but finding herself in the middle of some of the biggest cities in the world has helped her turn into the artist she strives to be.
The world traveler turned singer/songwriter hopes to incorporate all of the cultures she has adopted into her music. “Living where I have has turned me into the woman I am,” Naika said. “I have evolved exponentially just being in LA currently, and I know there is more growth to come.”
Listen to Naika here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tk2WUKBOS9nKZj7bPQIXT?si=xghzI69fTAeXY4bs8bV2MA
It’s evident that while geography wields a significant influence on an artist's style and identity, the ultimate accomplishment lies in the artist's ability to harmonize their surroundings with their authentic self. Each of these artists spoke of creating something true to them, no matter what city they reside in.
While the influence of location on an artist's trajectory is undeniable, it is ultimately the resonance of the artist's inner landscape that produces the greatest work.
We will continue to celebrate the interplay between location and artistic manifestation, all the while understanding and cherishing the vital truth that the heart of musical expression thrives when an artist finds their groove and remains unapologetically themselves.