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LOS ANGELES – Katie Gavin is a self-proclaimed “gay celebrity.”
Pop band Muna first performed “Silk Chiffon”, an anthem of quirky joy. Although MUNA frontwoman Gavin has stepped into the pop music mainstream, she is definitely and defiantly still an indie artist.
On his debut solo record “What a Relief”, which was released last month on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records, Gavin channels a sad, melancholic tone to explore intimacy, grief and inter-generational trauma. The lyrics are spare and reflect heartfelt – and sometimes grim – realizations about pain and self-discovery. As Gavin said, the album, created over seven years, is a testament to “how much we change and stay the same” over time.
She is part of a new wave of musicians – including BoyGenius, Renee Rapp and Chappelle Rhone – who are reimagining pop and folk-rock traditions with a quirky sensibility. To celebrate the release of Gavin’s album, Muna fan groups held listening parties at gay bars such as The Ruby Fruit in Los Angeles and Ginger Bar in Brooklyn, New York.
Gavin recently spoke with The Associated Press about finding his creative partners, connecting with his 14-year-old child and his first solo tour in the U.S., which starts Monday in Seattle.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Gavin: They’re both my creative soulmates and collaborators. In some ways he helped decide the track list as the first step in the process was to reject songs for Muna.
The process of opening yourself up to new people – of working creatively – is very vulnerable.
Gavin: It’s a fun song. It looks young. This is very much felt in the world of crush and fantasy. Which is one of my favorite pop songs to write.
A solo project is, by nature, a very measured project. I’m not really making these big, bold, sweeping pop statements. It is quite small and subtle. My solo project is very “if you know, you know.”
Gavin: It was amazing. I mean, he’s a legend to me.
There was a photo he’d taken – at Regen Projects – of a recent girlfriend who was in the bedroom and there was a lot of stuff scattered everywhere. That photo was on every mood board and every treatment I made for this album. This was the wallpaper on my computer. I was just like, “This is the vibe.”
Gavin: There are certain artists I avoid listening to if I feel like they really relate to me. I couldn’t really write like Tori or Fiona, even though I tried really hard to emulate them, so I’m not that worried about it. I’m not a prodigious piano player, so everything will be fine, do you know what I mean?
I mainly listen to 90s lesbians or lesbian-accurate women.
Gavin: I’m really excited about it. Except for part of the tour in the Midwest in mid-December. There’s something very poetic about the solo tour for this record that brings me back to Chicago in the winter. Really cruel. We’re doing it in a van, and you know, I haven’t been back in the van in a minute.
Gavin: I saw a childhood friend this weekend and he gave me the best compliment. He was just like, “I know if we had shown you this when you were 14, you would have thought it was the best record.”
I would love for queer people and girls that age to find something in this record and connect with it. The music I listened to when I was 14 and 15 is very important to me. Those are my comfort records.
Gavin: Sometimes you have to disappoint people who want the creative direction to go a certain way… but if you know in your heart that your vision is different, you have to follow your vision .
Being an artist requires a lot of sacrifice. Like, I don’t have the same stability in my personal life and home life because of my job. But I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
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