It’s 10am on Thursday and I have a zoom call with the supremely talented British musician Tawiah.
Bang on time for the interview, she’s sitting at her piano in her home studio. Behind her I see more instruments of her trade. The room has a high ceiling, decked out in pastel colours-I like it.
“I am out of London in my own place now. I could not afford those London prices. But it’s so great to have this creative space. I have the garden, grow veg and sit by the fire, there is space and peace to do what I love”.
Her contentment radiates through my ancient Dell laptop.
I became aware of the Battersea born artist roughly in 2011 with her debut EP Jodi’s Bedroom (2007)-where had I been? This 5-track project (6 if you include the interlude) of alternative neo soul niceness was a sublime classy introduction. It showcased banging production (courtesy of her friend Jodi Milliner), a unique emotive voice and effortless song writing ability.
“In 2019 my first album [Starts Again] came out. Michael Kiwanuka asked me to come on tour, and I was like ‘amazing finally we are going to do this’ and then the pandemic came.”
Based on that debut EP, I had to get her on a music show called Quality Control where I was the A n R and producer. Bernard Kordieh (director of the show) and I duly got her to appear.
She gasps “that is ages ago, damn!” when I remind her that we have met before.
Her performance on the day was absolute fire! No fanfare, no other musicians-just her voice, a guitar and some peddles. Tawiah’s powerful performance accentuated by her minimalist approach. She held the audience with innate stage craft, undoubtedly courtesy of her years as a student at the renowned Brits School-past attendees-RAYE, Adele, Amy Winehouse.
Post performance, the director and I were like “wow”. We knew we had pulled off a great accomplishment in getting her.
“It’s been quite an epic journey from being signed to a major and being in that difficult situation” she states when we discuss her musical path since that debut EP, “In 2019 my first album [Starts Again] came out. Michael Kiwanuka asked me to come on tour, and I was like ‘amazing finally we are going to do this’ and then the pandemic came.”
She shrugs her shoulders,
“So, I thought this is life. Tomorrow is not promised. We don’t know what is going to happen. It’s been a real lesson in what will be will be! I had to keep moving. In that time there was the physical move out of London and the chance to reconnect with my musicianship. At the time I was downloading silent movies off YouTube. I was scoring them and doing the sound effects in that time”
“So, I had the privilege and honour to score Whoopi’s performance. This was such a blessing. Not sure when it is going to be out, but I’ve done it!”
In that heady period of the pandemic, Tawiah found a new passion in scoring films. The timing perfectly suited a time where being ‘alone’ was enforced.
“I eventually sent stuff to a friend of mine who is the managing director of Manners Faber (they are my TV and film agent now). She was like ‘this is sick your music just lends itself to scores’. It planted the initial seed but up until that point I had never thought it was a tangible career. Also, I had never seen black British female composers, so I was a little apprehensive. But I thought let’s see how this plays out and so I got into it.”
Since that “leap of faith”, Tawiah’s initial apprehension has been replaced by a bona fide and financially rewarding career.
She has diversified by all intent purposes.
“So fast forward and I have done 6 TV series alongside my partner in crime Lindsay Wright–Without Sin (2022), Season 1 of Black Ops, a romcom for Sky called The Lovers and the last one was Anasi Boys (2022), starring Whoopi Goldberg”
Fan girling with no embarrassment, she lets off a light scream, “So, I had the privilege and honour to score Whoopi’s performance. This was such a blessing. Not sure when it is going to be out, but I’ve done it!”
The issue of making money purely as a musician rears its head.
“Yes, you are absolutely right” she confirms when I highlight that the need to ‘diversify’ was almost pushed onto her. From scoring films, voice over work and composing, Tawiah has found further meaning.
“Being ready to finally release my new album as an independent artist within my own right is such a blessing.
“As an independent artist I would not have been able to do the tour without being funded by PRS. You are spending so much time doing grant applications from PRS , to The Arts Council to fund (for example) a support tour. These are the costs people don’t see” she raises her eyebrows slightly, “ And to be honest I wasn’t really making that much money. You suddenly realise how else can I do what I love, feel meaningful but have a few different streams of income. It is a dance and it is a tough industry to navigate.”
And while scoring for Whoopi Goldberg was a proud moment, working with the mighty legend that is Chaka Khan was/is the absolute pinnacle-Tawiah’s eyes literally light up.
“Chaka was just such a highlight. You know sometimes they say don’t meet your heroes because it’s not always as good as you wanted it to be. I got a phone call from head of contemporary music at the time, Adem [Holness] at Southbank and Deborah Yewande Bankole who is a programmer of the Meltdown Festival. Adem was like Chaka Khan is the curator for Meltdown and we put you forward with a case to audition, direct, and get the choir ready for Chaka Khan’s last performance of the festival.”
“I returned to music which anchors me and brings me back to the centre. There is a real reflective, meditative, spacious energy to the album.
She lays her hand on her heart, “When I heard this, I did not react for about 10 seconds. Like I was ‘what’! So, Chaka sent all the hits like I’m Every Woman (1978), Ain’t Nobody (1983) but Chaka Khan also sent a track called I Believe. It just had her voice and a piano. She said write a choir part and ‘do you’. I recorded all the vocal parts and layered them up. I sent them over to Chaka for approval. And she came back and approved it!”
And if getting the go ahead to work with Chaka Khan was not enough, she speaks glowingly about performing with her.
“To share a stage with such a legend who keeps it one hundred was an absolute dream. During the show I often catch the spirit. So, what followed was a completely un-rehearsed moment on the day. I am like ‘Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan’” Tawiah starts laughing, “and then out of nowhere Chaka Khan and I started going back and forth. Amazing.”
With the interview drawing to a close. You know the score with Zoom. The amount of times I have been caught out when that 30 minutes is up! We discuss her latest album before I get caught mid-sentence.
“Being ready to finally release my new album as an independent artist within my own right is such a blessing. It’s called Land Of The Skies and while I have been working on composing and stuff, in between time I have been working on this album.”
In returning to her “own music” that contentment radiates my laptop (which is glitching) once again.
“I returned to music which anchors me and brings me back to the centre. There is a real reflective, meditative, spacious energy to the album. Now I am no longer in London I am re-engaging with myself outside of that noise. I love London, I love the energy don’t get me wrong, but you need time out of that environment particularly in today’s world.”
And re-engaging with past collaborator Jodie Milliner from her debut ep, she has gone full circle,
“Jodie, Ben [Jones] and I recorded officially half of the album at Abbey Road, and we are working on the second half now. There are a few collaborators on there, but I cannot mention them at the moment. But performing at Ronnie Scott’s when they open the upstairs part will be a beautiful way to start the year- doing what I love and performing live.
Tawiah performs at Ronnie Scott’s on the 24/02/2026
Images by Josh Woolford