TAYAHNA FOR WONDERLAND MAGAZINE SPRING 2020 ISSUE
WORDS BY DIDI UDOFIA:
Speaking with 17-year-old multi-hyphenate Tayahna Walcott, I’m reminded of the ever-broadening possibilities for young people to be expressive on their own terms. Walcott is no different and, in fact, stands out more than most so for her impressive resume - the self-taught singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, DJ and model has already worked alongside brands such as Depop, Mac and Refinery29.
For Walcott, the music she makes stems from her “personal experience with the world.” Although some may question just how much a 17-year-old high school student could have encountered, Walcott’s exceptional feats at such a young age are bolstered by her truly considerate self-reflection, and she would surprise some with her wise soul and thoughtful words. A performer from the age of six - when she would attend local talent shows with her brother - the young artist muses on growing up as a second-generation Afro-Caribbean immigrant in Brooklyn, queer identity, and building her brand on social media. As we got to know each other over the phone, she eloquently reflects on her experiences with a voice that resonates with the minority Gen Zer in me, a claim I’m sure she’d humbly laugh at a little.
Walcott says that her upbringing granted her “the duality of growing up how [her parents] grew up, versus growing up American,” and I kind of want to snap my fingers at her accurate deduction. “It’s interesting, because my parents allow me to be myself, so I think that was very important for breaking that narrative that I have to be a certain way,” she emphasizes, considering the perceived implications of been black and being queer in America’s current cultural climate. “I’ve been able to explore this culture and that culture, and get a nice melange of things.”
As an unsigned and self-taught artist, Walcott has maintained complete control over her career, since getting into producing music on her PC at the age of nine. By eleven, she had her own songs to perform live, which without social media, was the only way she could spread her music. “Not to sound old, but back then, I had to burn my CDs for every show,” she jokes, as she reflects on how much the industry has evolved since she first started. But she takes it all in her stride. “It’s really cool, because sometimes I don’t know all the answers and [I’m] just finding my way as I go. There wasn’t a manual, I just literally had to learn as I went,” she muses. “That’s kind of a metaphor for how life is for me…”
Like her music, Walcott’s modelling career is also something she’s navigating as she goes along. But doing it her way, “taking it as it goes,” has enabled her to carve a space for it amongst her already multi-faceted career. She revels in “appreciating the process, and how that translates to me as a person,” in order ti fuel her disciplined attitude towards all that she does.
The artist seems hyper-aware that now, the opportunities she’s earned are also a fortunate product of her presence online, explaining: “With the internet being a major focal point of urban culture, it’s allowed me to market myself as a person, as an artist, as a model, simultaneously - simply because I am visually depicting myself. But she’s not too influenced by social media clout, and Walcott recognises her following as something that came about from being her authentic self. “I don’t really have to sell it; it sells itself,” she shrugs. “When I take pictures, I naturally curate my brand by just being myself.”
Amidst all of this, Walcott is still a student navigating college applications and teenage life. She’s excited for her 18th birthday this year, although not for reasons you may expect - with so much exposure in the industries she loves already, she’s frustrated by still being overlooked for castings and DJ sets because of age restrictions. Nevertheless, she’s using the time to fine-tune and focus on exactly what she’ll deliver next on her own terms, as she always has done, asserting: “What I would hate is to not execute things right - so I’m not rushing it.”