Attia Taylor

A Girls Rock Philly alum makes glorious bedroom pop.

by M.J. Fine

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Published: Sep 21, 2010

Jessica Kourkounis MISS UNIVERSE: 'People search their whole life to find their passion, and I've been extremely fortunate to find this so young,' says Attia Taylor.

From the first time you hear Attia Taylor, it's clear she's not quite like anyone else. Her airy, flexible voice floats above sparse, spacey synths and snaky rhythm tracks. Her lyrics are declarations: "Don't blame the government for all the things you can't figure out"; "They always want what they can't have"; and "She is a mad scientist."

Taylor, 20, could very well be singing about herself. But where did she come from? Shortly after releasing her second EP, Short Stories & Small Glories, the singer and occasional djembe player talked over e-mail about how she got here and where she wants to go.

"I remember using household items to make instruments, being eager to sing on a tape recorder when I was about 4 and writing songs over karaoke instrumental discs." It wasn't an artistic family that nurtured her ambition, but one that let Attia be Attia. "They don't really understand my dedication to this craft," she says, "but they are very supportive."

The East Falls native boarded at Girard College, where she started writing poetry in elementary school, moved on to songs and plays in middle school and got serious about songwriting in high school. It's also where she met most of her band. Xylophone player Anissa Martinez was a classmate; John Romano (bass and djembe) and Aqila Clement (drums) are teachers. (New addition Bradley Bergey rounds out the group on accordion.)

After graduation, Taylor honed her style at Girls Rock Philly, singing in the trip-hop combo Oak Oak Okay. The experience was so positive, she's gone on to share her knowledge with the most recent crop of campers.

"It is one of those environments that you dream about as a young woman, like walking into a room and not being judged because of what you have on and having your ideas appreciated not just as a woman but also as a person. It's safe."

She also picked up pointers from her playlist: Marvin Gaye inspired her to make music with meaning, PJ Harvey to stay true to her vision and Imogen Heap to be her own sound engineer, while she soaked up "quirky dance elements" from Stereolab, Stereo Total and other French pop artistes.

Taylor proved to be an apt pupil with the catchy bedroom pop of her first EP, Dear Universe, released last November. The follow-up, available for download at attiataylor.bandcamp.com, sees her extending her range, from the chilly, only-in-Philly "Hezekiah and The Car" to the choppy piano fever dream of "Wonder the Wonderful."

"Dear Universe was an experiment and Short Stories & Small Glories was a project," she explains. "There was no mapping with Dear Universe; it just sort of happened."

She's careful not to get tunnel vision when it comes to music, and studying communications at Temple allows her to explore her options without slamming any doors. "I've been trying my hand at film, journalism, audio editing and everything else that sweet major has to offer."

Though she plans to continue mentoring younger musicians, she knows the best way to teach others is to keep doing her own thing. "People search their whole life to find their passion, and I've been extremely fortunate to find this so young," she says. She's got the poise, she's found her voice and she's charted a path. Though there's still so much to learn, she believes she's up to the challenge.

"I feel more human on stage than I do when I'm at home," she says. As for everything else: "I'm starting to fall in love with the production aspect, plus I love to travel. ... In other words, I'll make it work."

(m_fine@citypaper.net)

Attia Taylor plays Night Market Philadelphia Thu., Sept. 30, 6-10 p.m., East Passyunk and Tasker, nightmarketphilly.org.

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