Presented by ASCAP
Taliwhoah at Half Step
A stylish pop outlier with Afro-Caribbean soul, R&B swagger, and hypnotic mystique,
London-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and artist Taliwhoah
immediately elicits a reaction any time she sings or even steps into a room. That typical
response can be found in her very moniker…
“My real name is Talitha, but ‘Whoah’ is the reaction someone had to me once, so that’s
how I got the nickname,” she explains. “It’s a true representation of who I am, and it’s
also what I plan for my music.”
Born in a big musical family to a British born, Nigerian-Lebanese mom and Jamaican
dad, she recalls studying VHS tapes of performances by her aunt Maizie Williams and
mother Toyin Adekale during their time in the influential European group Boney M.
“When I was a kid, I learned so much from those videos,” she laughs. “I got to see my
mom and my auntie play to huge crowds in Russia and all over the place. It was like
Vlogging back in the day!”
At the age of 13, she relocated from her native London to Seattle, WA with her mother
and stepfather who served in the military. During high school, she devoted any free
minute to dance, and song. Get ready for TaliWhoah!
[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.