Thea Evans

As she releases her new single Giving Up (On My Dreams), musician and actress Thea Evans tells us about auditioning for West End musicals as a child, her time living in north London’s creative warehouse district and getting a high-five from a world-famous athlete.

When did you know you wanted a career in music?

To be honest I’ve always been a musical person - my dad is too, I grew up with him playing the guitar and listening to a lot of music, so I was kind of surrounded by it from a young age. One of the notes my mum would often get from my reception class teacher at school was “How do you get her to stop singing?”. I know a lot of kids are musical when they’re young, but I continued on with it - when I was about 7 I auditioned for a production of Annie in central London and I got to the final round and ended up being one of the understudies, so to my mum’s avail, and the stress of her bank account, I continued singing, writing songs, going to open mics. Even at like 8 years old I’d try to go to open mics and do Over The Rainbow or something like that!

When did you start releasing your music?

I started when I was about 13, 14 - I made this really cringy YouTube channel where I put on this posh accent and did some covers on there, then I did my first proper gig at RadFest in Nottingham when I was 19 I think. Shortly after that I took a break for two years though as I was going through some pretty tough personal stuff - I was even at a drama school at the time, which I had to drop out of. As I was coming out of it all I ended up making a really close group of friends and moved into this house of 15 other people in the Haringey warehouse district - all really creative people, and the best place I’ve ever been in. When I was living there I was lucky enough to meet I think the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, who’s been so supportive, and I put him in all my stuff. Now I'm living in Bristol with him, a cat and a dog, and we’re moving back to London in September!

Did taking a break for a couple of years change your feelings about what you wanted to be as an artist?

It was a blessing and a hindrance in a lot of ways. I think I’ve changed as a person - back then I was partying a lot as a way of dealing with the stuff that I was going through, but I ended up coming out of it with a huge group of friends and a much better support system. During my time living in the warehouse I started something called the Deer In The Headlights Project, which ran for about a year and a half or so, which was a collective aiming to help people understand toxic relationships and abuse and mental health, and understand the terminology that comes with having a healthy relationship, and we ended up raising £1000 for a charity called We Rescue Kids. Without that break I don’t know if I’d have been able to pull myself together and go “Right, do what you’re supposed to be doing”.

You’re based in Bristol now - are you from London originally?

I grew up in north Finchley - that’s where I was born and lived until I moved to Tottenham to live in the warehouse for just under two years.

How long have you lived in Bristol now? Have you integrated into the music scene there?

It took me a little while to kind of settle myself here. I put out a song just a couple of weeks before I moved, and then I started a job that I took partially so I could afford the move, but I found that it wasn’t for me - a corporate office working 9-5 when I had a lot going on was just something that I could not physically do at the time. It’s hard to work a 9-5, I have so much respect for people who do. I was still doing the odd open mic, and have done some fundraising recently to help raise money for a not-for-profit artist’s venue.

What has your experience of releasing music as an independent artist been like?

Releasing music, especially funding it, is tough for any independent artist, but I actually do have some recommendations I learnt from the Lisa Lashes School of Music - I did a Kickstarter with them at the end of lockdown, they’re a really great school that looks to get people from working class backgrounds into the music industry, especially people into dance music. It’s run by Lisa Lashes, who’s a pretty big name in dance music - she was huge in the 90s.

You mentioned that you went to drama school - did you finish the course?

I didn’t, although I was lucky in that it was a diploma that didn’t require me taking out a student loan. I'm going to Central Saint Martins to study Performance Design and Practice later this year though!

Did you act much before deciding to pursue music?

I did little bits and bobs professionally. I was in Finchley Children's Music Group, which is a choir in London, for ten years. Funny story, I was actually meant to go on tour with Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour through that choir - I got the email saying I’d been chosen the day before he died! Nobody believes this story, but it’s true! I also did an opera called The Jailer’s Tale which ran for a couple of weeks, I did a choir project at the London Zoo and Usain Bolt was there - I got a high-five from him, which was pretty cool. Outside of the choir group I did some short films and some work with the Arts Depot Youth Theatre. Oh, and as a child I did vocals for a Cartier advert, recorded at Abbey Road! But as far as professional acting goes I wouldn’t call myself a professional, I think I was just a teenage hobbyist with big dreams and a mum who wouldn’t say no! But she probably should’ve done, as I didn’t do my practice. I really appreciate everything she did for me though, and I don’t tell her that enough.

You have a new song just out - are you working on anything else at the moment?

I do! It's called Giving Up (On My Dreams). There's another project I'm working on as well - during my time in the warehouse I started a small open mic night, and people really liked these three or four songs I would always play, so I’m going to record them, put them into a little EP and try to perform them at open mic nights all over the world!

Words: Scott Bates

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