Q&A: Conquering Hoops & Hurdles with Povi
HUSTLE CULTURE IS SYNONYMOUS – with American creative culture. You premiere your accomplishments online, climb the neverending ladder without a second thought, and work tirelessly at your third job to support your dreams. When living mindfully and pacing yourself aren’t at the top of your priority list, the quality of your music deteriorates. Alternative R&B singer Povi survived a gauntlet of experiences, but her music still feels like a breath of fresh air.
I first saw Povi in 2015 at the Regent Theater when she opened for Tinashe. I entered the venue to see a veiled woman entering the stage. When she revealed herself, she was very much not Tinashe, but her stage presence and voice were just as compelling. I’ve followed her in the years since but never quite kept up with her activity. Little did I know that she needed that time to figure out what music she enjoyed making.
Eight years later, I ran into her at an Over Everything music industry panel. We briefly reminisced about that concert, but I needed to hear what she’s been up to lately. A few days passed before her new single “Come Around” arrived in my inbox. Its downtempo production induces a feathery groove without pretension, while its lyrics embody the unabashed extracurricular activity that usually occurs on a Saturday night out.
This single and Povi’s future releases are “years in the making,” prompting listeners for defining moments in her artistic career. I was lucky to converse with her about “Come Around” for her first Luna interview.
LUNA: Thanks for taking the time to talk again. It's so funny just about how everything played out. This is just a whole full-circle moment.
POVI: Life is really full of those moments. When you let life just happen, you kind of stop wondering about the future. That's been happening a lot lately. I can just let the universe take over.
LUNA: Let’s start by talking a little bit about your childhood. What would you listen to growing up?
POVI: When I was little, I was really obsessed with two very separate genres. I was obsessed with big voices, big soul singers. So Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, Kelly Price, and Fiona Apple or Sam Cooke. I also grew up in the '90s, so the juxtaposition was Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, you know? There was this pop culture aspect where I wanted to be a star, but another aspect where I transfixed on people’s vocal abilities.
LUNA: Did these influences lead to you becoming an artist?
POVI: For sure, I started by writing poetry. I was really into slam poetry because it was popular and cool back then. I would write my little poems, sit at the top of the stairs, and tell my dad to listen to me while I recite these crazy slam poems.
LUNA: I know you toyed around with playing the harp, guitar, and even with production. Is that something you still keep up with?
POVI: I still play the guitar. The harp is a beautiful instrument that I played for five years, but I never owned one. I would borrow it from a family friend but thank God guitars are less expensive.
As for production, I definitely still do. As a woman, I have always pushed back against not having a voice in the studio. In the studio, people would tell me, “Now, sing this hook,” but I wanted to participate in the production and creation of the song. It took me a long time to get that confidence up and I attribute it to learning audio engineering.
LUNA: How have you grown in that regard?
POVI: I learned Pro Tools and I could tell those people to adjust my cue or show them this plugin I use on my voice. I eventually got to a point where I knew how to record myself but I wanted to produce too. I’m still learning and there’s a lot to know. But affording that equipment is expensive and when I moved to Oakland, I didn't have extra money to spend. I was in the mode of survive, survive, survive.
LUNA: When did you move to Oakland? What was it like?
POVI: Right after getting my high school diploma. I just packed my car and moved to Oakland, which was super lush. The music scene was special and it allowed me to meet so many musicians who are now touring with incredible artists. My time in Oakland was about exploring myself and music, reinventing myself because I had gone through hell and high water–I was bullied to the point of harassment in high school, I was homeless there for a month, just me and my dog in my car. I fell in love with Oakland because it allowed me to reinvent myself.
LUNA: And what happened after that?
POVI: I eventually moved back to Denver to help my mom take care of my grandpa and that's how I got wrapped up in touring with Lizzo and SZA and doing music.
LUNA: There has to be a connecting piece between that.
POVI: My oldest brother, Adrian, knew this woman who was starting a little management company and took me on as an artist. She had contacts with Red Bull Sound Select, and this was right after I released a song called "Tiny Bombs," which was about my experience of being bullied in high school. I just posted it one day and it felt like a snowball effect. I got over 10k streams in a short amount of time and it immediately went from opening for The Internet, GoldLink, and Tinashe to touring with Lizzo and SZA.
LUNA: I feel like I can ask so many questions about your life journey but let’s talk about “Come Around.” Can you tell me a little bit about it?
POVI: “Come Around” about owning your sexuality. I think there’s this stereotype of women that we’re always looking for a husband or waiting on the call the day after, which is fine. But this song is me saying “I don’t need that, I’m good.” I’m just here to enjoy and have a good night.
LUNA: What’s the story behind it?
POVI: I was dating this person that I had given a lot to and I was ready for a relationship. It was going great until one time when he left his phone with me and his ex Facetimed him. I answer–because I’m just ballsy like that–but I found out that I was being played. A week had passed and my friends wanted to take me dancing. I got real cute, it was a really special night, and I felt like myself again.
A day or two later, my producer/manager Raphael, sent me the beat, and I immediately wrote the song. I wrote and recorded all the harmonies in five hours. It felt like therapy.
LUNA: How does it feel to have it come out?
POVI: It feels fucking great. I feel really confident in my sound and the production is some of the best I’ve ever had. I finally feel like I can say “I’m a songwriter” after all these years.“Come Around” really represents me well, both vocally and as an artist in general.
