Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Davidson.
Hi Athena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out in choir and theatre, always with a song on my heart and passion for performance. With a natural affinity for English and writing, I picked up slam poetry and started traveling doing poetry slams and in the same year was taking music theory in high school where I taught myself the piano. One night, after one of our slams, I was feeling dejected and down, depleted of purpose and motivation. My slam poetry teammates and teacher suggested I channel those emotions into writing songs, as I loved both music and writing. Since then, I’ve been writing music of my own. For a long time even before then, since as early as ten years old, I can remember being fascinated with producing music in DAWs (digital audio workspaces) – and I quickly transferred my many songs poured into the piano into produced tracks. I eventually learned I could create my songs myself from start to finish, and I’ve done that for almost all my songs out. I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with fantastic artists such as Royall, Myloh Remora, and have been lucky enough to play on stages with people like L25, Terrorize the Neighborhood, and many more. I am so grateful to have been afforded these opportunities and I believe I owe much of where I am today to the people who believed in me and taught me so much about music, networking, artistry, and confidence.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey has absolutely had both ups and downs, but perspective wise I do my best to see the silver lining and I’d say the positive is the overwhelming majority. Although I’ve always had a proclivity towards an optimistic mindset, it’s still relevant to state that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunities I’ve been offered and the people who have shaped and impacted my art. The artists who have showered me with love, inspired me, and motivated me to continue with confidence and fortitude will forever be priceless to me no matter what paths we may or may not have diverged onto. There are days where I struggle with self image and times when I measure my success as an artist only to feel as though I come up short. However, success is a fluid concept, and I’ve always tried to remind myself of that. The person I am today would have impressed 17 year old Athena who made her first song on her phone, ‘Resurrecting a Dream.’ I try to remind myself that the path I’m on is headed in a wonderful direction, and the view from the present is pretty gorgeous. Just like the earth has seasons, so do careers, and I know that one day may be blooming with fruitful success and others will be raining with discouragement. Regardless, I try not to trip over minor inconveniences or setbacks. After all, each mistake makes a memoir and each rejection is redirection.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a songwriter, producer, singer, engineer, and performer. For the past 7 or so years, I have been releasing music that helps my listeners transcend reality. I’ve always been enamored with dreamy, hazy, for lack of a better term trippy soundscapes and visuals. I am fully fascinated with surreal concepts and emotions and my music demonstrates that. Never have I limited myself to one genre. I experiment with trap beats, EDM synths, deep and emotive bass, trashed guitars, and haunting vocal melodies. As far as engineering, I love delays, reverb, and other trance inducing effects that provide a rich, immersive soundscape. When writing, I typically write about love and its complexities, but I also write about self image, mental illness, and musings on coming terms with, loving, and appreciating life. I am most proud of my newest song ‘Envy’, as I put so much love, passion into the writing and production – and it was such an honor to have Myloh Remora, who has helped me grow immensely as an artist, rap and add a lyrical dimension to the song that elevated it to an even more valuable piece of art. I feel my genuine, DIY approach to all I do – marketing, songwriting, performing, etc. – sets me apart and shows my strength, vulnerability, and determination.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5 or 10 years, I believe society will be looking for genuine and human-like art. I know AI has come to the forefront of many components of society – however, art I feel will remain human dominated. People go looking on their phones for something that will give them a rush, a thrill, a quick hit of excitement. However, when we want to feel something persistent, thought provoking, soul quenching – we turn to human made art. I believe we will all be looking for talent to astonish us – real, human talent. And there might be more pressure to distinguish ourselves amongst others. However, it is my firm belief that success is there waiting for us – people want us to succeed (just like the audience wants you to perform your best), and there are abundant opportunities for growth. If anything, we are equipped with an increase of useful resources that can further accelerate us as artists – and this will put us all in the mindset of supporting and lifting one another up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pixieathena.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixieathena/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pixieathena
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pixie-athena?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Image Credits
Austin Alew
Chris Simmons
Jennifer Kafka
Scoob Brains
