With her Firebird guitar in hand and a Jimmy Page-esque silhouette, Towa Bird has an electrifying presence both on and off stage. At the Paramount, she hypnotized the crowd with not only her much-celebrated guitar soloing, but the pure energy emanating from her and her band’s set. Under the warm red light of her tour bus, the artist is not only effortlessly cool, but down-to-earth and speaks of her process of music-making with an infectious passion.
In many ways, Towa Bird transcends the legends of decades past. While so many rock stars have historically been hidden from the public behind a larger-than-life persona, Bird’s music commits to being deeply personal. She’s utilized social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to connect with an international audience, amassing over a million followers collectively. Prior to Saturday’s show, The Spectator had the chance to sit down with the rising star to discuss her tour, upcoming album and songwriting.
The following is a transcript from the interview, edited for clarity.
GS: To start off, how’s your day going?
TB: Good! I woke up incredibly hungover, which was a great start to my day. We went out last night in Portland, so I stumbled back onto the bus at like 3:34, rolled into my little bunk, and woke up here in Seattle.
GS: It’s about the halfway point in the tour so far, how’s this whole experience been?
TB: I’ve loved literally everything about it. Someone last night asked me, “what’s the worst part of touring,” and I couldn’t think of an answer. I’m tired, but even then I’m tired because I went and played my ass off last night and met a bunch of people and hung out with fans after the show. And that’s a wonderful way to be tired! It’s kind of a dream, honestly.
GS: You’ve done a lot of really great musical projects so far—you’re on TikTok, you did the documentary with Olivia Rodrigo—how does this feel compared to the rest of your career?
TB: It’s very different. I feel like I’ve had a very interesting musical journey. I started off playing for other artists, and that was a really nice way to cut my teeth. I feel very grateful to have had that opportunity at a younger age. I’m kind of rolling with the punches, because every day is different. I wasn’t one of those kids who grew up wanting to be a pop star, I knew I wanted to do music but I didn’t know this was an option. It happened organically.
GS: I’d be really interested to hear about your songwriting process, does your guitar playing influence that at all?
TB: Interestingly enough, I don’t really add guitars until the very end. I’ve been playing the guitar for twelve years, and it’s very habitual in a way. Starting to write on a different instrument is a really interesting way to approach it. I usually will come into a comfortable space–for this record it was my friend Tom’s house–and we would just sit there and just [catch] up. Usually our conversation would evoke some sort of emotion, and that would be the north star for the song.
GS: Just listening to the three songs you’ve put out already, it’s such a diverse sonic landscape. In your most recent song, “This Isn’t Me,” your lyricism in particular is really vulnerable. Is that song based on your personal experience at all?
TB: Yeah, I went to Paris, and I had this crazy imposter syndrome night. I grew up in Asia and my parents aren’t in the industry, so I was never exposed to this lifestyle. And then going there, everyone was acting like this level of access is just normal. So I wrote that song in like nineteen minutes, because I was just on the verge of tears, you know when that feeling is so up to your throat you have to swallow it. I needed to get this out. It’s one of my favorite songs off the record, if not my favorite–it feels so personal. Even just talking to you right now, I feel immediately back in that evening.
GS: Seattle has a very storied rock and roll history. I’m curious how rock as a genre–with its history, its style, its music, its aesthetic–how that has influenced your music and you personally.
TB: Everything, everything that I do is based off of this genre. It’s the reason I got into music in the first place, it’s the music I make currently. It’s the music that I will always listen to for the rest of my life. I remember first discovering the grunge scene when I was thirteen, and those albums are just amazing. The way that Kurt Cobain specifically writes is so inspirational to me. It’s so, “f*** off, f*** you,” but also so passionate and vulnerable. That’s the kind of tone I’m trying to strike with my stuff too, where it’s funny and quippy, but there’s real heart too.
GS: What has music meant to you in your life?
TB: I knew that I was totally in love with music, but I didn’t realize it was going to be my job. I was a bartender for two years, so I thought I was going to do something in that industry, and just have a band on the side. You know like, uncles and dads who have their dad band, I thought that was going to be me. My mum’s Filipino, and she’s pretty tough, as a mum, and she taught me to work hard at everything. I knew I loved it, I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I just went for it.
If you’re young and you’re questioning whether you want to do music or not, you just have to full-send it. It’s almost scary to think about [having] no plan B, just running directly towards it. Don’t think about anything else and just go. It’s so precious. I’m in such a privileged position right now, and where I am is absolutely insane. To tell little Towa that this would be her life is unreal. You have to grab it, and you have to work hard.
GS: It’s really awesome to see it come to fruition! Is there anything else you want to speak to with this new record coming out?
TB: I have a new song coming out very very soon–I don’t know if I’m allowed to say when. I’ve just had the best time making [this record], and I hope people feel that enjoyment from it, and feel that we’re connected now through that music. I do share really personal sides of myself that I haven’t shared with anyone, and now they’re written into these songs.
GS: Is there anything you’d like to add?
TB: Be gay, do crimes!
