Whether they realise it or not, the platform and following that the pop stars of the current age are gifted with allows their messages and thoughts to travel a long way and reach many people. Perhaps more so than the world’s politicians and business leaders, making them very influential icons indeed. It is a double-edged sword, as such an elevated position can invite as much criticism as it allows the broadcast of important sentiment. But if used wisely, such a place to broadcast from can be a powerful force for good. Thankfully T8iana understands this, and her recent calls for awareness and safety surrounding the LGTBI+ community have echoed far and wide.
Following the recent alleged hate attack shooting at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs in the USA, she has worked to highlight the issue both globally and in her home country of Australia.
Her latest single release, Celebrat8ion, through its vibrant video and anthemic sound, offers love and support to the LGTBI+ community and adds one more voice, and a powerful one at that, to the growing calls against intolerance and discrimination across the world.
But if releasing a single summing up her thoughts and fears regarding the issue is the natural response for a pop artist, she hasn’t stopped there. Where many artists might feel that they had already done enough, T8iana went even further, writing to both Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister and Victoria State Premier, Daniel Andrews, calling for both the Federal and State Police to play a more active role in ensuring the safety of the LGTBI+ community. Both politicians’ offices are yet to respond at the time of writing.
And as if to underline her message, the video to Celebrat8ion was filmed at one of Australia’s oldest and most famous nightclubs, Love Machine, a favoured and frequented LGTBI+ spot and itself the scene of a violent shooting incident in 2019. The Star Observer recently reported that crimes against the LGTBI+ community had increased four-fold since 2004. In February of this year, a gang of young men was arrested over hate crimes against Melbourne’s gay community. High-profile cases are only the tip of the iceberg, as many such crimes go unreported.
Celebrat8ion is the perfect song for the moment, a deft blend of clubland chic, neo-soul-infused R&B and infectious electro-pop vibes that ticks so many boxes for so many discerning music fans. But it is more than just a pop song; to describe it as a revolutionary anthem is pretty easy. As T8iana fires off lyrics celebrating the love and lifestyle of the LGTBI+ community, equating such freedoms and rights with that of any other religious or cultural community, she also speaks for anyone who wishes to live and love in any inclusive and safe community of their choosing.
T8iana is currently working on new music, an EP with the multi-ARIA Award-winning sound engineer Doug Brady, who has previously worked with artists such as John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, and Olivia Newton-John, as well as recording the soundtrack to Crocodile Dundee back in the ’80s.
