Brittany Davis, who is Black, blind and nonbinary (uses they/them pronouns), will have their debut album, “Image Issues,” released on Friday, March 1.
“Sound is the way I’ve always seen my world,” they said. Davis isn’t just the album’s vocalist; they’re also the songwriter, engineer, co-producer, and multi-instrumentalist responsible for nearly every sound on the album.
Davis worked with producer Josh Evans, and recording the album took several years. When they started recording it, Davis and Evans were working together on an album by rock band Painted Shield.
“Every high hat, every kick, every snare, every bass line, every vocal, every keyboard, every effect, every texture — that’s Brit,” Evans said. He added that it was amazing to see how Davis put the album together.
Davis, native of Kansas City, was raised by their grandmother while their mother served a prison sentence. Blind since birth, Brittany discovered a world of vivid, vibrant color in music.
By three years old, they were playing piano, mimicking the birdsongs they heard outside the living room window. A childhood appreciation for gospel and jazz gave way to a teenage obsession with hip-hop and R&B. Later, after the family moved to Seattle, Brittany crossed paths with Afro-punk musicians, rock artists, and members of the black rock & roll scene, which opened up new worlds of sound. The sounds of these genres and more are explored on the album.
Trauma always lingered in the background, though. Brittany was sexually abused by a family member at a young age, and their father died a decade later, the victim of senseless gun violence. These are a few of the life experiences that resurface on the album.
The album highlights moments not only of empowerment and celebration, but about pain and abuse, too.
It begins with the first iteration of “Treadmill Memories,” which Davis stated as their inner dialogue. “I’m playing both the abused and the abuser in those tracks, and by acting out those things, I’m exercising some of that trauma,” Davis continued.
On “So Fly,” Brittany gives themself a pep talk over a soundtrack of disco drums and ’70s soul. “That song is about me trying so hard to feel the beauty that people say I have,” Brittany explains. “I’ve never seen myself, and I’ve been told the craziest things about how I look. ‘So Fly’ is me saying, ‘I’m gonna try to give this beautiful thing a shot.'”
On “Sepricon,” Brittany transforms into a furious, fiery rapper, spitting rhymes over a background of brass and beats.
What really surprised Evans was Davis’ honesty and fearlessness when singing about things like blindness, loss, and being mistreated by the world. “There’s not a lot of bitterness; there’s just honesty and realness. There’s a hope in this music that’s inspiring,” he continued.
According to Evans, “with the album, there’s always something that’s happening, shifting, or changing — and, once again, it’s all Brit.”
To support Davis and stay updated on their music, those interested can follow them on social media, which can be found on their website: https://brittanydavismusic.net/.
