Tanya Davis is a Canadian singer-songwriter and poet, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her style is marked primarily by spoken word poetry set to music.
Tanya Davis | |
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![]() Davis (2017) | |
Background information | |
Origin | Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
Genres | Pop, folk, spoken word |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, poet |
Years active | 2006–present |
Website | Tanya Davis |
Born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, she moved to Ottawa for a time after high school to attend university, and then hitchhiked to British Columbia, where she worked in community development[1] before moving to Halifax in 2005.[2]
Shortly after moving to Halifax, Davis began performing spoken word poetry at various cafés in the city. She soon recorded an album, Make a List, which was nominated for Female Recording of the Year, Alternative Recording of the Year and Album of the Year at the Nova Scotia Music Awards, along with a nomination for Davis herself as New Artist of the Year,[2] as well as four nominations for the MusicPEI Awards.[1] She was named poet of the year in The Coast's annual year-end reader's poll for 2007.
She followed up with Gorgeous Morning in 2008.[1]
She has toured across Canada and internationally as a poet and musician, both as a solo artist and with Jenn Grant.[3]
Davis attracted international press attention in 2010 when a performance video of her poem "How to Be Alone", directed by Andrea Dorfman, became popular on YouTube.[4] She subsequently released her third album, Clocks and Hearts Keep Going, in November 2010.[5] The album was produced by Jim Bryson.[5]
Davis authored a book of poetry titled At First, Lonely in spring 2011, published by Canadian publisher The Acorn Press.[6] She also served as poet laureate of the Halifax Regional Municipality from 2011 to 2013.[7]
In 2013, she wrote the poetic narration to Millefiore Clarkes' Island Green, a short documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada about organic farming in PEI.[8]
In 2014, she appeared in her first acting role, starring in Andrea Dorfman's film Heartbeat.[9]
In 2020 Dorfman and Davis again collaborated on the short film How to Be At Home, based on another poem by Davis about coping with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[10] The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2020.[11]
Davis has stated in the press that she identifies as queer:
My sexuality is as fluid as my creativity. I don't sit firmly in the category of lesbian, but I don't sit firmly in poet or songwriter either. I love people for people. I think the way I love is queer.[12]
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