Theia: Weaponising Alt-Pop Against the ‘Frat Boyz’
★ words by Emily Elvish ★ shot on FaceTime by Shakira Burton ★
Music is a weapon: a canvas that mirrors society in the most immobilizing way. For generations, artists have strung lyrics into a full-frontal assault on the world’s shortcomings, highlighting the injustices which we have become complacent through sentient melodies and piercing hooks. Yet, it seems the most formidable activist records are the most unexpected. Tracks that have skillfully camouflaged their social conscience with sonic mastery, mean that audiences could go for years without realizing the rich nuances behind them.
Enter Theia.
Since splitting from a controlling label, the Christchurch-born songwriter is using her colossal alt-pop stylings to spin beats into strength. In itself, her new mixtape 99% Angel is a sweltering collage of neon mixes, delectable hooks, and gut-punching bass. But, if you listen closely, you’re thrust into a movement.
In the space of four tracks, Theia wages war on her injustices, calling them each out by name and crushing them down by the time the bridge rolls around. She’s a badass who’s brought her experience as a woman of colour to the forefront, weaponizing club music and re-defining a genre.
“I am always moved and motivated by strong messaging in music, art, and fashion,” Theia tells me about the importance of social conscience within art. “It’s through these mediums that I’ve partly grown and developed the beliefs and values that I hold dearly. So it’s absolutely important that music continues to be used as a platform for fighting for what’s right.”
“My manager recently described me as a 'rule-breaker' and a 'risk-taker,' which I really liked because it summed up how I feel about the 99% Angel mixtape. It’s badass, it’s strident, it’s in-your-face, it’s unapologetic.”
Since its origins in the 1980’s Chicago underground, club music has tampered with deeply sexist undercurrents, glazed over by throbbing beats and soul-shattering bass. What Theia achieves on 99% Angel is nothing short of genius. She exposes the all-too-known experiences of misogyny, sycophancy, and slut-shaming from inside the cradle — setting the crime alongside the criminal.
“In itself, her new mixtape is a sweltering collage of neon mixes, delectable hooks, and gut-punching bass. But, if you listen closely, you’re thrust into a movement [of] weaponizing club music and re-defining a genre.”
“I’ve always written from personal experience, whether it be about heartbreak on songs like ‘Everything’ or self-harm on ‘Bad Idea,’ and it’s no different from the songs on this mixtape. They’re inspired by my journey in music and life. I don’t see the point in glossing over how these [injustices] have impacted me. My hope is always that my messages resonate with others.”
Aside from its rich social commentary, the mixtape is a masterpiece of sonic duality, navigating Theia’s love for the mainstream and the experimental. She traces a journey through the multi-dimensional realm of pop; opening with the gleaming futurism of “Kitty Kat” and overloading production capabilities in “Frat Boyz.” She then ascends to ethereal heights of sonic content with ‘99% Angel,’ lastly completing her campaign with the anthemic punch of “Celebrity.”
“When my team and I started talking about releasing a mixtape of the songs, we discussed the concept of the A-side and the B-side, which harks back to the day of having two sides on a vinyl record. I really love the idea of artists being able to show two sides to themselves by having a more mainstream-leaning song on the A-side, while letting loose with an experimental song on the B-side.
“The songs I had felt very much like this, and so we decided on an even number of four songs, which showcased the two sides to my music.”
“[That’s] how I feel about the 99% Angel mixtape. It’s badass, it’s strident, it’s in-your-face, it’s unapologetic.”
With “Kitty Kat” receiving regular airplay on triple j Unearthed and “Frat Boyz” taking over TikTok, it’s easy to see how Theia’s empowering lyrics can be lost behind the sheer force of her sonic. Dissonant lyrics varnished by fluorescent soundscapes: so well concealed, that even the frat boys themselves would think “OOOH that song’s about me!” But the lyrics are where the power lies.
“Call me a slut when I dress like that, gonna chain me up like a kitty kat.
Hands around my neck I'll give you a scratch.
Karma comes around 'cause this kitty bites back.”
“I guess it would be cool if people listened a bit more intently to the lyrics instead of writing it off as vacuous pop,” Theia recounts of her musical intentions. “To tell you the truth, I don’t even know if people dismiss it as mindless pop or not, it’s just my assumption that certain people put more value into music made by ‘serious songwriters’ who play guitar and don’t have as much going on in the prod.”
“I’m generally working on instinct. I know what sound and vibe I want from the production and I know what message I want to convey in the words. I always work with a producer — in the case of my mixtape, it was Sydney producer Liam Quinn. Each song starts in a different way. It could be from a beat, or it could be from a word or a line I’ve got and it evolves from there. But yeah, it’s definitely more of an intuitive thing than a conscious thought process.”
Despite contributing to an underrepresented experience in the industry, Theia humbly claims her music is written from the heart. To Theia, music is a form of self-expression, a collection of deeply personal narratives that she hopes will enrich the lives of others.
It only takes a moment of chatting with her to see that this passion fuels her entire creative output. When asked the ever-corny question, “What would you tell your 5-year-old self?” Theia replied:
“Ohhhhh. I’d probably give her a big hug because I know she’ll be racked with anxiety. She still is! I’d just say, be kind to yourself and know that you’re always so much stronger than you think you are and that one day you’ll find people who like you for you.”
With several virtual gigs under her belt, some stellar collabs, and a cyber party in the works, Theia has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ve been told so many things since I started making music — that I have no talent, that I can’t sing, that I should smile more, that I should lose weight, that my chance to make it is over, that I’m everything that’s wrong with music, that there is no place for songs like these. To me standing up to all of that shit is success. So what? I’m not living my career and life the way that some people think I should. There’s a line in my song ‘Celebrity’ that sums this up… ‘if you don’t like it move on, get a clue cos I’m bored, you’re too old school, it shows.’ Seriously, if you don’t like what I do, just move on!
“I knew when I made these songs that they weren’t mainstream and that they probably would not have the same commercial success as my earlier music. At times, I felt pressure to scrap them and start again, but with the support of my amazing management team, we forged on. I’m incredibly proud of this mixtape and everything that comes with it, like the art and the live show. It’s all my own creative vision so this mixtape means everything to me.”
Armored beats, genre-defining nuances, unchained production: it’s undeniable. There’s no other artist that can do Theia, like Theia.
