Thavoron Claims Her True Identity on Self-Titled Double-Album – 13 September 2024
Thavoron, photo by Maddie Ludgate
Thavoron releases her third full-length album, ‘Thavoron,’ available September 13th on Digital Formats via Trailing Twelve Records.
Trailing Twelve Records presents Thavoron: the third album from 23-year-old Seattle, Washington-based singer-songwriter Thavoron (Tav-er-on) set for release on September 13th. A follow-up to her 2023 album Tommy Loves You, Thavoron finds the singer-songwriter at the most honest place she's ever been, personally and musically. Notably, Thavoron officially came out as a trans woman in July of this year, a pivotal moment that deepens the context and themes of her album and personal journey. An exploration of all the lessons she's learned in her 23 years on this earth, Thavoron's self-titled is an unflinching look at identity, self-love and acceptance, love and self-sacrifice, human contradiction, and, ultimately, fighting to live your own life—no matter how that looks.
The child of Cambodian immigrants, Thavoron was born and raised in Everett, WA, where she grew up singing in school choir and taught herself to play the guitar and bass. Rarely finding the representation she so wished for, Thavoron took refuge in the indie/alternative music scenes, drawing inspiration from a mix of expressive, moody, experimental, dark pop and R&B, such as Blood Orange, Bon Iver, Jeff Buckley, Lana Del Rey, FKA twigs, and the XX.
In 2018, Thavoron began releasing music under the moniker Sokeang (a combination of her mother’s and father’s last names). Two years later, she released her self-produced debut EP Bold under her first name and dropped out of the University of Washington to pursue her burgeoning music career. Thavoron released her debut album, Ugly, in 2021 and soon followed up with 2023’s Tommy Loves You, which earned praise from Wonderland Magazine, Ones To Watch, Under the Radar, METAL Magazine, the Everett Herald, and more.
Intentionally self-titled to showcase the name her father gave her, which loosely translates to “strong/child of power,” Thavoron is a stunning examination of intersectional identity.
Thavoron, photo by Maddie Ludgate
Thavoron started the songwriting process for her self-titled album as far back as December 2019, when she wrote the spare and gently jazzy “High,” which she originally wrote in her college apartment and has been playing live ever since. Looping in Andrew King on drums and Spencer Edgers on saxophone, and Teather on backing vocals, Thavoron recorded from her Seattle apartment and her parents’ home in Everett, then produced all 13 tracks herself. The result is a dreamy, utterly vulnerable collection of harmony-rich songs that place Thavoron’s aching vocal front and center.
Thavoron’s exploratory journey begins on “Body,” which the singer wrote after watching Jessy Lanza perform live in person at KEXP in August 2023. Undulating with swirling synth, reverb-heavy drums, and grandiose guitar solos, “Body” features Thavoron’s vocal ringing out triumphantly over everything.
“I really wanted to just capture queer liveliness. I think it’s something we’ll never be able to see enough of, and I wanted to take my own spin on what that meant to me, and what it feels like to me.”
On the slowly thrumming “My Man,” which draws to a close with explosive choruses, Thavoron arrives at the conclusion that she doesn’t require a romantic partner in order to feel truly at home with herself.
“The phrase ‘Because I don’t need him / I guess it’s easy being my man’ just feels so encapsulating of this feeling…. knowing deep down I really don’t need a man to feel content or truly satisfied, it kind of lowers my guard in terms of what I’m willing to accept.”
Meanwhile, “Forever Young” opens with a thoughtful chord progression and a gently gathering drumbeat before blossoming into a quickened rhythm, dramatic strings, and urgent vocals. True to its name, Thavoron easily captures the coming-of-age, however temporary sensation of everything mattering all at once—especially love.
“’Forever Young’ came from a place in my heart that deeply wanted to immortalize the feeling of young, queer love. The feeling of realizing that imperfection comes with youth, and that we’re still young in this moment, so it’s fine that things aren’t perfect—as long as we’re together. I think this song was an opportunity to reveal my inner naiveté, a mindset revolving around the idea that ignorance is bliss.”
On the slow-burning, percussion-heavy “American Urge,” Thavoron, a child of immigrants, attempts to reconcile her father’s idea of masculine identity and “real” adulthood with her own.
“The inspiration behind ‘American Urge’ was an argument that I got into with my father. Ever since I was little, I’ve always been irritated with my father’s archetype and his idea of success, and the means in which you would have to go to achieve it. He is very inspired by the American dream, as he immigrated here from Cambodia in the ‘80s.
My father is someone who’s very hot-headed, yet strong willed, but also very unforgiving. My concept of self has always been altered and molded by him. I’ve grown akin to feeling like I’ll never be good enough to reach my father’s standards, in order for him to be proud of me. I really wanted to touch on the realization that this is all a facade, in order to keep you from recognizing the power you hold from being yourself. Nothing you ever do will be good enough for the wrong people, so you might as well live your life the way you want to and be unapologetic about it. It’s your life, and nobody else’s.”
Finally, “Eagle” takes shape with stabbing synth and an uneven beat before rising with an echoing guitar solo and Thavoron’s angelic, ethereal vocal.
“The perspective I was coming from in this song is being someone who’s free-spirited, unattainable, and unfazed, until there’s an inevitable capture, which leads to a downfall where you’re broken-down, weathered, and tired—hating yourself for giving into things you know aren’t good for you.
I wanted to recast the light on power dynamics that I’ve touched on throughout this project so far. There have been moments where I find the ‘chase’ attractive and enticing, only to realize it leads me to feeling ‘captured,’ and stuck solely with myself, in order to build myself up again.”
With Thavoron’s wrenching and otherworldly vocal at the forefront, Thavoron is a captivating and thoroughly truthful celebration of the self—and the always-evolving journey to acceptance.
Thavoron will be available on digital formats worldwide on Friday, September 13th through Trailing Twelve Records.
TRACKLIST
Eastern Cold
Sex and a Prayer
My Man
Body
Forever Young
30 Seconds After
Eagle
High
Strong
Johnny
Everett
American Urge
Trying
Written, Performed, and Produced by Thavoron
Mixed by Rory Hurley
Mastered By Steve Kitch at Audiomaster UK
Press Contact: info@trailingtwelve.com
TTR-032
© & ℗ 2024 Trailing Twelve Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized Copying, Reproduction, Hiring, Lending, Public Performance, And Broadcasting Strictly Prohibited.
Release Date: 13 September, 2024
Release Title: Thavoron
Artist: Thavoron
Duration: 50:23
Socials: website / instagram / tiktok / twitter / spotify
BIO
Thavoron is a Cambodian-American and trans (she/her) artist based in Seattle, Washington. Layering angelic vocals and intimate lyricism over heart-breaking sonic progressions, Thavoron pulls inspiration from contemporaries such as Frank Ocean, Faye Webster, and Bon Iver.
Growing up as a Cambodian-American and not feeling represented in the music industry, Thavoron hopes to help pave the way for Southeast/Asian American and queer artists alike looking for a sense of creative community:
“..being surrounded by people I couldn’t fully relate to resorted to me locking myself up in my bedroom to just write to try and make sense of all my differences as a person.”
With coverage including Under The Radar, Celebmix, METAL, Ones To Watch, Seattle Times, Unclear, and Before The Data, Thavoron’s music has been described as deeply reflective, vulnerable, and increasingly rare. Tackling themes like cultural identity, grief, and strained relationships, Thavoron crafts hauntingly melancholy songs that leave a lasting impression.
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
“Thavoron writes the words every tired heart has longed to speak and delivers it in the most painfully romantic way possible.”
- Ones To Watch
“Thavoron captures a striking allure of contrasts, with [her] intensely personal lyrics and immaculate falsetto standing next to a sea of tense and knotted instrumental textures.”
- Under The Radar
"Angelic, heartbreaking, and intimate"
- Wonderland
“Alternative and indie rock meet in the creative vision of Thavoron, who adds [her] personal touch by flooding [her] creations with emotion and reflecting inner debates in [her] lyrics.” - METAL
"Similar to a sonic borealis, with “Body,” Thavoron offers up a structure both delicate and compelling, aglow with [her] amazing voice." - V13
“By masterfully fusing elements of dream pop with indie, jazz and rock, this artist creates songs that are conceptually refreshing in tone, yet deeply personal and rich in emotion.”
- Alfitude
“It's become increasingly rare for us to find songs that hit with enough force to give us goosebumps, but Seattle-based artist Thavoron has provided just that with standout cut “bend, or” off [her] debut album, Ugly.” - Before The Data