Chrystia "Tia" Cabral (born May 18, 1991), known professionally as Spellling (stylized in
all caps), is an American
experimental pop musician based in
Oakland, California. Cabral released her debut album, ''Pantheon of Me'', in September 2017; ''
Pitchfork'' felt it was "surely among the most overlooked debuts this calendar year". Signing to
Sacred Bones Records in 2018, she followed up in February 2019 with ''
Mazy Fly
''Mazy Fly'' is the second studio album by American experimental pop musician Spellling, released in February 2019. It is her debut recording with Sacred Bones Records, making her labelmates with artists like Jenny Hval and Zola Jesus.
Composit ...
''. It was met with universal acclaim by music critics, who enjoyed the dark and eerie qualities of Spellling's sound. Cabral released the third full-length Spellling album, ''
The Turning Wheel
"The Turning Wheel" is a novelette by American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. It was published in ''Science Fiction Stories No. 2'', 1954.
Plot
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where global civilization is governed by a hie ...
'', on June 25, 2021.
Early life
Cabral was born in
Sacramento, California. She was raised in the
Catholic Church, which would later influence her music.
Cabral attended the
University of California, Berkeley, studying philosophy for two semesters before changing her major to English literature after feeling "shamed out of the
hilosophydepartment" as the only femme person and person of color. She remained at Berkeley to pursue a
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
, which she completed in 2019.
Career
Cabral started her musical career in 2015, influenced by two events: watching a fellow San Francisco artist performing
looped vocals; and the death of a close friend. At the time she was working as an
elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
teacher, and being around crayons inspired her to release a handmade CD called ''Crayola Church''. Cabral said of the project: “I took a
Crayola box and made a record based on every color in the box… I would wrap the CDs in children’s drawings and write the track listing, so some people have those
ditions”
In 2017, she self released her debut album, ''Pantheon of Me''. In 2019, she released a follow-up, ''Mazy Fly'', to positive reviews. In 2021, she released her third album, ''
The Turning Wheel
"The Turning Wheel" is a novelette by American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. It was published in ''Science Fiction Stories No. 2'', 1954.
Plot
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where global civilization is governed by a hie ...
'', to similarly positive reviews. In 2023, she announced her fourth album, ''
Spellling & the Mystery School
''Spellling & the Mystery School'' ("Spellling" stylized in all caps) is the fourth studio album by American experimental pop musician Spellling. It was released on August 25, 2023, and contains re-recordings of various selected songs from all o ...
,'' which would contain
re-recordings of past material.
Artistry
Influences
When asked about her favorite albums, Cabral named
Minnie Riperton's ''
Come to My Garden
''Come to My Garden'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton which was produced, arranged and orchestrated by Charles Stepney and released in 1970 under ''GRT Records''. It was re-released in 1974 on the Janus la ...
'',
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
's ''
Computer World'', and
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
's ''
The Idiot''.
Discography
Albums
* ''Pantheon of Me'' (2017)
* ''
Mazy Fly
''Mazy Fly'' is the second studio album by American experimental pop musician Spellling, released in February 2019. It is her debut recording with Sacred Bones Records, making her labelmates with artists like Jenny Hval and Zola Jesus.
Composit ...
'' (2019)
* ''
The Turning Wheel
"The Turning Wheel" is a novelette by American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. It was published in ''Science Fiction Stories No. 2'', 1954.
Plot
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where global civilization is governed by a hie ...
'' (2021)
* ''
Spellling & the Mystery School
''Spellling & the Mystery School'' ("Spellling" stylized in all caps) is the fourth studio album by American experimental pop musician Spellling. It was released on August 25, 2023, and contains re-recordings of various selected songs from all o ...
'' (2023)
Singles
* "Hard to Please" (2018)
* "Little Deer" (2021)
* "Boys at School" (2021)
* "Turning Wheel" (2021)
* "Cherry / Under the Sun" (2023)
* "Hard to Please (Reprise)" (2023)
References
Further reading
* Ahn Lee.
SPELLLING on Friendship. Department of Art Practice,
UC Berkeley. May 3, 2021.
External links
Spelllingat
Bandcamp
Spelllingat
Sacred Bones Records
{{Authority control
American experimental musicians
Living people
American women singers
Experimental pop musicians
American electronic musicians
American women pop singers
Women in electronic music
21st-century African-American women singers
21st-century American women singers
University of California, Berkeley alumni
1991 births