Emerging singer-songwriter AKIA (@whoisakia) gets candid about her triumphant musical journey in a new interview with Remixd Magazine. The Arkansas native AKIA spoke with us about her upcoming project, the inspiration behind her summer single “Soft Girl Era,” signing with Sincethe80s Records, and more. At just 22 years old, AKIA knows what she wants for herself, and is on a motivated mission to reach her goals.
Firstly, AKIA is no stranger to the big screen. Her stardom actually began with appearances on American Idol and Lifetime Television’s Ms. T’s Music Factory. Throughout her career, she’s further enriched her talent by taking dance classes and doing her own covers to popular songs on YouTube such as Muni Long’s “Made For Me” and SZA’s “Open Arms.” Additionally, AKIA’s engaging social media presence catapulted through her singing videos on TikTok. Collectively, she has surpassed over one million views and over 125k supporters. This past June, she shared her first single “Soft Girl Era,” from her highly anticipated debut project.
“Soft Girl Era” pulls inspiration from the viral social media phrase of living a “soft life.” In other words, a feminine lifestyle that prioritizes self worth, kindness, and genuine happiness. Subsequently, this inspired AKIA to write a poem about the trend. However, she has many more things in the vault. We talked more with AKIA about her artistry, career, current music, and what’s next for her. Check out the interview below.
Interview with AKIA
Remixd Magazine: Recently, you changed your stage name from JaTavia Akiaa to AKIA. What inspired your name change?
AKIA: My real name is JaTavia Akia. Akia is my middle name. I would go on stage and people would f**k my name up. I remember I went into a meeting with Ray Daniels and he was like “JaTavia Akia? That’s a lot you’re going to have to change it.” But, I sat with it for a little bit and was like “Akia.” That’s plain, simple, and it stands out.
You’ve been very vocal about being influenced by the 90’s and early 2000’s sound. Who are some of your musical influences from both eras?
A: Monica, Beyoncé, Avant… I be listening to a lot of old stuff.
You aren’t at all a stranger to the big stage. You’ve made appearances on American Idol and well as Lifetime’s “Ms T’s Music Factory.” How have these experiences shaped your development as an artist ?
A: For one, American Idol I was too young all of the time. I would always get a no. I feel like that made me be like you going to tell me no? I’m going to keep coming until you tell me yes.
That’s awesome that you kept going. You performed your first arena show opening for artists such as Ashanti, Monica, & Keri Hilson in your home town of Arkansas. How was that experience for you? What are some of the lessons you’ve learned performing for arena sized crowds?
A: It was full turn around moment because when I was 15/16, I opened up for Keke Wyatt. Opening up for her again was like wow! Damn this is something I’m supposed to be doing because why am I back here? Something I learned was you’re in a big a** arena, so the people don’t know you. You cannot expect them to sing your song word for word. As long as you’ve made a good impression with the crowd you’re going to be OK.
Currently, who is your dream collaboration?
A: I want to work with Tink, Hunxho, Fridayy, Cash Cobain, and Future.
Those who have been following your work for a while know that you sing a lot. You’ve even gained huge traction from posting covers of songs like “Made for Me” by Muni long and “Open Arms” by SZA. How important for you is it that you remain versatile in how you showcase your talent?
A: I feel like that’s very important because a lot of people don’t show versatility. So, if I know I can do something I’m going to do it. I’m not going to limit myself.
This past June, you released your single “Soft Girl Era” which has become a popular phenomenon alongside Gen Z. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the song?
A: It started off as a poem but as you can see, a lot of people be like they are in their “soft girl era” or they want to get into their “soft girl era.” I was seeing a lot of that going on online. So I was like, “soft girl era” is a thing that’s trending so why not? I went to the studio within the next day or two and was like lets do this concept I thought of when I was writing a poem. Then it just went from there. The message for it was showing venerability, femininity and just being soft sometimes. You don’t always have to be hard or strong. It’s OK to take your time for yourself.
Not only do you write, you also freestyle. More recently you shared your “F.A.F.O Freestyle,” where you experimented over a drill beat. Are there any other sounds that you are looking to explore?
A: On my project that’s coming in 2025, its a lot of new sounds that I experimented with. That’s why I cannot put a limit to what I can do because if I want to get into my pop bag , I’m going to go and get in my pop bag. And if i want to get on my hip hop bag, I can go hip hop.
What message are you hoping to get across to your listeners through your music?
A: The message is … let the emotions out, deal with them, and let go!
What can fans expect next from you?
A: Y’all should expect a full length project. A project full of emotions that explains what happens when you play with those emotions. A lot of great music.
