Things Change All The Time — Getting To Know Lapis
Lapis, singer-songwriter Tasha Wells, talks about Possy, her debut single.
Growing up in a creative town in Devon called Totnes, Wells’ parents were prominent hippies when she was young. “They met in an ashram in Puna, India, and my Grossmani (Swiss Gran) devoutly followed a guru called Osho.” An Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. Viewed during his lifetime as a controversial new religious movement leader, a sex guru, cult leader, and focus of Netflix series Wild Wild Country. Growing up with sparse ambient sounds and Osho discourse she channelled this natural purity, as she puts it into her first track, Within All Things, released July on Volume II of Loose Lips’ Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation compilation.
Wells didn’t grow up in a musical family. “My Dad is creative through restoring and building all kinds of things” but, she adds, as a teenager her parents went through a big rockabilly phase. “Throughout the years he’s turned the house into a fifties/sixties museum, filling it with restored old gambling machines, candy machines, lights, and jukeboxes. They were jivers for a little while, so through this there was a lot of rockabilly music and dancing.” As a child her parents took her to many festivals and gigs, “I remember loving the feeling of being free in the grass with nothing but music, smiles, and the smell of mud and tents.
Possy.
Written in a caravan in Polzeath, on the North Cornish coast two years ago, the single began after Tasha had gone through a tough time. She found her independence, and with it came Possy. “I was so happy to be finally by the sea and out of the city.”
“By loving yourself and confidently collaborating with people,” she tells me, “not only for a project but in your daily life, all things are possible.” To Tasha, Possy represents strength. “I truly felt pure happiness.”
Although the track was roughly produced pretty quickly, it would be months before it was finished. Studying meant Tasha was only able to see Dr. Pudding, her producer, once a month. “I have so much respect for him, such a great guy!”
The release notes describe the track’s message as one of friendship and hope. How had Tasha been finding the energy, freedom, friendship and hope over 2020’s dumpster fire? “I have absolutely loved moments and struggled with others” she replies. “Forced to be confronted by your personal life choices through the lockdown gave me an amazing amount of time to reflect and learn to take a step back and breathe”. Acutely aware that many people have been dealing with awful situations, she’s very grateful to have landed in Devon, “I had time to regather and build on personal projects.”
This year has been a hard time for many people the world over and Tasha lost someone close to her in May. “It’s the first time I’ve been able to write about this publicly. I lost a best friend and brother, he taught all of us about unity and has been the main influence in my life reminding me to be true to myself and love all walks of life. When he decided to leave his physical home, I learned just how many people he taught this to. He was pretty old school and would regularly surprise us with written quotes in his tag writing through the post at the most needed times in my life. One of the quotes I’ve had on my wall for a few years now goes, ‘You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars’ — Max Ehrmann, ‘Stay you, fucking GOLDEN’. This keeps me grounded.”
Sterls had started a collective called Rooted and had strongly influenced Tasha’s love for music from the very beginning of their friendship. “From Motown to Reggae, Hip-Hop to RnB, we have listened and made music together.” He played saxophone, scratched records, and freestyled over lo-fi beats. “My main memories of visiting him are his total distractions and complete immersion into his music…the moment he’d start playing music, or an instrument, you’d just lose him. My musical teacher.”
She adds, “I guess to answer the question, this reminded me not to find sadness in a sad situation, and take it as an opportunity.” Tasha sees the beauty in it, “we have to let ourselves be taken at times but remember to reboot and not fall just because it isn’t going our preferred way. Things change all the time.”
“I have collaborated in the past, but found I needed to be solo for a while to better understand myself as an artist.” Now she’s ready to collaborate again, preferring to keep things local, and connected. Like Dal, an emerging local band from Totnes, and HUSK, whom she describes as an incredible producer, based in Leeds, “These artists are so unique and new. Utterly dedicated to their art, they are a huge motivation to me.”
Over the next 12 months she is mindful to allow her music to happen organically, “I want to enjoy it for the right reasons.” An EP is due, but don’t expect it before her studies are finished.
As the questions wind down I was curious as to what was the last album she listened to. Baduizm, by Erykah Badu she answers. Next Lifetime, a track she shares with Sterls, gives Tasha “feelings of elevation.”
Possy, by Lapis is out now on Loose Lips (LL019). Available on Bandcamp.
Words by Mike Darkfloor.
Noods Radio is an independent radio station broadcasting from Bristol’s Stokes Croft. Founded in 2015 and born from Sunday music sessions, the station has grown to become the home of faces from around the globe. Tune in for daily shows from misfits, dancers, collectors, and selectors that make up our community. Tune in with open ears.
