LA-based artist Dava is beginning to bubble up among this year’s fresh crop of new musical talent. Taking influence from the likes of Gwen Stefani to The Beastie Boys in her own palpable pop music, the singer-songwriter grew up between Texas and Oklahoma raised by her grandmother after her mom tragically died when the singer was just 8 years old. Music proved to be a salvation for Dava and from a young age she’s been grafting hard to make music her full-time career. Now signed to Sony’s Disruptor Records, she’s taken one step closer to fulfilling those promising prospects.
“I feel like I have a lot to say,” says Dava in a press release, and her previous singles have exemplified both fun-loving and more intimate sides to her creative personality. Her latest release “New Ceilings” further distills her cozy cushions of R&B and cherry-sweet vocals into a wavy feeling track that once more comes from Dava’s own authentic perspective.
“This song was written about survival and staying true to yourself,” Dava says. “I wanted a song that felt empowering and validated all the work I had put in up to that point … I felt it needed to be heard because of how authentically it embodies my struggle.”
Shot through a fish-eye lens, the music video for “New Ceilings” captures the feel of Dava’s lyrical content closely and honestly. The verses encapsulate themes of defiance and self-empowerment with lines such as “never sorry that’s a weakness” and “you know I don’t need you, right?” bolstering this aesthetic.
The choruses take a more introspective turn as Dava lays bare her personal struggles: “I’ve been chasing brand new ceilings / Tryna find a brand-new feeling / That’s a way / That’s a way out.” Although these sections contain the deepest lyrical messages in the track, they’re also undoubtedly the ones that stand out most.
“New Ceilings” is a bop-worthy track that’s close to home for burgeoning LA artist Dava. With her debut EP set to be released later this year, this track provides another notable glimpse of her full musical bloom that’s patiently lying in wait.