By Eli Branch IV of eb4photography
TeZATalks, aka Teza (Tasia Thomas), is a musician, rockstar, fashionista, and cultural icon. Raised in Oahu, Hawaii, but based in Seattle since 2016, she released her first EP, Chaos, in 2017 and has been garnering fans, attention, and praise in the music industry at a steady clip since. Teza released her album Black Girl American Horror Story in October 2024 to both popular and critical acclaim. The album surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify in the first three months. Teza and her music can’t be confined to some narrow archetype; to begin to describe her sonic universe, one might say alternative, hardcore, punk, rap, electronic, emo, goth, defiant, body-positive, revolutionary, and politically charged. That’s not the whole story though; barely a prologue.
TeZATalks recently headlined the University of Washington Black History Month Concert this past February. The concert was presented by the UW Black Student Commission, Tambia Productions, and UW RETRO and was held in the Husky Union Building. The crowd at this show was a younger, more melanated demographic from the previous TeZATalks shows I’ve been to on Capitol Hill. I got the sense that this supercharged Teza to deliver a performance tailored to a crowd in whom she saw more of her reflection. The stage was lower, and the crowd was closer, diffusing the barrier between Teza and the audience. It was almost like she was performing in a dorm room for all her besties.
Teza doesn’t perform alone; she has a massively talented team composed of guitarist Earnie Ashwood, Violinist Kirill Polansky, dancer Jade Jordan, and DJ PoisonJams. They are Teza’s hype team; she feeds off them as much as she does the crowd to fuel her high-energy, physically demanding performances. Confidence, bravada, and Aura radiate from Teza’s stage presence. She works the entire stage, engaging with the crowd during songs, and even tells stories and jokes between songs. One of my favorite moments of a Tezatalks show is the duet she does with Kirill and his violin. They lock eyes, she pours her heart into the vocals, he reciprocates with his reed and strings, and they escape away together for a short time.
When my eyes weren’t buried in the viewfinder, I was able to make quick scans of the faces in the crowd of predominantly younger, melanated, and majority femme/female fans. I couldn’t help but notice the looks of admiration, pride, and inspiration watching someone like themselves showcasing confidence, individuality, and defiance. Teza’s style, music, and performance project a blueprint to the audience on how to live life fully, fearlessly, and defiantly. By the time Teza dropped the mic and strutted off stage, the vibe in the room was a powerful blend of community, positivity, optimism, and satisfied exhaustion.
TezZATalks is performing next as part of SAM Remix on Friday, March 28th at Seattle Art Museum. Tickets available here. Follow her on Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Based in Seattle, Washington, Eli Branch IV is a passionate photographer and structural engineer who uses his camera as tool, paintbrush, and toy to enjoy this thing called life. With a keen eye for detail and a love for experimentation, he skillfully captures the interplay of light, shadow, geometry, and motion in his work. His diverse interests in photography allow him to explore various styles, creating dynamic and compelling images that tell a story. Whether shooting candid urban scenes, macro nature images, concerts, sports, or portraits, Eli brings a fresh and innovative approach to every project. He is constantly searching for his next dose of visual dopamine and looks forward to sharing his love of photography with others.
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