Photo and edits by Eva Davenport
Looking at Eva Davenport’s jam-packed virtual performance calendar, there’s no doubt that this R&B singer’s as rock steady and focused on her vision as she was when she wrote her 2019 EP, Letters to Self. In the former Berklee student’s track “High Like This,” she sings, “I’m working 9 to 5/ Getting my money right/ Hustle on the side/ Study with the grind/ 21 and when I sleep I wake up to flexing in my prime.” Now 23, Eva is already working on her next project with the release of her single, “Trill.”
Eva describes “Trill” as a sexy R&B bop, written from a woman’s perspective of having strong feelings and allowing them to grow into something more. She recorded this song during the summer of 2018 at the same time as her debut single “Bang Bang,” with Marco el Mago and DJ GI JOE. She kept it in her back pocket with plans to release it with her next full-length album. But as quarantine has gone on, she says, “I am finding it super difficult to connect with friends and fans.” She decided to thank her supporters “for all they’ve done to encourage [her]” by privately releasing the track to her [Dreamcatchers] fan list ahead of the single’s wider July 14th release.
Music has always been a peaceful way for Eva to share her thoughts and feelings with others, and vice versa. “Music means happiness and understanding to me,” she says. “I turn to music anytime I am overwhelmed, upset, emotionally drained, happy, turnin’ up. Music is truly the heartbeat of the world.” Letters to Self encompasses those true reasons for being an artist and introduces her mindset to the world. The tracks on that EP have a lot of inward reflection, stemming from the countless notebooks she’s written in over the years.
When Allston Pudding asked her what she was planning on writing about next, she says, “I live to inspire through music and will continue to do so with inspirational songs, songs about growth, and love songs. Throughout my life, I want to write and sing about everything I’ve ever felt or experienced in a conscious way.”
Not only has Eva been performing in festivals like The Great Lockdown, fundraisers like Activating ARTivism, and an R&B Verses Battle with Nancia, she’s been curating her own events too. Artz Online was a showcase featuring singing, DJ sets, dancing, live visual art, photography, poetry and more from local Boston-area artists. This idea stemmed from Eva’s 2019 summer series, Artz Underground, which “quickly became a consistently sold-out event with some of the most talented artists in Boston and beyond blessing the stages,” Eva says. “I believe one of the pros to having online events is really getting to hear the artist and see their facial expressions up close and personal AND in a laid-back comfortably performed way!”
Eva is a very emotionally evocative performer herself. Her soulful voice will make your heart ache, and her charming smile will pull your heart back together again.
Sign up for Eva Davenport’s mailing list to listen to “Trill,” out everywhere on July 14th.