Tia Callum

Artist, Musician, Project manager

Tia Callum is a Gloucester-born recording artist, songwriter, creative producer, host and arts development consultant working across music, culture and social impact. As a recording artist, Tia brings soulful vocals to house, dance and drum & bass. Her career has taken her to stages including London Fashion Week, Boomtown, ADE, Brighton Pride, Manchester Pride and Leeds Pride, alongside performances and collaborations across the UK and internationally. She also tours with artists including Angie Brown and Blu James of Basement Jaxx, while working with producers and artists nationally and internationally. Beyond music, Tia works across creative production, arts development, consultation, hosting and public speaking. She uses a combination of lived experience, professional practice and community insight to help develop projects, create experiences and support organisations to better connect with the people and communities they serve. Through her creative and consultancy work, Tia has contributed to projects, research and community development alongside organisations including the NHS, Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire Nightstop, Active Gloucestershire and The Music Works, as well as arts, cultural and community organisations across Gloucestershire. Her work has ranged from engagement and consultation with children and young people to developing creative and social-impact projects, including helping to build a live-and-work initiative supporting young people experiencing homelessness. She has produced cultural and fashion events including Revive Couture, hosts live music events and also works across voice-over, facilitation and creative media. At the heart of Tia’s work is a belief in the power of voice and lived experience. Whether she is performing, producing, hosting, consulting or speaking, she is interested in turning experience into something useful; creating opportunities for people to feel heard, connect with others and turn their ideas and experiences into meaningful change.

I’m passionate about anything that makes me feel alive. Singing loudly, dancing because why not, performing to a crowd, fashion, festivals, travelling, trying something I’ve never done before and having conversations that accidentally get way too deep. A lot of my creativity comes from taking the things I’ve lived through the brilliant, painful, messy and ridiculous and turning them into music, ideas and experiences. Mostly though, give me good music, good people, something exciting to create and a moment to get dressed up, and I’m happy.

Life can be beautifully disgusting.

I’m part of a youth-led group called CHISPA which are a group full of entrepreneurs and creatives who are passionate about creating real change. Together, we came up with the idea to amplify unheard voices in our city, voices that deserve space, attention, and impact. We brought this vision to the guildhall who are part of the Gloucester Council, and they’ve offered to support us by being the venue that can host us. Now, I’m leading the planning stages of building this space into something bold and meaningful with the most amazing voluntary team! Stay tuned, TED xers! This story’s just getting started.

Making animal noises…