SXSW 2022 is underway and currently resembles its pre-pandemic form. Throughout the music portion of the festival, one of the hottest stages was the Futuristic Femme Showcase, hosted by Tavia Mapp-Deterville, and headlined by Omeretta The Great.
Ahead of the 2022 edition of the show, Tavia MD spoke with The Source about her career. You can learn more about Tavia below, and be sure to stay tuned to The Source for a recap of the Futuristic Femme event.
How did you get your start and what are you currently working on?
Tavia Mapp Deterville: I started in Publicity in 2007. Needless to say, my life is consumed with planning, pitching, and connecting. I’ve always loved music and writing, so I took my writing more seriously when the pandemic happened, and I have had placements with Hello Beautiful. That also sparked writing for Thisis50. SXSW is days away, and I have two stages, Futuristic Flow and Futuristic Femmes. I’m really excited to bring an all-female lineup to the festival and happy to reconnect with people I have not seen in years.
Why do you host showcases at SXSW?
I started curating stages to give the artists that I genuinely was a fan of a platform to showcase their work. In the last couple of stages I curated for A3C, I began showcasing more female talent simply to cut the tape.
What has providing these platforms done for artists previously?
It’s granted them exposure and expanded their fan base. I have had artists connect and work together or attain distribution.
How did you stay connected to artists during the pandemic years?
Honestly, through their team and social media. No matter where people were, everyone was on their phone.
Who are you looking forward to seeing most during this year’s events? Omeretta the Great! I was so lucky to get her as my headliner. I was hoping to see Lizzo as well and check out some panels.
Why should artists connect with you beyond SXSW?
Artists who should look to connect with me would need a budget. I’m proud to be one of the leaders of the business, and I take it elevating careers seriously.
What more would you like readership to know about?
I started a nonprofit named Future is Female is all about helping women connect and assist each other in starting over in new careers. You can also follow me @taviamd or connect on my site www.TaviaMD.com.
