Founder Taj Wilmot sets out what to expect from the lineup and explains how she creates a safe space for creativity and connection
“If you can’t see yourself in these spaces, how can you champion yourself,” asks Taj Wilmot, singer, songwriter and creative event curator.
Taj hosts a live music and creative event for queer people and people of colour and their allies called Tiara Night.
Her name means “tiara”, which is where the name for the night came from, and the next Tiara Night is a takeover of Deptford’s The Albany on Friday 7 March 2025.
“The Albany is a melting pot of so much culture, and it is really giving back to culture, too,” explains Taj ahead of the event.
On the night, you can expect sets from Gina Lobo, Lofi Lola, Nomie, Taj, Alice Backstrom and Daisy Boi.
Plus work from a multitude of artists, including: painter Tireni; poet and painter Kylie; sculptor, puppet maker and painter TA?TE; print designer TXCP Textiles (Taylor); sculptor Lucie Dinsdale; nail technician Morgan Nails; painter Chinda; and photographer and sound artist Hugo Schaepelynck.
Having been performing since she was nine years old, and going on to take up playing the drums, music has always been a part of Taj’s story. “I wanted to be loud because I’m the middle child,” she says with a laugh.
Her mum is also an artist, and her partner is a sculptor, so she has always been surrounded by a variety of creative pursuits.
But “music is my happy place, and I love finding new artists and listening to people,” says Taj, who also went on to study music.
She hosted her first event when she was at college to launch her EP. Without any budget, Taj said she was still going to “make it the best event ever”.
Taj continued to host events when she was a student at Goldsmiths, and she realised organising these came easy to her. She wanted to take those skills and use them to build a community of people, and events “kind of snowballed”.
Tiara Night has grown from attendees being a group of Taj’s friends to selling out.
As Tiara Night has expanded, Taj has invited not just musicians to perform but curated a whole host of artists to create a “creative pool for art” – and also a safe space.
Taj explains: “I think people think that creative spaces are inherently safe because they’re creative.
“When you hear about people’s experiences [of getting booked] and it doesn’t reflect yours, sometimes it makes you feel so small.
“In a way, we have to look at who is running these spaces. If they don’t understand your identity, how can they champion you?
“I can only talk from my experiences as a singer, but a lot of people may see me and my social media and think I’m doing so many gigs – but every single one of the gigs that I’ve done for the past year is one that I’ve put on.
“But being an artist in any form, whether it’s music or painting or photography, your biggest supporter has to be yourself.”
Taj adds how she wants to be in a room with people that look like her or have identities similar to her own and sit down and “actually have a conversation without feeling small”.
“There is something so beautiful about going into space and, once you walk in, you can feel that it’s a safe space,” she adds.
“Especially as a Black girl, being allowed to feel vulnerable and safe, there is something about laughing with other Black girls about some of your misfortunes that you can’t really do in other spaces.”
And Taj wants deeper connections like these to be formed at Tiara Night.
She recalls two Tiara Night performers who connected outside of the event, and, for her, that is what building this community is all about.
She says: “I think that’s what a real safe space is, making a community that actually continues to become a community, not just a community for the night.”
Taj is of Jamaican descent and says how community is a big thing in Caribbean culture. She explains how people will know their neighbours by name, “they might even know your favourite colour” but “in the UK, I could go outside and see my neighbours every single day and I wouldn’t know that”.
Looking to the year ahead, Taj wants to continue to champion Tiara Night talent and is hoping to release her EP – and we’ll be all ears when she does.
Date: Friday 7 March 2025, 7pm, for ages 14+
Tickets £6 to £10
The Albany, Douglas Way, SE8 4AG
www.thealbany.org.uk/shows/tiara-night
www.instagram.com/tiara_nights
Main image by Ling @sozbear
