Seattle-based musician Thavoron returns to his Everett roots in latest project

EVERETT — Last year, Seattle-based musician Thavoron Eang went back to his hometown of Everett to film his latest music video.

Shot on a camcorder, he ran through backyard sprinklers in a white t-shirt and jeans in his parents’ house, reminiscent of a carefree summer in the town he grew up in.

The nostalgic visuals are for his new EP “Nervous,” a project commemorating his inner child.

“The (EP) is about making space for yourself to make mistakes and allowing your childlike energy to make you be playful and have fun,” Eang said.

“I feel nervous, but I try to get close to you when you want.” (“Nervous,” 2023)

Eang, who goes simply by his first name Thavoron, is an indie-pop artist originally from Everett. With Seattle shows lined up and a second studio album set to release later this year, the queer Cambodian American artist gives his listeners a vulnerable look into his own relationships and experiences — many of which happened while growing up in Snohomish County.

When he was 5 years old, Eang found himself singing Mariah Carey, using his brother’s bed as a stage in their north Everett childhood home.

“That was one of the moments I realized how much I loved music,” he said.

But he was not yet Thavoron. He went by Tommy, so his classmates and teachers would have an easier time pronouncing his name.

Eang always knew he wanted to be a musician but was discouraged by the lack of Asian artists and culture he saw in the industry. So he put his desires on the back burner.

“I think I pushed it away because the lack of representation of Asian identities in music made me feel like it was unfeasible or something I wouldn’t be able to accomplish on my own,” Eang said.

But Eang was still connected to the art. He did cheer and choir for years, two hobbies he said gave him the skills to become a performer. He bonded with friends over music and taught himself how to play bass and guitar, according to his childhood friend Suna Oh.

Oh recalls going to Eang’s house after school to watch music videos for hours. Eang loved R&B artists like Frank Ocean, Aaliyah, and FKA Twigs. The thing that strung those artists together, he said, was their ability to tell stories.

While attending Everett’s Cascade High School, he dreamed about what it would be like to release his own music.

”There was a lot of self doubt, and a lot of worry,” childhood friend Aislinn Hall said. “I think he was much more insecure in high school. I mean, we all were.”

Eang said there wasn’t a specific moment he decided to start making music, but that the desires he had been pushing away since childhood became harder to ignore.

“The urge got stronger and stronger, and I decided to just do it,” he said.

In August of 2019, Eang released his first two songs “Too Fast” and “Crush.” Hall names “Crush,” which captures Eang’s yearning for love and the feeling of being wanted while dating in high school, as one of her favorite songs to this day.

Call me your everything

Then we’ll return to our bland lives

Come here

Stay with me

and exist beyond the depths of my mind. (“Crush,” 2019)

in 2020, one year after high school graduation, Eang released his first EP, “Bold.”

“It’s beautiful to watch him now,” Hall said. “He’s using all the things he has fears about or things he may be more insecure about and broadcasting it in a way that makes it accessible to other people.”

Mainly accompanied by bass, guitar and the occasional saxophone on stage, Eang’s music style falls under the genres of indie and alternative. His sounds are inspired by artists like The xx, Daughter, HAIM, Blood Orange, The Smiths, Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver & Lana Del Rey, according to his Spotify bio.

Eang continues to create new music. His first studio album, “Ugly,” was released in 2021. The album includes some of his most popular songs on Spotify, “You,” ”Chevrolet” and “Run.”His most recent EP was released last month as part of his upcoming album “Tommy Loves You.”

As an adult, Eang reclaimed the name Thavoron to fully embrace himself and be freed of past insecurities.

“I titled my project ‘Tommy Loves You’ because that is reflective of my true inner child and that was the identity that I lived in for so long,” Eang said.

One of Eang’s most vulnerable songs on the EP is titled “18.”Released as a single last year, “18” captures Eang’s own experience as a young queer person navigating sex and relationships during an “impressionable and vulnerable stage in your life.”

Wondering where you are right now

Begging for you to tell me the truth

Was it all me or solely my youth? (“18,” 2022)

He describes his writing style as reminiscent of his past pains and joys, and as a way of understanding his emotions.

“Through music I’m always documenting how I feel and reflecting on certain situations,” Eang said. “For feelings I don’t feel anymore, or a sense of full completion.”

Eang met videographer Maddie Ludgate at a Billie Eilish concert in 2015. In 2021, they moved to Seattle to continue pursuing their careers. Both from the Everett area, the two have collaborated on music videos, photo shoots and visuals for all of Eang’s latest projects.

The two often come up with their ideas in the middle of the night, sitting on the living room floor of their apartment, Ludgate said.

“We just saw eye to eye on everything,” Ludgate said. “We were able to put so much passion and effort into literally everything we do together.”

Eang is set to perform at ALMA’s Birthday Show in Tacoma at 1322 Fawcett Ave on April 21 and the Belltown Bloom at the Crocodile at 2505 1st Ave in Seattle on May 26.

His sophomore album, “Tommy Loves You,” is set to come out May 26 under his record label Trailing Twelve. The album will feature seven tracks, one being a tribute to his hometown, called “Everett.”

Reflecting on his past, Eang says he has become more grateful for his hometown experiences.

“When I was growing up in Everett I felt super resentful towards it and felt very limited by my environment,” he said. “Going to Everett now it makes me thankful because it reminds me of how I had to get to where I am today.”

Maya Tizon; 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.

Sound & Summit

This article is featured in the summer issue of Sound & Summit, a supplement of The Daily Herald. Explore Snohomish and Island counties with each quarterly magazine. Each issue is $4.99. Subscribe to receive all four editions for $18 per year. Call 425-339-3200 or go to soundsummitmagazine.com for more information.