Taja Sevelle, acclaimed singer-songwriter and Detroit native, joins Musicians Reveal with Joe Kelley to explore the extraordinary resurgence of her hometown’s music scene. Having recently returned from New York City, Sevelle shares her firsthand perspective on the city’s revitalization—bolstered by over $10 billion in investment, a transformation unmatched since the mid-20th century. She reflects on the creative energy, renewed opportunities, and strong sense of collaboration fueling Detroit’s cultural renaissance. From personal stories to industry insights, Sevelle paints a vivid portrait of a city reclaiming its place as a hub for musical innovation and community spirit.
📘 What You’ll Hear in This Episode
– How Detroit’s $10 billion investment is transforming its cultural and economic landscape
– Sevelle’s personal journey returning to her hometown and finding renewed inspiration
– The role of collaboration and support among Detroit’s musicians
– Reflections on the city’s evolving music industry opportunities
– How community fosters creativity and resilience in challenging times
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – The Detroit Music Scene
00:09 – Relocating and New Opportunities in Detroit
02:24 – Reflections on Music and Collaboration
02:56 – Transitioning to Personal Insights
04:24 – Transition to Taja Sevelle’s Broader Reflections
🔗 Links & Mentions
– Visit MusiciansReveal.com
– Live365 – Musicians Reveal Radio
📝 Key Takeaways
– Detroit is undergoing a major cultural and economic revival, with unprecedented investment fueling growth
– Taja Sevelle draws inspiration from her hometown’s creative energy and supportive artist community
– Collaboration and mutual respect are at the heart of Detroit’s thriving music scene
– The city is positioned to become a leading cultural hub within the next year
– Sevelle’s return underscores the power of place, connection, and shared artistic purpose
How's the Detroit music scene?
Speaker A:You're making home up in Michigan now, right?
Speaker B:Yeah, well, you know, I'm jumping around.
Speaker B:I'm jumping around.
Speaker B:But Detroit's my hometown right now.
Speaker B:I just moved from New York to Detroit.
Speaker B:And so we're kicking it off.
Speaker B:Detroit's got like all these new casinos, and actually they're putting like $10.2 billion in the city right now, which is more money than they've ever seen since World War I or 2.
Speaker B:Yeah, more money since World War II than they've seen.
Speaker B:And so the whole city and all the real estate and is just jumping off.
Speaker B:So in a couple, within like the next year, year and a half, Detroit's going to be happen.
Speaker A:Well, as long as you bought that house at a low price.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you can resell.
Speaker B:Believe me, I'm already happy.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It was a good investment.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, you know, once you come down to Connecticut, I know you got a lot of fans out here showing the love.
Speaker A:And your fellow musicians, they.
Speaker A:I tell you, they tell you a lot of compliments.
Speaker A:They said great singer, songwriter.
Speaker A:And we talked with Tina Weymouth and just a.
Speaker A:Of love and support.
Speaker B:Yeah, I love.
Speaker B:She's.
Speaker B:She's a sweetheart.
Speaker B:And both of the.
Speaker B:Both of them are really wonderful people.
Speaker B:We did some.
Speaker B:We did some hanging out when I was in Westport, and I love Connecticut, actually.
Speaker B:Connecticut is cool.
Speaker B:I was considering moving there and I still may.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Keep it open, you know.
Speaker A:You know, this is a really nice place.
Speaker A:I'm only 60 minutes away from New York, so Connecticut, we got the best of both worlds here.
Speaker B:Only I really think at some point I'll get a place in Connecticut because I like it there a lot.
Speaker A:And of course, Niles is cool and everything.
Speaker A:He's been supporting the scene here.
Speaker A:Ash Vernon Simpson.
Speaker B:Nile's a sweetheart, man.
Speaker B:He's very, very cool.
Speaker A:Ashburn and Simpson, they're just around the corner.
Speaker A:And I run into Nick Ashford at the park down in Bridgeport.
Speaker A:So, you know, he's really cool.
Speaker B:I've met them one time, but it was a long, long time ago.
Speaker B:Before really before I even got my deal with Prince.
Speaker B:And I snuck on stage, you know, backstage, and I met them and they were so sweet and, you know, they just seemed like really nice people.
Speaker A:Ye.
Speaker A:Songwriter.
Speaker B:So definitely.
Speaker A:I mean, you work with Burt Brackerack.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:Some of the esteemed company there.
Speaker B:So, yeah, Bert's great, man.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He's really nice.
Speaker B:Bert, Tom Bell, all those guys are.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, the Philly sound.
Speaker A:Tso yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:But right now we're gonna.
Speaker A:Well, before we go, we gotta thank you.
Speaker A:I gotta thank you for.
Speaker A:It's really pleasure talking with you after all these years, following your career and.
Speaker B:Well, thank you.
Speaker B:I appreciate it.
Speaker B:And I really appreciate the support and, you know, it's been wonderful talking to you.
Speaker B:So hopefully we'll revisit the show sometime.
Speaker A:All blessings to you.
Speaker A:And like I said, if you're down in Connecticut again, you can stop by the studio and maybe now bring his guitar and you guys can go to town singing.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'll swoop them up.
Speaker B:I'll swoop him up and we'll come down there and we'll surprise you.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Hey, one final question off the top topic of music, Right.
Speaker A:I noticed you write your.
Speaker A:Your dates in French.
Speaker A:What's going on there?
Speaker B:Well, you know, it's just my.
Speaker B:My one attempt to hang on to my.
Speaker B:The little French that I did learn.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:That's cool.
Speaker B:I like doing that.
Speaker B:I've always done that.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's real nice.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right, we're getting off the topic there, but I gotta thank you, Tajin.
Speaker A:You're welcome.
Speaker A:Anytime.
Speaker A:To the upper room and continued success.
Speaker A:We're going to be promoting this record and you've always got an open invitation to stop by.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:I really appreciate it and I wish everybody well.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:And folks, we're going to kick back with Good Times.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:I never get tired of the guitar.
Speaker A:The bass line, of course.
Speaker B:I'm telling you, nobody does.
Speaker B:It's cool when you're playing it live, too.
Speaker B:You can never end it because you want to keep going.
Speaker A:Flip the script around, right?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:That's the best line out of that.
Speaker A:That's your line, right?
Speaker B:Yep, yep.
Speaker B:I like to flip the script around and let nothing hold me down.
Speaker B:You know, I gotta stay in control.
Speaker B:Let in the good and let the bad times go.
Speaker A:All right, I'm scouting.
Speaker B: I think that's perfect for: Speaker A:I'm just gonna turn off my mic and you can.
Speaker A:You can have a concert here.
Speaker A:All right, Taja, all the best.
Speaker A:And stay on the line.
Speaker A:I'll be talking to you.
Speaker A:And this is Taja Saville from upcoming CD Fire Good Times.