Meet Lilah Davis
Demonia boots that weigh 3lbs each. Sweet hair. Sometimes black. Sometimes green. Accessories that turn heads. The way she uses colour makes your eyes happy. Whatever the style, she manages to pull it off. Effortlessly. Lilah Davis is 14 years old with a fashion sense that's an art form. And we are here for it.
WHO
SHE IS
Lilah Davis, age 14
WHAT
SHE'S LEARNED WITH US
WHY
WE LOVE HER
Because she lives to impress herself.
We recently caught up with Lilah via Zoom as she began her second quarantine home from school. She was in her room, straightening her hair, but otherwise had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Ah yes. The COVID life.
When Lilah shows up to Backbeat, sometimes she’s wearing the rainbow. Other times, she’s strictly monochromatic. When we ask if she has a favourite colour, she’s quick to answer: “Pink. And red. I actually really like pink and red together. And black. But just because it goes really well with pink and red.” Lilah’s been experimenting with clothes for as long as she can remember. Ever since she’s had access to the internet, she’s been following different brands and Instagram models to get ideas of what to wear. If she sees something she likes, she often resorts to making her outfit from scratch or modifying her own clothes. Lilah can sew thanks to her grandma who taught her how to do it. When it comes to local favourites, Lilah has a lot of dresses from Mars and Venus on Whyte and is also into some bigger brands like Current Mood and Tripp NYC.
IT'S MORE THAN STYLE
Lilah doesn’t know how she would describe her personal style, but she does know who she’s dressing to impress: “I dress to impress myself. And I do impress myself sometimes with how fashionable I am.” There’s more to this story: “At school, other kids didn’t really acknowledge me and I decided if no one’s going to notice me, then I’m going to wear whatever I want.” So that’s what she did. And that’s what she still does. Lilah wears clothes that make her feel good. She wears what she thinks is beautiful and doesn’t worry about what anyone else thinks: “If I suddenly feel self-conscious about what I’m wearing, I remind myself that it doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks.” Lilah, we're with you 10,000% percent.
I dress to impress myself. And I do impress myself.
ALL HAIL THE 'BEAD QUEEN'
Lilah is known as the “Bead Queen” around Backbeat. Lilah’s been known to wear about a million bead bracelets at a time. Her bass teacher, Angela, also credits Lilah with inspiring her to make bead lizards. (If we mailed you one of Angela’s handmade bead lizards during early COVID, now you know where the idea came from!) Lilah can’t help but laugh as she talks about her own collection of bead lizards: “I used to make a ton of bead lizards. I still have them in a drawer. They look absolutely horrendous, but they’re absolutely beautiful. I love them.”
LILAH + HER MUSIC
“Lilah thinks the world of [her teacher] Angela,” says Lilah’s mom, Dorothy. Lilah’s older siblings are significantly older than her and moved away from home awhile ago so Lilah has grown up feeling like an only child at times. Music quickly became a source of entertainment for her, especially in those moments when she found herself at home alone. Dorothy feels that one of the biggest benefits of Lilah being at Backbeat is that it has “...allowed her to meet other friends who are into music. A lot of her other friends in Sherwood Park aren’t into music.” Being part of a band has helped fuel this connection with other kids. Lilah agrees with her mom — one of her favourite things about playing in a rock band is the social aspect; it helps make up for the sometimes lack of friends at school. On top of making music-loving friends, both Lilah and her mom love the fact that Lilah knows all the teachers at Backbeat really well and they know her. When Lilah originally started at Backbeat, she came to us to learn piano and vocals. Since then, she’s picked up the ukulele, guitar and bass. Most recently, she’s started dabbling on synthesizer. What can we say? With Lilah around, the good times just keep on rolling.
[It's] allowed her to meet other friends who are into music.
Similar to fashion, Lilah uses music to express herself. Dorothy remembers two-year-old Lilah going into her room and playing a sad song on her little keyboard if she was feeling sad or a happy song if she was feeling happy. Music continues to serve as a source of self-expression for Lilah. It’s there for her in the good and the bad, whether she’s surrounded by her bandmates on stage or alone in her room. Music is there.
Lilah, who you are is a gift. The way you bravely embrace who you are and share it with the rest of us speaks to your strength and courage. Here’s to you, Lilah Davis, and those killer Demonia boots you know how to rock.
