Beaumont Music Festival: Neveah Dyson interview

Neveah Dyson is a singer-songwriter from British Columbia. With the anniversary of her debut release, “Mom’s Eulogy,” coming up this July, she has some upcoming releases planned for this summer. 

After her set at the Beaumont Music Festival, The Gateway sat down with Dyson to chat about her recent and upcoming releases. 

“These singles are just for fun. I’ll put out an EP next year,” Dyson said. 

“I wanted to start playing festivals, and I had just graduated high school and I had no music out. So I just started writing,” Dyson said. 

She said, of her three currently released singles, each was inspired individually. “The first one was a song about moms writing their own eulogies. The second [“Luck”] was just one that worked at live shows, so I was like, ‘let’s record it and put it out,’” Dyson explained. She added that “it’s only the last six months that they’re starting to follow a theme.” 

Through the writing process for the last few releases, Dyson said she “played around with stuff and then finally found what works.” Her next upcoming singles are about social issues and awareness from both sides of issues.

“I’ve always hated that you can’t talk about certain things,” Dyson says

“I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to write about. I would get these ideas and they just kept turning into the same topic, and I realized I’m really big on seeing things from both points of views,” she explained. 

In these issues, breaking down taboos is a big thing for Dyson as well. “I’ve always hated that you can’t talk about certain things. So, a lot of the songs that I played today will talk about religion, sexuality, and politics. Why do we dance around stuff? If someone was raped, you say it was rape and that’s the word you use. I hate avoiding harsh language. I think it’s stupid you can’t say certain things and be honest.”

Dyson added that she isn’t a political person. “I just think maybe as a young person coming into the world, I see these things and they’re so weird. As a kid in school, you’re told that everything’s super inclusive and then I went out into the world and it was, but also not at all,” she said. 

Dyson said she’s had to deal with online hate because of her political music as well. “When I started posting online I realized how politically charged everybody is, and how mean they would get the second you threatened anything to do with their very narrow belief system. After that, I just kept writing because it’s helping people that feel like they’re not being heard.” 

While dealing with hate online, she’s found support in her live performances. “I use a lot of commentary and I feel that helps. A guy came up to me after a show in Calgary and asked to give me some input, and I welcomed it. He said he couldn’t relate to my songs and that they aren’t about people like him, because he was a straight white guy. But he said the way I talk before I play defuses the bomb. He said he enjoyed listening because he didn’t feel attacked and that it felt very educational.” 

Dyson said that “I don’t think people should ever feel attacked. I always try to write songs that are going to give you a different point of view.”

Dyson is planning on releasing some singles within the next year, and has an EP planned for 2026. Check out her website for her show dates and releases.