Q&A: Muna's Katie Gavin on comfort music, creative freedom and her debut solo record

LOS ANGELES — Katie Gavin is self-proclaimed “gay famous.”

The pop band Muna first broke through with “Silk Chiffon,” an anthem to queer joy. Though Gavin, the frontwoman of Muna, has dipped a toe in pop music's mainstream, she’s definitively, and defiantly, still an indie artist.

On her debut solo record “What a Relief,” released last month on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records, Gavin channels a bluesy, nostalgic tone to explore intimacy, grief and intergenerational trauma. The lyrics are spare and reflect heartfelt — and at times earnest — realizations about pain and self-discovery. Created over seven years, the album is, as Gavin said, a testament to “how much we change and stay the same” over time.

She’s part of a new wave of musicians — including boygenius, Reneé Rapp, and Chappell Roan — who are reimagining pop and folk-rock traditions with a queer sensibility. To celebrate the release of Gavin's album, Muna fan groups organized listening parties at lesbian bars like The Ruby Fruit in Los Angeles and Ginger’s Bar in Brooklyn, New York.

Gavin spoke recently with The Associated Press about finding her creative soulmates, getting in touch with her 14-year-old self and her first solo tour in the U.S., which kicks off Monday in Seattle.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.