Spellling

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Spellling

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = Chrystia Cabral

| alias = Tia Cabral

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|05|18}}

| birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S.

| origin = Oakland, California, U.S.

| genre = {{Flatlist|

| occupation = {{Flatlist|

Musician
singer
songwriter
producer

}}

| instrument = {{Flatlist|

Vocals
synthesizer{{Cite web |last=Silvers |first=Emma |date=February 15, 2019 |title=Spellling Is Making Haunted Electronic Pop for the Witch (or Wizard) in All of Us |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/spellling-is-making-haunted-electronic-pop-for-the-witch-or-wizard-in-all-of-us/ |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=Pitchfork}}

}}

| years_active = 2015–present

| label = Sacred Bones

| website = {{URL|spelllingmusic.com}}

}}

Chrystia "Tia" Cabral (born May 18, 1991), known professionally as {{Not a typo|Spellling}} (stylized in all caps), is an American experimental pop musician based in Oakland, California. Cabral released her debut album, Pantheon of Me, in September 2017; Pitchfork felt it was "surely among the most overlooked debuts this calendar year".Jenn Pelly. "[https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/hear-spelllings-walk-up-to-your-house-from-one-of-the-most-compelling-debuts-of-the-year/ Review of Spellling's 'Walk Up to Your House']". Pitchfork. December 11, 2017. Signing to Sacred Bones Records in 2018, she followed up in February 2019 with Mazy Fly. It was met with universal acclaim by music critics, who enjoyed the dark and eerie qualities of Spellling's sound."[https://www.metacritic.com/music/mazy-fly/spellling Review: Mazy Fly by Spellling]". Metacritic. Retrieved on 25 May 2021. Cabral released the third full-length Spellling album, The Turning Wheel, on June 25, 2021.Evan Minsker. "[https://pitchfork.com/news/spellling-announces-new-album-the-turning-wheel-shares-new-song-listen/ SPELLLING Announces New Album The Turning Wheel, Shares New Song: Listen]". Pitchfork. April 14, 2021. She followed that up with Spellling & the Mystery School in 2023 and Portrait of My Heart in 2025.

Early life

Cabral was born in Sacramento, California. She was raised in the Catholic Church, which would later influence her music.{{cite web |last=Fechik|first=Mariel|title=As Above, So Below: SPELLLING on Mythical Realms and New Album 'The Turning Wheel'|date=7 July 2021|url=https://atwoodmagazine.com/sttw-spellling-the-turning-wheel-music-interview-2021/|website=Atwoodmagazine.com|access-date=July 9, 2021}}

Cabral attended the University of California, Berkeley, studying philosophy for two semesters before changing her major to English literature after feeling "shamed out of the [philosophy] department" as the only femme person and person of color. She remained at Berkeley to pursue a Master of Fine Arts, which she completed in 2019.{{cite web |last1=Lee, Ahn|title=SPELLLING on Friendship |url=https://art.berkeley.edu/news/2021/5/3/friendaversary|website=Art.berkeley.edu|date=3 May 2021 |access-date=July 9, 2021}}

Career

Cabral started her musical career in 2015, influenced by two events: watching a fellow San Francisco artist performing looped vocals; and the death of a close friend. At the time she was working as an elementary school teacher, and being around crayons inspired her to release a handmade CD called Crayola Church. Cabral said of the project: “I took a Crayola box and made a record based on every color in the box… I would wrap the CDs in children’s drawings and write the track listing, so some people have those [editions].”{{cite web |last=Reyes|first=Jordan|title=How Alien Encounters and Vivid Dreams Inspired Spellling's Stunning Mazy Fly |date=19 February 2019|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/spellling-interview|website=Daily.bandcamp.com|access-date=July 9, 2021}}

In 2017, she self released her debut album, Pantheon of Me. In 2019, she released a follow-up, Mazy Fly, to positive reviews. In 2021, she released her third album, The Turning Wheel, to similarly positive reviews. In 2023, she announced her fourth album, Spellling & the Mystery School, which would contain re-recordings of past material.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/spellling-spellling-and-the-mystery-school/|title=SPELLLING & the Mystery School - Review|last=Torres|first=Eric|website=Pitchfork|date=August 24, 2023|access-date=July 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824123727/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/spellling-spellling-and-the-mystery-school/|archive-date=August 24, 2023}}

Artistry

=Influences=

When asked about her favorite albums, Cabral named Minnie Riperton's Come to My Garden, Kraftwerk's Computer World, and Iggy Pop's The Idiot.{{cite web |last=Michael|first=Jordan J.|title=My Favorite Album: SPELLLING on Minnie Riperton, Kraftwerk, and Iggy Pop|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/my_favorite_album_spellling_on_minnie_riperton_kraftwerk_and_iggy_pop|website=Undertheradarmag.com|access-date=July 9, 2021}}

Discography

=Albums=

Pantheon of Me (2017)
Mazy Fly (2019)
The Turning Wheel (2021)
Spellling & the Mystery School (2023){{Cite web |title=SPELLLING & the Mystery School, by SPELLLING |url=https://spellling.bandcamp.com/album/spellling-the-mystery-school |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Spellling.bandcamp.com|language=en}}
Portrait of My Heart (2025)