Takiaya Reed is a two-spirit Black and Cherokee composer, multi-instrumentalist, and leader of her band Divide and Dissolve, an internationally acclaimed band whose work bridges doom metal, neo classical composition, and sound design. Her practice is rooted in decolonial politics and a commitment to envisioning liberatory futures.Through Divide and Dissolve, Reed has toured extensively across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, releasing five full-length albums to critical acclaim. Their recent works Gas Lit and Systemic, produced by Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra and released on Invada Records, brought the band to wider international audiences, including a 2024 U.S tour supporting Chelsea Wolfe. Their newest record, Insatiable (Bella Union), pushes the boundaries of doom metal by weaving in Reed’s saxophone, voice, and compositional approach that balances heaviness with emotional clarity, and was shortlisted for the 2025 Australian Music Prize.
Outside of Divide and Dissolve, Reed has emerged as a distinctive voice in classical and interdisciplinary composition. In 2023, she was commissioned to score the SS’24 Miu Miu fashion show at Paris Fashion Week. In 2024, she created Take me away to a place and stay where we dream for Precious Okoyomon’s exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz. In 2025, her Symphony No. 1: Your Hands Taught Me How to Love for the First Time was premiered by the BBC Concert Orchestra in London, marking a major milestone in her symphonic practice. Through all of her work, Reed challenges narrow expectations of who participates in composition and scoring. Her music communicates across genre and discipline to articulate deep emotions. By centering love, decolonial energy, and imagination, Reed continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary composition while opening pathways for greater representation in classical and heavy music.
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