Petty Chavez is an indie folk songwriting duo whose music thrums as their intermingled voices and guitar coalesce into story and soundscape. With vibes both nostalgic and current, their songwriting is shaped equally by the misty greys of Simon Petty’s native England, Celia Chavez’s Pacific Northwest, and the sunlit gold of Southern California, where their musical paths first crossed.

Simon flew out west when a record deal drew British  band Minibar from London to Los Angeles to record with producer T Bone Burnett, and later, Rami Jaffee.  Once in the USA, Simon refined his signature mix of world-weary optimism and musical eclecticism on tour with Pete Yorn. 

Celia brings her own brand of wistful lyricism to the duo. A genre-hopping vocal powerhouse — demonstrated by years as an arena-level backup singer to international artists (Enrique Iglesias, P!nk, Julia Fordham, Melody Gardot) — she embraces Simon’s sound with radiant translucence. 

The duo live in West Los Angeles and work in their Santa Monica studio with their producer and fellow artist, Greg Johnson. A four-song EP — featuring the advance single, a reinvention of the Korgis’ Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime — is currently receiving finishing touches for Summer 2025 release, and promises to be as intimate as it is expansive.

About their debut single, Our Apartment:

Simon and Celia co-wrote the song, and Simon recalls: 

"Celia had come up with this beautifully evocative line, “one last look at the stars,” and one night when she was away on tour, I started writing something around the idea of it. It was just one of those “describe the here and now” moments: what can you hear, what do you feel? The Expo train line to Santa Monica runs close by our place, but at enough of a distance for it to be comforting, rather than a continual interruption. It’s the soundtrack of our little oasis in the city; and when we hear it through our windows, we know we are home. The song became an ode to this place that we’ve built together, filled with musical instruments and books and song. Once the first verse solidified, Celia came home and wrote that beautiful melody for the second, and then we combined the two for the end. Finally, the original line that inspired it all became our album title.”

The Family Record Collection

Simon’s family record collection included mostly Chopin etudes and great musicals. “My Dad wrote witty Noel Coward style songs, which he played on an old Spanish classical guitar,” remembers Simon. “He taught me two chords (E and B7) when I was about 13, which, it turns out, for a career in popular music, is all you really need!”

Celia’s mother played piano and sang beautifully, though not professionally. As a Merchant Marine, her dad played sax in the engine room when he was out to sea, not wanting to bother the rest of the crew. There was a broad selection of music playing in the Chavez house — from opera to doo wop, to folk, big band and soul. Celia is very clear on what she learned from growing up with lots of diverse music, saying, “Opera made me fall in love with the drama, dynamics, the sounds of different languages and the power and deftness of the singer’s voice. 1950’s and ‘60’s vocal pop, jazz and folk sparked my lifelong love of harmony.”

What Brought Them Together

The music of David Bowie, an artist they both loved, was the catalyst for bringing them together.  “We met on a Bowie tribute gig, on Friday the 13th, 2013,” Celia remembers vividly.  “Simon was a featured artist that evening, and I was a singer in the house band. Simon was assigned the song ‘Aladdin Sane,’ which has a high part in the chorus out of his usual range.” Simon adds to the story and admits, “To be ruthlessly accurate, we met because I can’t hit a G sharp. I had asked for some help on the chorus of ‘Aladdin Sane’ and very fortuitously, Celia was allotted the task.” 

The Chemistry

 “The first time we sang together,” Celia remembers, “when he opened his mouth that night standing next to me onstage, I became so distracted I nearly dropped my mic and almost forgot to come in on my part. I remember my head turning and my jaw dropping; there is something really rare and special in Simon’s voice. He somehow conveys a complex cocktail of emotions: he sounds simultaneously childlike and world-weary, hopeful and desolate, nostalgic and present, honest and reticent, tender and masculine. I knew I wanted to sing with him again. “

Simon also felt chemistry. “The songs and the vocal blend have just evolved very naturally, as an extension of our compatibility. We couldn’t be more different to look at or listen to, but when we sing, her sweetness blurs all my rough edges.”

What’s Next

Celia explains what makes this musical collaboration work so magically.  “We just have fun, and we truly want the music to be the best it can, to both express and evoke honest emotion. There’s deep mutual respect, trust and admiration that we have built over the years. We also share an ongoing good-natured curiosity and wonder about each other, and we look forward to see what the other has to bring to the creative partnership with every new song and professional adventure.”  

Write from the heart, sing as often as you can, play music with the people you love. — Simon Petty

Stay open and connect meaningfully, approach creativity as a form of service to the world and recognize and own the worth in what you do. — Celia Chavez