Toronto based Folk Pop, Indie Pop, Folk Rock, Soul and Americana Singer-Songwriter. Tara started writing little songs when she was the ripe old age of four.
Unfortunately, due to self-worth and anxiety issues caused by years of school bullying, abusive relationships, and undiagnosed ADHD she hasn’t shared her music with the world until now. Tara is currently in the process of late ADHD diagnosis.
For high school she attended Rosedale Heights School Of Performing Arts, which she dubbed ‘The Island Of Lost Toys’. There she studied vocals, drama, dance, drama production and musical theatre. After high school, she briefly studied at UofT for general arts and quickly left and moved to Panama for half a year in 2013.
Tara is the co-writer of music and lyrics for Panama: The Musical, which had a full run in Panama City, Panama in 2018 and was introduced by the vice president of the country. The song ‘Wanted’ from the musical first premiered in London, England from Page2Stage in 2017. There, she met the woman who would become her music producer, Malory Torr.
In 2018 Tara started working on an album with her then partner Ethan Smith of Union Duke. The pandemic struck in 2020 and the world slowed. In 2021 Tara and Ethan split up and Tara started working on her first solo project with producer Malory Torr and mastering by Patrick Cederberg.
When did you first start writing music?
I started singing and writing songs when I was four years old. It was innate. Like an uncontrollable force inside of me. Probably because I had too many emotions and I didn’t know what to do with all that feeling.
How do you go about writing a song? Do you have a melody in your head and then write the other music for it?
For me, the lyrics and melody always come together in my head. Usually, it’s when I’m doing some repetitive tasks where my mind is allowed to wonder or when I’m in transit. Generally, I get hit with a line of a verse or chorus fully formed and then I build it from there with just my voice. Later, when I’m with my guitar I sit down and try to figure out how to play it. That is always the way it has been for me.
Was anyone else involved in writing, recording, or producing the songs?
Absolutely! My producer Malory Torr was integral to the project. I gave her a lot of freedom to take my songs where she wanted and only a few times I had big notes in terms of direction and changing things up. She is super talented, and it was such a pleasure to work with her. Mal played most of the instruments and did some backup vocals too. She has great attention to detail and a great sense of what a song needs. She really brought my songs to life. Her partner Patrick Cederberg did the mastering and brought the songs to a new level as well. Lastly, Dae Hyun Lee did bass guitar for ‘Rise’ and ‘Fucked-up-ness’ and really added so much flavour and heart to those tracks.
What is your biggest musical challenge?
TIME. I was fully born without rhythm. My dad needed to sit me down with his djembe and get me to clap and dance in time. It was a struggle. I still find time really hard, I speed up, I slow down, nothing is constant. Playing with a metronome is one of the hardest things on the planet for me. For this reason, I’ve always shied away from playing with others, which has been a huge detriment to me as an artist. So much joy comes from the collaborative process of music. I hope now that I’m starting to come out of my shell that I will have many opportunities to jam around with other artists.
What are your ambitions as a songwriter and musician from here?
I don’t have any expectations, after all I am starting my career in music at 30, but I suppose my main goal is to be seen. I have been keeping so much of myself hidden for so long and it feels pretty incredible to put it all out there and let people see me for the first time. I’ve wanted to be a professional singer-songwriter since I was four and I think my childhood self would be immensely proud of me though perhaps a little frustrated with why it took me so long haha. Aside from that I really want to connect with other artist! I’ve been doing this by myself for so long sometimes it feels pretty isolating, which is why I am starting a new little series June 2nd on YouTube and Instagram called ‘Beautiful Breakdowns’ which is a little video podcast project. The concept is that every song is essentially a breakdown, it’s when the emotions get so high that you couldn’t possibly keep talking you need to sing it. The podcast slogan is ‘Breakdown and then break it down’ so the artist will sing one of their songs and then break down the inspirations and meanings behind the song. The first ten weeks I’m going to be breaking down the ten songs from my first album ‘Rise’ released a month ago and then I will be hosting other artists which I’m very excited for! I can’t wait to hear and share the stories of other likeminded artists! Beyond that I would love to get a band together and start gigging around, maybe even write some songs for other people, we shall see what the future holds! One step at a time.
If you had to describe yourself as a flavour, what would it be?
Liquid sunshine
Do you have a cherished childhood teddy bear or other stuffed animal sitting on your bed at home?
Yes, I have a stuffed cat named Luna after the cat from Sailor Moon which was my favourite show as a kid. She doesn’t quite sit on my bed, but I would never ever let go of her. She is filled with so many memories and tears. I brought her everywhere.
If you could ask your future self-one question, what would it be?
What the next winning lottery number is of course!
What is your least favourite personally trait that you like about yourself?
Time Blindness! More of an ADHD symptom than a personality trait but essentially, I have no sense of time which literally forces me to live in the moment. I like living in the moment, but it does make me stress about the future because my time just disappears. It also means I’m usually a little bit late for most things and my days pass by in a blur of unproductivity or hyper-fixation.
What fictional character do you wish was real?
Mogwai because they are damn cute, I love a challenge and I’m an adrenaline junkie.
Stream RISE https://tr.ee/f4EnBygtgy