What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
I don’t know how else to describe it other than music has always felt very instinctual. I knew it was an important part of my life since I was little, and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I had a great family unit, predominantly women, that just aided me in navigating the world and helped pursue my career.
Introduce us to you and your musical history.
My name is Tana and I am a queer, genre-bending artist. My music is heavily influenced by my rich and diverse life experiences and cultures I’m surrounded by. I’m originally half Italian and half Nigerian but born and raised in North West London. I would describe my sound as being unapologetic, revolutionary, real, and liberating.
Name me your 3 favorite Albums.
SOS – SZA
Planet Her – Doja Cat
Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing – The Neighbourhood
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
Probably a Britney Spears song.
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in. How do you feel you are doing?
It’s definitely a bumpy ride, and throughout this whole moment, I’ve been working 2 jobs, and taking that cheque and putting it back into my music. I’ve been so close to quitting but then it’s just like “what am I doing this for?” you know? Because it’s a much greater reason than just for myself. As an independent artist, I’ve managed to achieve a lot on my own, but there are so many things that I have yet to achieve.
I’m seeing a lot of debate about women not feeling safe at music gigs, any thoughts on what we need to do to help?
People need to be educated from a young age if society is ever going to move on from outdated attitudes and behaviors. It’s about re-educating men in the first place. I don’t see any lessons in school taught about this, which is quite disturbing.
As you develop as an artist and develop using socials what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
I try to release content frequently and make my posts engaging.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
I’ve been stung by a jellyfish.
I’m related to a royal.
I love spicy food.
What’s your thought on Spotify monopoly on the music industry?
Well, I use Spotify to listen to music and I love the layout because its super easy to navigate and discover new music, but they gotta pay us more.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories?
Aliens are real.
Did you buy anything you don’t need during the pandemic?
I actually didn’t buy anything unnecessary. In fact, I saved a lot of money over that period, but I can’t really remember what I did with it after.
What was the worst experience on stage?
My voice cracked on stage once. It wasn’t pretty.
What makes you stand out as a band/artist?
My voice. A lot of people don’t know what I can do with it until they hear me live.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it.
I’m working on a new sound, which is more specific to the artist I’m growing into. I’ve got a whole new structure in place with my team, which is great because I have a clear direction of what I want to make, and the people I want to work with on my next project. Expect fire music and straight vibes.
Talk me through the thought process of the new tune/s.
Sometimes I need nothing to inspire me. With ‘Hollywood Problems’ I just created this idea of a what I think an LA girl looks like. She’s someone that everyone wants to be or be with, yet despite having it all, she’s got all these problems that only happens to girls like her. They say that LA is the city of angels, but it’s also the city of lost angels, and that’s exactly what she is. She’s so magnetic, but there’s something about damaged people that makes them attractive.
What was the recording process like?
It varies to be honest in terms of how many takes I do, but my recording process is always very efficient. I’m used to working fast and so is my producer, so our work style is pretty compatible, and we bounce ideas off each other very easily.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tune?
For me, it was challenging to create a fictional character, and a fictional story and build a whole song around that idea.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Nothing really.
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