Tara: The Queen of the South

Tara is a female vocalist, who resides in Mobile, Alabama. She became interested in the entertainment industry at a very early age. Tara has made cameo appearances on local television commercials and sitcoms. She had the opportunity to play a major role in various stage productions and she has opened for other well known artists such as Lenny Williams, Confunkshun, Lacee, Tucka, Mose Stovall, Big Ro Williams, Jeff Floyd, and Stony Murphy to name a few. Tara’s musical inspirations include Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Lauren Hill, Sade, Tony Braxton, Anita Baker, Lalah Hathaway, Tina Marie, Maze, and many more. The Queens’s music is infused with contemporary R&B, Classic Soul, and Neo-soul. Tara is the recipient of the 2017 Pensacola Music Awards Hot New Artist and Best Recording Artist. Tara was nominated to receive several awards at the 2018 Jackson Music Awards. She has also been nominated to receive an award at the Texas Southern Soul Music Awards.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up as an only child in Mobile, Alabama and I am a divorced mother of an amazing son. I am an adventurous and results-driven person, who is passionate about music arts and serving my community.

Which artist inspired you the most growing up?

The Jackson’s inspired and ignited my interest in performing arts. At age five, my neighbors and I would have a fullblown Jackson’s concert in the backyard with a drummer and vocals. The drummer and I later performed in a cover band together. Those were the good old days.

How did you get into Southern Soul Music?

It was never my intention to become a Southern Soul Artist. My inspiration came from a friend, who was and still is a producer. He saw my talent before I did. He insisted that I go into the studio I did not feel that I was ready. I wanted to gain experience singing with cover bands. On one faithful day, I decided to stop singing in a cover band and recorded my first single and the rest was history!

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with? Explain.

There are several artists that I would love to have the opportunity to collaborate with. My dream artist would be Anthony Hamilton. His voice is very sensual, soulful, and smooth. Our style of singing is similar. I feel that a collaboration with him would bring out the best in me.

What’s something you learned early on in your career that made you a better artist?

During the earlier stages of my career, I learned to embrace my style, my brand, and my technique. I also learned to stay in my lane and trust the process. What God has for me, is for me.

What does Southern Soul mean to you? Explain.

Southern Soul derives from a compilation of various events, ranging from slavery to the civil rights movement. At each point of progression, there is a story to be told about each experience. Southern Soul also has gospel and soul roots. Our ancestors spoke of hope during difficult times and they relied on praising the Lord with a song when things were tough. As we gained more independence, the style of music evolved. This change brought Jazz, Blues, Rap, R&B, and More! In my opinion, Southern Souls means to embrace our greatness and continue to uplift and heal our world through unity and song. Music is a universal language. Let’s embrace it.

What’s an important cause or issue you support?

I support equality. We were all created by God in his likeness. No one is any better than the other and we must respect each other accordingly.

What’s a subject you’ve always wanted to write? A song or sing about?

I have been fortunate to be able to write about all of the content that I felt passionate about. When I write lyrics, I write about things that are relatable. I write about the good times and the struggles.

If you could cover any song what would it be?

“Baby Be Mine” by Mikki Howard

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

If I could change one thing about the music industry, it would be the support system. If we could unite together for the greater good, we can accomplish great things.

A common phrase in the music industry is, “ You must suffer for your art”. Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art?

Suffering is an understatement, whether it is being rejected by labels or harsh comments about your music or your brand. Social media plays a significant part in getting your music heard and presented to a larger audience. It is also difficult to get your music heard by labels as most of them do not accept unsolicited music. Therefore, It is never a smooth ride for the artist.

I agree that we as artists do suffer when so much passion and time are invested into our art and it goes unrecognized; or not have been given an opportunity to be heard. Being the optimistic person that I am, I see every challenge as a gift and I would not change a thing. It’s called character building.

How Do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?

There are pros and cons to this question I will start with the cons. The internet allows illegal downloads of music; this has a negative impact on the music industry because the artists of the illegally downloaded content are not properly recognized. Therefore, the monetary benefits are negatively impacted.

On the other hand, there are pros. The way people listen to music has evolved. Whereas we listened to music from our local radio stations, we also have the flexibility to listen to radio stations worldwide via internet streaming and apps. This flexibility provides us the opportunity to listen to various genres of music.

What makes the southern soul so different compared to regular soul music?

Southern Soul is different from the regular soul because it resonates from an emotional experience or expression as opposed to an innocent or sweet expression. For example, there is a distinct difference between “Betcha by Golly Wow” by the Stylistics and my song “Pop That Tootsie”. The Stylistics are singing about being madly in love or perhaps innocence of love and my song talks about going to the club, dancing, and letting my hair down. In Southern Soul music, we try to offer a balance of both.

Do you think there’s a double standard in the industry, or in entertainment in general?

While I support all artists in the industry, it appears that women must work harder than males. We do not get the same support as our counterparts.

Who are some of your musical inspirations? And why?

The Jackson’s, Anthony Hamilton, Tina Marie, Anita Baker, Mikki Howard, Alexander O’Neal, Lalah Hathaway, Toni Braxton, Beyonce, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Jill Scott, Alexander O’Neal, The Isley Brothers, The O’Jays, Earth, Wind and Fire, and many more! All of these artists bring a unique style and energy to their music. They have created music that feels good to the soul .