Introducing a new series as part of United Takes of Tara, where I share reflections on my music journey across four decades and four states: Ohio, Texas, California, and New York. If you’re already a subscriber (thank you!), you’ll have access to my personal collection of images that capture moments with fellow musicians, along with a curated collection of music recordings I’ve produced over the years. For my beloved paid subscribers, you’ll get all the above plus early access to sound recordings and videos alongside special giveaways. There’s lots of good stuff on the way. So, be sure to subscribe for more reviews and personal stories.
Here's a glimpse of what’s to come in forthcoming installments, organized by the places I’ve called home:
Ohio Raised Me: I grew up listening to a variety of music from folk to pop, but it was gospel music that grounded me as a vocalist. I learned how to compose songs, arrange vocals, and perform on stage while singing in church alongside women in my family. By the age of seventeen, I was auditioning for Bryce Wilson from Grove Theory—thinking maybe I could be the next Amel Larriuex. Around this time in 1997, an unexpected backstage encounter in downtown Cleveland at Puff Daddy & The Family World Tour left a lasting impression about the other side of the music industry.
Texas Made Me: By the time I arrived in Houston, Texas, I was a young women trying to forge my own path: Would I pursue singing full time or take the safer route and finish college? Houston was where I found my creativity, and where I crossed paths with hitmakers like rapper Juvenile and (a shy) Beyoncé Knowles of Destiny’s Child. When I later moved with my dad to north Texas for graduate school, I turned to making YouTube music videos to cope with his illness.
Cali Saved Me: After dad passed away in 2008, I turned yet again to making music videos on YouTube in my cozy Culver City apartment—where the acoustics were impeccable. But echoes of my father haunted me too much. Despite wanting to give Cali a chance as a freelance writer, host (interviewing folks like WNBA player Lisa Leslie), and photographer (earning my first press pass to photograph Kanye West), immediately after my dad died I left the Golden State for the Big Apple.
Photo by Tara L. Conley. Kanye West performing on stage at Nike PlayCity, Los Angeles, California 2008.
New York Paid Me: I arrived in New York with little money and a plan to write for a hip hop magazine that folded before it began. At first, I liked feeling invisible in NYC, but I wouldn’t recommend living with grief in a frantic place. NYC forced me to wake up, perhaps a bit too soon. Nonetheless, by the time I found my footing in the city, I was singing paid gigs in the lower east side. I was going to concerts at The Blue Note and meeting my favorite artists like Amel Larrieux and Robert Glasper. I was the closest I’d ever been to Stevie Wonder, snapping photos of him and Jazmine Sullivan at SummerStage in Central Park. I’d later meet Ron Grant, former Sony executive and host of The Village Underground’s Open Mic Night. Over the course of a decade while in NYC, Ron never stopped reminding me to get out of the audience and back on stage.
Photo by Tara L. Conley. Stevie Wonder performing in Central Park at SummerStage, New York, New York, 2015.
Though each place offered a different experience, the thing that remained most constant was music. It’s always being a significant part of my life. Now that I’ve decided to devote more time to working on my craft as a vocalist, writer, and producer—I’m excited to share what I have been working on.
Stay tuned :)
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