Tasha's World

Interview 29 May 2003

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Tasha's World Website www.tashasworld.com


Hi Tasha, how are you.


Broke but happy


Tell me about the new album, how it was going down, and how it led to the relationship with Dome.


I am delighted to be associated with Dome Records. The album was going down well before the association with Dome, Japan was way ahead of everyone, they signed it immediately and have been on the case since last year. The album is on import from Japan and has been selling for £24:95 in the UK and in Holland for €40:00. How I hooked up with Dome Records was all down to my British Manager and production company the Klinik

Are you excited about having an accessible outlet in the UK.

I am very happy indeed I am actually the first soulful artist to ever to come out of The Netherlands and it makes me extremely proud to be part of music history.
 
You call it hip soul don't you, pretty apt description? Neo, organic what's it all mean! Where do you see yourself in all this and what or who do you aspire to

I see myself as a musician, whatever people want to call my music is up to them, all I do is sing the best I can and only to music that I love. I have a big say in the sound of my music and I am very lucky to be associated with such a great production team who let me be who I truly am. As to the question who do I aspire to, well I hope to carve my own little place in this world.

How did the album all come together, how long have were you working on it right from the conceptual stage.
The album was put together in two weeks. My manager is a slave driver but he had a plan and I of course understood what he wanted to do, along with Eddie Martin and Kenny Yeomans they just got on with it and I wrote with happiness in my heart and before you knew it the album was done.  

Appointing Patrick Jacobs was an important step?

It was the most important step to get to where I am now he made the difference to being an unknown in Holland to whatever I am now I cant praise him enough he has been there every step of the way.

And who did you use - are they your own musicians, do they form part of your live band. Are you trying to build a sort of conceptual thing around you, a little unit of people, because you talk of Tasha's World and not just Tasha. Explain the concept.

The reason why I am called Tasha’s World is because I have so many people around me who have helped and who are helping so I believe that this is bigger than just me even though I am a solo artist. I mean for example Dome Records is now part of Tasha’s World and so are you, why be greedy?

What about some of the 'outside' people you used like Full Crew, how did that work

That was down to my production company, because of course they are all based in London they have their own people who they trust and they of course go back long before I came along. My manager booked my flight and I trusted him to only introduce me to who he thought was the best for this project. Michael Daley was great to work with and so was Ricardo and Prince Stanley Andrews

And your writing is strong, how do you put a song together and from what do you draw from.

Why thank you kind sir, I draw from life experience and people around me, so if you don’t want me to sing your life story just don’t tell it to me. I write to music as well as just a story, I think I write like a poet but not trying to make things rhyme. If it happens I write it.

Reaction's been pretty good over here for a few months, when can we see you again.

I will be at the Jazz Café on the 29th of June

What else have you done or will be doing to promo the album.

I perform all the time in Holland and I will be doing the North Sea Jazz Festival on July 13th which will be fantastic it has over 1500 acts over a three day period and attracts over 60, 000 people. Whatever the record company can think of I will do, within reason of course.  

How come it got picked up in Japan - have you been there.

That was down to my manager once again he sure gets around

You've been over already, Jazz Café and so on - what was that like.

The show at Jazz Café was a really beautiful experience for me. The UK audience is so special, it’s so great to sing for people who understand every word and every phrase I’m singing. I felt truly blessed

I hear you like to work with, have an interaction with your audience. Tell me about your show.

Well as I said, I like to tell stories and I love to see people’s reactions to those stories. I always pick out somebody from the audience to sing to and give him/her the lead part in my story.
You just really have to come and see it...

You've toured quite extensively at home and you're pretty well know there?
Yes I have toured all around the country last year and headlined the biggest festivals. I’ve also been on numerous tv shows includin
g MTV twice, so I think I am pretty well known yeah.
And the Lowlands festival?
That was the biggest one so far, with 120.000 people over a three day period.
It also was shown live over the internet and on MTV. I didn’t know what to expect, because there were so many great acts performing at the same time, I was worried if anyone would come and see me. Luckely the tent we played in was completely packed and there were about 8.000 people screaming and dancing. It was a lovely experience.

Who else have you worked with along the way
I toured with American duo Ruff Endz in Holland and Germany and I played at the official Jill Scott after party for 2 evenings.

Jill Scott?
Yeah it was lovely seeing her in the crowd on the second day, having so much fun and trying to sing along...
She waited until I was finished to give me a hug and ask me where she could get the cd. She was surprised to hear that I was still unsigned, but now that I am I’ll make sure she gets a copy!

You live in the Netherlands, that's where you're from right? Tell me about your childhood and upbringing.
Well I had a
fairly  normal upbring, grew up in a house where there was always music. I never really liked going to school, but my dad made me, hahaha. I am very happy I did. I knew I wanted to be a singer ever since I can remember.


And you're awareness to music, how did that develop, your father was a musician - who did he play with
My father played the bass and guitar. He played with a lot of bands, but one of them was with a singer called Denise Jannah, who was the first Surinamese jazz singer to get signed to the prestigious  Blue Note label.


And who are your influences.
Every day I think of somebody else, cause there are so many: Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind & Fire, Quincy Jones, Curtis Mayfield and the list goes on...


And who out there today do you like.
I like my kindred spirits, the artist like: Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, Rachell Ferelle, D’Angelo, Billal etc... Of course I listen to a lot of old tunes as well
When did you realise music was going to be the thing for you, are you in it full time know.
I think I always knew, but after taking a break for a couple of years after I had my daughter, I knew I had to make music, there was simply no other way for me to express myself. And when I started writing and performing again it was like coming home

What other things have you done musically
I have played the in a musical about Billie Holliday’s life( I was the understudy for “Billie”) and that has really made me grow... I have always written for other artists and sang hooks on other people’s albums.
That’s why I am so happy now to do “my thing”


And looking forward the current album is about 18 months old! What's happening next
Hopefully I’ll be doing a lot of touring and I am looking forward to the shows abroad! And ofcourse I have started working on my second album!

Anything else you'd like to say.
Of course I would like to thank you for taking the time out to ask me these questions and I would like to thank all the people who have seen me or who have heard of my album for coming down or for their support. And I would like to ask everyone who hasn’t seen it to come to the Jazz Café on the 29th, I promise I won’t waste your time!!!

Thanks for your time and good luck, hope to see you when you're here next

 

Mike










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