Toronto’s Miss Tammy Darling Makes Sparks Fly in RnB/Soul Single “Electric Love”
When you start getting romantic feelings for someone, you might feel a surge of passion that comes from feeling a strong connection with them. Miss Tammy Darling can distinctively be found in the rockabilly world, but for “Electric Love,” she’s expressing these buzzy feelings of romance in authentically sliding into the RnB and Soul genres.
At the start of the song, smooth horns and Darling’s passionate vocals slither into the listener’s ears. Once the first verse kicks in, so does the guitar. When combined with Darling’s vocals and the horns, the guitar’s casual strums seem to gently dance along. This enhances the song’s feel-good romance mood.
“There’s a strong pull in your direction,
Never felt this kinda connection.
Sparks start flying when you’re around.
I’m soaring way off the ground.
Surge of passion through every cell,
Open the windows, it’s hot as hell
Fireworks ignite right through my veins,
Lock me up, I’ll be your ball and chain.”
Of the song’s inspiration, Darling states,
“With a love of old Hollywood and a fascination with the past, my original music is influenced by the iconic sounds of the 1950s and 1960s. I hope to revitalize these retro sounds, keeping them alive for future generations to enjoy.”
In fact, Darling’s song is almost like a modern version of Wanda Jackson’s “Cool Love.” While Jackson’s track displays the blues and country roots of rockabilly, Darling’s track uses jazz and country. A commonality that they both share is that they both unabashedly state their desires for an exciting and sensual romance.
Darling asserts this when she states,
“I enjoy writing tunes that appeal to a multigenerational audience and encourage listeners to take a step back in time. Occasionally midcentury music presents outdated values. In sticking to the contemporary vintage community’s mantra, “vintage style, not vintage values,” I infuse these old styles with modern values and a fresh female perspective.
Miss Tammy Darling combines her love of vintage Hollywood movies and a retro 50’s and 60’s sound with modern sensibilities to introduce rockabilly to a new generation. She began performing covers of iconic artists such as Brenda Lee and Doris Day, most notably covering Gayla Peevy’s “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” in 2019.
Two years later, Darling took inspiration from being a cocktail enthusiast and released her first original song, “Mr. Bartender,” which resulted in Darryl Sterdan of Tinnitist naming her “Toronto’s Queen of Rockabilly.” In March 2023, Darling released her debut, EP Electric Love.
Listen to “Electric Love” below and learn more about Miss Tammy Darling via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
Absolutely! On stage, I am known as Miss Tammy Darling, a retro vocalist from Toronto. As Miss Tammy Darling, I perform original music that’s inspired by iconic musical sounds from the ’50s and 60s, alongside covers by my favourite mid-century artists. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific genre that I fit in as my sets usually include various styles such as rockabilly, rock n’ roll, blues, jazz, and pop… so “retro vocalist” is the best way to describe what I do! Off stage, I’m Tammy Whetham, an actor, voiceover artist, and voice teacher.
Tell us about the process of writing “Electric Love.”
I had the urge to write a song about the intense connections we can sometimes have with others and the rush of fuzzy feelings that we experience when that person is around us. The best way I found to describe that sensation was the idea of electricity flowing through the body. My writing always begins with the lyrics, followed by the melody and chord progression. My hope with Electric Love was to create a melody that was as intoxicating as the love story found in the lyrics. I wanted Electric Love to emulate that 1960s girl group sound with 3-part harmonies and a catchy tune.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
Toronto has a vibrant and diverse music scene filled with extremely talented artists. As a result, there are so many skilled musicians to collaborate with and endless opportunities to go out and be inspired by live music.
Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?
When I was young, I looked up to mainstream Canadian female artists like Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Avril Lavigne. Though as I grew up and found my niche within that retro sound, I was really blown away by The Dreamboats, a band from Mississauga. I saw them performing all the classic rock n’ roll hits and writing originals in that style with high energy and charm. Looking back, I am sure they had an influence on what I’m doing today!
You’ve been making music for a while now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
When I began songwriting, I was always nervous about sharing what I had been working on and that others would be harsh critics and think I couldn’t write songs of value. Sharing your art with others can be quite scary at first, but I encourage others to take a chance and put themselves in that vulnerable place. Find a trusted network of people in the industry to share your music with, and be open to receiving and applying their feedback. It gets easier and easier every time you share your work, and the imposter syndrome dies down slowly over time.
Connect with Miss Tammy Darling:
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