Folk Pop Singer, Tara Van, is Empowered on her Happy New Single, “Sunshine’s Callin'”
Tara Van is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter who was born to pour her heart out into music. Her genre-eluding sound finds roots in her first loves: soul, folk, pop, and jazz. Tara Van’s life has been steeped in music. Her life sounds like: choral baroque music over breakfast, loitering in the parking lot when the song hits too hard to deny belting out the last notes, or firelit open-mics where guitars seem to appear out of nowhere as loved ones take turns bearing their soul.
Tara’s new tune, “Sunshine’s Callin’,” is centered around the importance of getting outside to air out and sun soak your problems. Sometimes when we aren’t out looking for answers, they come to us. This release, like last year’s single, “Fucked-up-ness,” points to Tara’s exploration of her neurodivergence. It also paints a universal picture that urges us all to value simple outdoor pleasures and those “aha!” moments of realization that so often follow. The song is the first collaboration produced with Mark Calderone.
“After officially being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder right before my album ‘Rise’ dropped last year, I began trusting my gut. The answers I had been searching for my whole life seemed to strike me out of nowhere, all at once, mirroring the lyrics ‘just like lightning.’ It electrified me and jolted me into a new reality, one with a lot more clarity. The self confidence that came with the diagnosis is probably the biggest thing. It solidified my ability to trudge forward as my most authentic self and brush off all the abusers and critics.“
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Heya! I’m Tara, a Canadian singer-songwriter based out of Toronto. Toronto born and raised, I grew up amongst many artists and have generally surrounded myself with lots of other creatives, though for many years now I have mostly been sitting on the sidelines and writing and performing for myself. I have been writing songs for a very long time, however, I’ve only just started sharing them with all of you! It took me a long while to find the courage to share my whole heart with more than a select few.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“Sunshine’s Callin’ is centered around the importance of getting outside to air out and sun soak your problems. I’ve always found the natural world to be my solace and I believe immensely in the benefits of getting outside. Sadly, it is something that people are doing less and less in this increasingly online world. The song also talks about how sometimes when we aren’t out looking for answers, they come to us.
Like last year’s single “Fucked-up-ness,” my latest song is an exploration of my neurodivergence which I only discovered later in life. However, I tried to paint a universal picture that could be relatable to anyone and that urged us all to value simple outdoor pleasures and those “aha!” moments of realization that so often follow. The song is my first collaboration produced with my friend and incredibly talented artist Mark Calderone.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Songs come to me all the time. Often when it’s not an opportune moment. They tend to hit me when I’m in transit or doing an activity where my body goes on autopilot and my brain gets to wander i.e driving, motorcycling, walking, sitting on the bus or subway, doing makeup ect. Usually, the lyrics and melody come together in unison for me and if I’m actually afforded the time to write it in the moment it usually comes out very quickly and up until recently I rarely would rewrite or edit tunes. I generally write with voice first and then go to guitar, ukulele, or keyboard. It’s been great now that I’ve been able to do some co-writing as well with my bandmates and with Mark too. It’s such a blast to share skillsets and learn and grow your sound together.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I actually just returned from my first short solo tour in the UK and Denmark with the International Pop Overthrow Festival. It was wonderful and I got to spread the news about my latest release. I have also been running a few different campaigns for my latest track and there are three other tunes already nearly done. I will be releasing a bunch of singles this year, the first of which was ‘Sunshine’s Callin’ which came out on May 24th. The plan is that this year’s groupings of singles will then culminate in two EPs or so. I’d also love to do a few music videos. Lots more to look forward to this year! Excited to get back in the studio!
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
I just had the absolute pleasure of playing at the historic Cavern Club in Liverpool, UK which has become legendary as it’s known as the place The Beatles started and performed at 292 times. It was the main reason why I couldn’t turn down playing at The International Pop Overthrow Festival and doing the small tour overseas though I knew it would be expensive. Although a lot has happened in a little over a year! It’s hard to say what could be the biggest highlight, releasing a full album right out of the gate as an unknown was pretty epic. I also formed a band with two very close girlfriends. All in all though I think my biggest accomplishment was just starting and opening myself up to people enough to find incredible collaborators. I’ve been missing out on a lot of the joy of creating with other people and it is one of the best things in life. Music is made to be shared. After all music is communication.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Cheap Shirt! You’ve got to check out their tune ‘And I’m Back’. It was one of my favourite releases of 2023.
Also, the high flying space cadets that make up M’Grasker are doing some great things too. ‘She’s Drugs’ and ‘Kiss and Smoke Weed’ are both serious bangers. The playfulness in the way they engage their audience (spearheaded by Matt I’m sure) will to draw you into their galactic daydream or whatever the hell world they want to take you for a ride in. Just get in, and you’ll have fun. These boys mean business.
