MP3 Tara Priya - Tara Priya

Heartfelt, evocative voice sings blues-tinged, soul-edged, motowny pop music. Poetic lyrics included. Youngest addition to the U.S.'s growing "retro-soul" scene.

6 MP3 Songs in this album (20:52) !
Related styles: Urban/R&B: Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop: 60's Pop, Solo Female Artist

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Details:
At first glance, Tara Priyaâs doe eyes and ready smile will have you doubting that someone so young could really sing the blues. But watch her perform and prepare to transform from skeptic to diehard fan. Gifted with a prolific pen and a soulful voice, Tara has shorthanded 21 years of emotion for our listening pleasure.

Art isnât limited to Tara Priyaâs soul: itâs in her blood. The great-niece of the renowned Persian poet, Sohrab Sepehri, Tara was singing, playing the piano, and writing her first book of poetry at the tender of age of 4. Born to a Persian mother, who fled the Iranian Shahâs repressive regime, and an Indian father, Tara was exposed to a diverse mix of music and dance from birth.

The Bay Area native loved to perform and quickly found her way onstage through community theater. Starring in the California Theater Centerâs âThumbelinaâ convinced Taraâs parents to put her in voice lessons. By the time she was 11, she was playing the drums in her school jazz band and training opera on the weekends.

That same year, her mother passed away from cancer, leaving Tara to find comfort in writing and music. Performanceâwhether as a member of the Peninsula Teen Opera Company, as a voice major at The Harker Schoolâs Conservatory Program, or as a jazz singer in local lounges and cafésâserved as both escape and expression. âMy teenage years were some of my darkest,â Tara admits, âbut they were also my most creative. Poetry, prose, songsâI couldnât stop writing.â Her talent didnât go unnoticed by the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: at 16, Tara won its National Gold Award. At 18, she received the Writing Award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

Tara trekked on to Columbia University, where she continued jazz and classical voice while majoring in Economics. But despite loving her classes, interning at Merrill Lynch, and performing throughout New York, the evocative singer couldnât shake the feeling that her path lay elsewhere. âI kept waiting for that âaha!â moment, when youâve finally settled in and feel like you belong ,â she explains. âNew York and Columbia exposed me to so many new things, and I definitely grew as an artist. But every time I heard young female artists like Amy Winehouse or Rihanna on the radio, I felt like crying. My heart knew what it wanted.â

Fatefully, Tara discovered that in trying to keep herself busy, she had nearly finished her BA by her second year. In 2009âa year and a half ahead of scheduleâshe graduated magna cum laude and left Columbia to pursue a singing career.

The path to stardom is far from straightforwardâpost-grad, Tara spent five months backpacking around the world and did a brief stint in finance to help fund her EPâbut if anyone can make the journey, itâs Tara Priya. Gifted with the remarkable ability to compose a song on the spot, the retrosoul singer quickly built up an impressive catalog of blues-tinged songs; her September 2010 EP has received praise from radio DJs worldwide, garnering airplay on stations such as KTUH, KALX, WGTB, WKCR, WHAP, and Radio 98eins (Germany). "Tara Priya" recently gained a physical distribution deal in Japan.

Tara continues to perform in San Francisco, New York, and Hollywood's hottest venues (Boom Boom Room; Pianos NYC; Key Club.), co-hosts Eric Seatsâ reality TV show, âThe Next Great Drummerâ, showcased at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, was 1 of 3 "Pop" finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and took the stage in the 2010 Miami Music Festival. Next, Tara adds soul to the 2011 Canadian Music Fest!