Tara Kye has done it again, with her new single “Ooo La La La (La Tentacion)” Tara has shown that her talent has no boundaries.
Tara: Life is about creating magic moments, music is to bring you back to those moments to lift your spirit, move your feet, enjoy the rhythm.
Lisa: Hello Tara! How would you describe 2021 in terms of your music career, and on personal plan?
Tara: 2021 in terms of my music career was even more difficult than 2020 due to weather events impacting my agriculture career with critical unusual events such as the heat dome July 30th, 2021, which had temperatures of 38-44C during peak harvest of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries here in BC. Due to the unusually high heat, everybody had their air conditioners on full to cool down to 68F from 114F, this crashed power availability leaving most people without power at 40C or 114F. Quick thinking, research and ingenuity on my part rescued many of my farmer’s fields, my farmer’s crops remained in the top 2% of quality and yield in BC due to some quick nutritional supplementation adjustments which worked very well. Then just as I was able to focus again on music the forest fires in BC made it difficult for John Dean and I to work due to thick smog and driving challenges. Finally in November we had an atmospheric rainstorm on Nov 14th, 2021, which left me completely stranded in Chilliwack not able to leave at all for 22 days, flooding was up to 20feet deep on the major highways so amphibious vehicles would have been beneficial and then the ice storms hit…. So, agriculture and weather challenges completely ruled 2021 for me, therefore I didn’t have the opportunity to invest in my personal or music life last year so I am looking forward to 2022 being a better year.
Lisa: You’ve just released another amazing song called “Ooo La La La (La Tentacion)”, and I was totally surprised by your ability to cross genres. Tell me more about the song, what’s the story behind it?
Tara: Oooo La La La La (La Tentacion) is about the push and pull of love in modern relationships and it is a very personal song to me. Every word and every phrase really count. The 1st verse is about how a bad relationship can convince you that you are not worthy of more, but sometimes a break is needed to see things clearly. The Chorus is about walking away from that big argument or breakup to cool down and just reconnect with enjoying life again. See ya later to the bad times is the end of the chorus. Then the 2nd verse describes the challenges associated with making a final decision to end a relationship and to venture out on your own without your spouse or partner, the reality is not as glamorous as the fantasy is. Then the Chorus to blow off some steam from such deep thinking and have some fun. The Bridge literally is either meeting a new man or going back to revitalize your old relationship with your man or just having a dream about memories past, kissing a beautiful man, dancing the tango, and imagining a sweet dream of what life could become. The final verse is learning to love yourself again, breaking up with your old thoughts about yourself, letting the waves crush the remnants of your old life into crushed shells that you dance upon in the sunkissed surf all night long until the stars bleed into the sunrise of your new life because time don’t matter down here. Then the chorus to blow off steam and end the song on a happy high note. See ya later to your old life a new life has begun.
Originally, Oooo La La La was going to be a country song about a breakup, but I didn’t want to write a typical song about a breakup I wanted to describe how it was not glamorous to break up and sometime better to make up, so the song moved from a breakup song into a let’s take a break and have a look at the relationship song. Then John and I agreed the country music theme wasn’t fitting the song, so I suggested a tango, about the push and pull of love, you know where you love to hate yourself and then the love overcomes you so that you enjoy your love again. I emailed some songs which inspired us to change directions. Then while we were recording John said “hey, maybe we should write part of the song in Spanish?” so ad lib on the spot in the recording studio I came up with La Tentacion (the temptation – I googled it on the spot) then John was like we need something fun! So, I literally jammed on the groove uno, dos, tres cervesa and uno, dos, tres tequilla. Then John was like, and we need a universal kind of good bye so I suggested Hasta La Vista. Then John said we should write the bridge in Spanish so I used Google translate and wrote the bridge, but I had wanted to make certain that the Spanish was perfect so I asked my Grammy if I could ask her lifelong friend Arturo Montessino, if he could help me with my Spanish. So, Art corrected my grammar and helped me with my pronunciation, he asked me about the song I was writing, and I told him it was going to be a tango with real piano, so he liked that idea. John said the Spanish section sounded better than the English. I am grateful for my family and the great men and ladies that are my friends in my life, they inspire me.
Lisa: What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all?
Tara: The biggest surprise about making music my career has been how difficult it has become to earn a living, so I maintain two careers. Agriculture crop consulting and music to pay the bills, but you see I wasn’t smart because neither one of my passions have paid me very well, so I remain struggling to make my ends meet.
Music and agriculture are both amazing passions of mine, I really love to write songs, tell stories and sing. I would love one day to perform but I am financially impeded by the debts of agriculture and music to be able to afford to perform and tour. Although I have written amazing equations and developed amazing fertilizer formulations, agriculture is so very cutthroat that the big guys simply want to bankrupt the small guys to take what they want and maximize their profits, not much different than music.
It amazes me how the secretaries of music platforms earn more in one day than most musicians earn in a year, it seems like there is a global shift to benefit bankers, lawyers, managers, and business owners at the expense of the talent that makes it happen. I just pray that I might earn enough to cover my debts and pay my bills as I really love both music and agriculture.
Lisa: You are also considered to be on Got Music Talent best songs of 2021 list. How do you feel about that?
Tara: I am so excited to be considered on Got Music Talent best songs of 2021 list!!!! What an amazing honor!!!! Become the Phoenix is the song that I have selected for this opportunity as it seems to be fitting for the times, we are in. We need to Become the Phoenix to overcome the challenges that we are all facing together because of trying to put the pieces back together again to recover from the global pandemic. It has almost become a challenge just to go out again and just to try to live again. We all need superhuman strength to survive and thrive during these times. Become the Phoenix is a metaphor for starting a new life from the ashes of the fire of your old life, so I feel it is a fitting song right now.
Lisa: Do you get creative blocks? If so, what do you do to move past them?
Tara: I do get creative blocks sometimes, so I change my focus for a while and then revisit the songs. Sometimes I go for a dog walk, gardening, landscaping, motorcycle ride, swim, downhill ski, agriculture research, cooking, playing saxophone/piano/singing favorite songs and sometimes just a 15-minute cat nap. Sometimes change is as good as a rest and sometimes a rest is what is needed, so I try to listen to what I need to do for myself to recharge my batteries. I never confine myself to one way to move past a creative block, I just do what I feel like I need to do to change my mind and then revisit the song. I never have any shortage of interests to pursue to distract me, refresh me, revitalize, and then get back to writing.
Lisa: Do you have any New Year resolutions for this year?
Tara: My new year resolution is to write, create, and sing better songs, maybe to start performing this year as well. I’d like to play saxophone and piano more often to improve my skills. I’d like to include some more saxophone in our new songs, and I admit John Dean is the pro in terms of piano playing, I simply am the piano student. Additionally, John Dean and I are returning to real drums and real instruments, steering away from the digital drums somewhat, we both love the feel and sound of the real instruments. I am grateful of John Dean’s friendship, music talent and production
Lisa: What are your plans regarding music this year?
Tara: 2021 pretty much knocked the wind out of my sails, so I am seeking a way to stand on my own two feet again. Hoping that I might be able to spend more time on music, maybe even to start performing? I’d like to improve my singing, performance, video creation, song writing to reach new levels of success in 2022 and I really hope that I might make some music that might change somebody’s mind and life….
….. and that maybe I might get a chance to meet some of my music listeners in real life in 2022.
Heartfelt smiles, hugs, and love … from Tara Kye….
Happy New Year! Let’s make 2022 a year to remember!
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