NCS Interview with Tara McDonald
Name:
Tara McDonald
Nationality:
English/Irish/Scottish.
Home:
Rochester, Kent UK
How long have you been Singing/writing:
Singing professionally since 9 year old and the first published song I wrote I was around 24
Contact/Website: www.taramcdonald.tv
Twitter http://twitter.com/TaraMcDonaldTV
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraMcDonaldTV
Myspace http://www.myspace.com/taramcdonald
Tell us about how you made it from the West End to working with Van Helden and David Guetta?
God thats the longest story ever! Basically I started singing when I was 9 professionally in Les Miserables, which was an amazing experience, the only thing I had done before that was my school nativity. I was bullied at primary school and so to boost my confidence my mum and dad took me and my younger sister Anna to a childrens' theatre workshop. I sang and the man running the night suggested that my parents take me to an open audition for Les Miserables. We all got a complete shock when I ended up getting a part and then started work from then on. The gap between London's West End and house music is quite vast. I went to the Brit school in Croydon and this opened my eyes to lots of new sounds of music. I also started dance training which which made it easier for me to get work. By the time I was 18 I was still trying to get my music career going, I was no longer intersted in musical theatre, I wanted to write my own songs and to have more freedom creatively. I had also been going out to a lot of London clubs, mostly Heaven, The Cross, Bagleys etc and had fallen in love with House Music as a genre.
My friends and I loved dressing up so always looked a bit crazy when we went out, this lead to promters asking me to "go go" dance. I used to work at Minstry, Legends, Slinky, Carwash, and it was so much fun - one night a bunny girl, the next wearing furry moon boots (remember those?)and a bikini! I always used to make up songs in my head to the instrumental tracks I heard, I never realised this was a special thing, I thought everyone else could do it too. I was still singing during this time, doing gigs where I could, singer/songwriter clubs around London, backing vocals, anything really to make ends meet and still hoping to be "discovered". I didn't relaise I had to "discover" myself first!
Everyone seemed to love my voice but record companies didn't know what to do with me. The first track I co wrote was by accident for a boy band called D side, I was asked to do a vocal session and did what I always did when I heard an instrumental, I started hearing vocal meldoies in my head. A part of the track hadn't been written yet, I was in the vocal booth and started singing over a section of that song (like I always did in the clubs to the tracks). The producers loved what I did and kept it, it became the middle 8 and outro of the track. D-Sides "Stronger Together" went to number 5 in Ireland and was the title track of their first album, a small start but made me think, can I write songs now too?
I started collaborating with some of the DJs I met on the club scene, I remember seeing Sonique play in Heaven for Sundissential when I was dancing (this time dressed as a school girl). I thought I can do that, I can sing over the tracks and suddenly everything came together, it was like a light bulb had been switched on above my head! I never thought my love of being in clubs, dance music, dressing up and my voice could come together! It still took some time though...I made a track for a Croatian Techo act called Future Shock, our song "Back to the Future" went to number 1 and I travelled over to do PA's for massive underground raves in Zagreb. After this I did backing dancing for Karen Ramirez ('Didn't Know I Was Looking For Love 'Til I Found You' was her biggest hit and the one most people remember), we were performing at a Prada party in Milan and I was introduced to a producer who knew Planet Funk, they wanted someone to sing "Chase the Sun" on their live sets so I auditioned and started working with them. Our first gig together was at Priveledge in Ibiza in 2001 (one of the world's biggest clubs) it was an MTV festival and we were on first, Roger Sanchez introduced us to the stage, I was terrified! But the night was electric, I was in Ibiza, this was really happening and the acts on after us was Basement Jaxx and Faithless...incredible!
Planet Funk & Tara McDonald "Chase The Sun" you tube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pdI69n5do
Five years after this, lots more gigs, song writing, hopes and dreams and a few releases that didn't catch on, I had a meeting with Universal Publishing. They heard my song writing demo and ask me if I would like to write over an Axwell track they just had in called "Feel The Vibe". I had started to give up hopes of being an artist at this time and thought about just becoming a writer for other people. I took the song home and co write the topline with a friend that had a small studio. We wrote the track, sent it back to the publishers they send it to the label, and we got it! I was over the moon! The song is coming out on Data, MOS (which just seems like life has come full cirlce as I used to dance on the bar and speakers in the main room at the London club). The label like my vocal and wanted to know if I could sing the track too, but they needed to see if I could handle it, they wanted to hear me sing and see what I looked like. So I send them my performance with Planet Funk "Chase the sun" from MTV. This video got me the gig. Its funny how things link like that in this business, if I hadn't met this person, or been to that club...well if I hadn't been a backing dancer for Karen Ramiriez I wouldn't have done that gig with Planet Funk and I wouldn't have got the chance to do the Axwell record.
This really set the ball rolling for me!
Axwell "Feel the Vibe til the morning comes" you tube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQvp7Btu0Qw
What's the biggest selling record you have worked on:
I actually don't know! Thats terrible isn't it! I guess in the UK it will be "My My My, Funktuary" and worldwide "Delirious"....so far!
Joey Negro is a bit of a hero of ours and played alongside us recently - what's he like to work with?
David Lee AKA Joey Negro sent me a couple of tracks and I co wrote La la Land with a friend of mine writer/producer Dee Adam. We did everything via email so didn't have the chance to jam in the studio together. We hadn't met until we were both touring together in Sydney Australia this NYE just gone. Obviously I'm a big fan of his work and he seems really cool and down to earth. I'm really proud of our song together. I fell in love with the track as soon as I heard it, very musical and different. The lyrics are really personal to me too, I wrote it about a close friend who was going through a really hard time and wanted to remind him how special he is to me.
Favourite artist worked with:
Wow there have been so many. I have had lots of varied experiences in my career so far. I loved working with Audrey Hepburn as a child, when I was an ambassador for UNICEF, and I didn't realise how special an experience that was at the time. I was only 12 years' old and not familar with her films. I also used to do backing vocals for different bands and working with Bryan Ferry was a dream, we collaborated on his Dylaneqsue album, I loved being in the studio with him and he let me do some of the backing vocal arrangements. He is such an incredible artist and has achieved so much artisticallly, I read somewhere that he's just collaborated with Groove Amarda too, so looking forward to hearing that!
In my dance world I'm happy to say that most of the people I have worked with have been really cool. Stonebridge is such a sweet person and is always giving me advice, he even mixed my PA set for me after we did a gig together to help me out. David Guetta is obviously one of the biggest names in not just the dance music but in music generally. This man is so hard working and his energy is infectious, I loved my journey with David and feel really proud of the tracks we wrote together ("Delerious" and "You're Not Alone") on his "Pop Life" album. He opened so many doors for me, is a complete professional and I'm really happy that such a lovely person is doing so well. Todd Terry, it was such an honour to work with him on the AllStars project ("Get Down" & "Play On") we are hoping to make some more tunes together in the future, he's a legend, brilliant fun and a total gent.
Armand van Helden, the funny thing is about "My My My" is that we never met while we made this record, I recorded the vocals in London and he mixed them in New York. It wasn't till last year (3 years after the release) when I was performing for United Respect at Tiesto's birthday party in Germany that we met for the first time. I was nervous as he hadn't heard me sing live before, the pressure was on, as it was an Arena gig with about 50,000 people watching and I got to introduce him to the stage. Luckily it all went really well and he is a super cool guy!Also I've recently been working with Laidback Luke, Afrojack, Funkerman, DJ Roog, David Vendetta, Mischa Daniels, TV Rock, Richard Grey, Nervo so expect some new collaborations very soon!
Favourite ever record:
Got to be "You Got The Love" - Candi Staton & The Source, it brings tears to my eyes...in a good way.
Favourite ever album:
Hard one this, I have a really diverse taste in music, I have different albums to help me through different times. I never get tired of Air's Moon Safari though, it reminds me of a great time in my life when I had first moved to London, everything was new and exciting. I always take this album to Ibiza with me, its great for chilling on the beach.
What are you up to right now:
Sitting at home in leopard print pjamas doing this interview and then I'm writing a song for Yves La Rock today in my home studio, I will get out of my PJ's eventually :-P
Your inspiration:
Life in general, my relationships...the music
What would you change right now:
The weather, after coming back from Australia I'm finding it hard to adjust to the grey UK skies, I miss the beach and the endless blue. I would move there if it wasn't for my lovely family and friends, think I'd miss them all too much.
Favourite venue to play/visit:
Another hard question...I love being in the middle East, there's a great energy and I feel really at home. Pacha in Sharm is great to play, Ibiza is always amazing. I have such a love for the Island as soon as the new year starts I'm already looking forward to going back there. London as its my home. To be honest though its the crowd that make a party not always the venue. They bring the life, I'm lucky to have had so many great experiences so far.
Best ever gig:
I had such a lovely gig last year in Jakarta with Hed Kandi you can see a clip from the gig on the link below from my you tube channel.
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraMcDonaldTV The crowd Loved "Get Down", when I watch this video it brings back that night perfectly, such a warm magic evening:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLUoWu7rSv0
Also I played Cocoon with them (Hed Kandi) last month in Fankfurt Germany and people knew every word of my songs! They were singing so loudly at one point that I couldn't hear the music, that was pretty crazy!
What advice would you give to anyone getting into the industry today:
Don't expect things to just fall into your lap or happen over night, a career is a journey not a destination so expect highs and lows and keep on going if you love it enough. Music for me is a life decesion and it has taken me years to get this far. Expect a bit of rejection (it happens to us all) keep your head held high, meet people and don't be scared to try a new approach. Experience is so important, I would sing anywhere I could from a bar in a gay sauna in Shoreditch to a wedding, it didn't matter where or what it was just to get better at what I wnated to do. So when a great opportuntiy came by I was ready to take it. Also working in some of the most unlikely places you never know who you might meet. Lots of "resting" professional muscians and producers that work on big tours and cool productions also work in cover bands (although they probably won't be shouting out about it too much) and I met lots of contacts this way too. With songwriting I really think this for me is getting better with age, not every song you write will be a hit but keep on writing or producing. Even the biggest song writers out there don't have hits all the time. Keep pushing yourself forward, be positive and good things will come. Hope that helps you out!!
Anything else we should know about you:
There's so much going on at the moment that I'm really excited about. I have signed my solo record deal with Hed Kandi and Ministry Of Sound last year, my first solo release is going to be this summer. My goal is too make people want to dance and put a smile on their face through my music.
I have a new track on Data before that with Mowgli called "Can't Stop Singing" its being mastered tomorrow, so this is fresh news! The release date is going to be around April this year.
I have another new record "I'm Your Goddess" David Vendetta & Tara McDonald which comes out this month.
I am also on the cover of French Playboy which comes out on the 25th Feb, edition 101 and have 14 pages inside. Its a special music edition and some of the people I have worked with David Guetta, David Vendetta and Bryan Ferry helped me out with the article too! I was really nervous about doing it but knew if I didn't I would always have regretted it. I'm really proud to be a bunny girl!
As you can see I have been a very busy bee lately, there will be more news coming up very soon! If people want to find out more about me then check out the links below. I am very hands on and reply to every message myself, so sometimes it can take me a while to get back to people, but I always do it the end:)
I have a website www.taramcdonald.tv
Beatport https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/artist/detail/92290/tara_mcdonald
Twitter http://twitter.com/TaraMcDonaldTV
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/TaraMcDonaldTV
Myspace http://www.myspace.com/taramcdonald
Your thoughts on NCS?
I think its great that NCS are doing so much for the house music community with the radio show, label, events and interviews like this one! I want to thank you for supporting me as an artist!
