A new section here where we zero in on musicians that are either starting out or are at least completely new to NMC.
Tara (Sweden) – Pain (debut single)
Tara is a tender 16-year-old singer-songwriter based in Stockholm and she has just released her debut single, ‘Pain’.
Hailing originally from Serbia she arrived in Sweden as a child so has been exposed to two contrasting cultures and she writes about the intensity of teenage emotions, meaning love, loss and self-discovery. My attention was drawn to the claim “imagine if Lana Del Rey and Kate Bush had a musical love child—that’s Tara’s evocative soundscape.”
That’s quite an image to live up to.
You know, I can’t think of a better title to sell a song! Just about everyone is in some sort of physical or metaphysical pain right now and with Don about to enlighten us with his ‘Liberation Day’ tariff regime that pain ain’t gonna subside anytime soon.
In her case pain means being misunderstood, which I guess is something that happens easily when you move between countries and will most definitely apply to ‘international’ relationships.
Now having gone through the introductory rigmarole I’ll say this. I wasn’t expecting anything quite as attention grabbing. ‘Pain’ lies somewhere between a Shakespearean soliloquy and a plea for help to The Samaritans. The lyricism is exceptional for someone so young.
Try these lines for example:
“I was always a crazy child/living by the gates of Hell”
“I’m wasting my youth”…“causing trouble”…”I do good things but somehow I turn out wrong”
“I don’t know why I’m blue…the only friend I ever had is the moon”
“In my heart and in my head I know I’m young but I keep on wishing that I was dead.”
I don’t know if it has hit the Nordic countries yet but here in the UK the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ is all the rage with even the Prime Minister singing its praises. While the particular subject matter is social media abuse and online radicalisation that results in a murder of a 13-year old by another of the same age the words of Tara’s song are so powerful that they would suit the series perfectly as a theme tune.
Musically, it is a power ballad underscored by thumping war drums and assorted percussion that suggest mounting tension, sumptuous synthesised chords and a delicious instrumental/vocal bridge.
Vocally, she has that knack of sounding both young and vulnerable and older and world-weary at the same time in one song.
I don’t know about Del Ray and Bush, ‘Pain’ has the same degree of early career quality that Fiona Apple had with the likes of ‘Never is a promise’ and ‘Criminal’. Reverting to Shakespeare again a cynic could take the opinion that “the lady doth protest too much” but I say bring it on!
Putting the production aside (from Tim Godsen), if Tara wrote all of this herself I would say we have a genuine star in the making here.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573576335416
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taramusic2008/
Juell (Norway) – Release (single)
Juell is new to NMC and she works out of Trondheim, up in the more northerly part of Norway and from whence many of the Norwegians that have featured here originate from or attended the musical conservatoire there.
I wondered how long it would be before an artist “released” a song called ‘Release’, which of course presents us inarticulate writers with all sorts of problems!
Her impressive full name, Vibeke Juell Bugge, is representative of the breadth of styles she incorporates, from the heavy rock of doom merchants Motorpsycho (are they still going, I thought I saw their farewell gig at Øya in 2019?) and Black Sabbath to the more tender sounds of compatriots Emilie Nicolas and Susanne Sundfør, and that is some ground to cover, believe me. Has anyone else been so widely influenced?
On the other hand, and despite the head-banging rock and Norwegian sophisticated pop dichotomy, don’t try to pigeonhole her. She is very much her own artist and ‘Release’ opens as a classically piano supported ballad and quickly progresses by way of a little indie-folk to a mid section that has the appearance of acoustic prog to a full-on pop/rock finale; a mini-tour of musical styles. There’s even a tiny, fleeting trap beat in there.
Fortunately it doesn’t edge into the rock field; that would have been a bridge too far, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Not the sort of thing you might think would work but assuredly it does as she skillfully weaves her way through the transitions benefitting from a background in production as well as writing.
Vocally, her delivery is fragile and tender, which suits this song very well, and even when the tempo is ratcheted up towards the end. I don’t know yet how it fits the rock part of her persona but I sure would like to.
Other musicians here include bassist Eskil Elias Foyn Bruntvedt, drummer Bjørn André Syverinsen, and keyboardist Johannes Rønning while Juell has also included cellist Selma Sophie Tudor Edwards Granly.
I see she opened for Sigrid on a recent tour and I hope we get the chance to see her over here before long.
Find her on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juell.wav/
Here’s a thing. I just realised that between the two of them they offer us some pain release. Nice.
